Those Darlins: A Farewell, A Celebration

Although it doesn’t quite compare to Bowie’s recent passing or yesterday’s truths brought to light (or really, print) by Amber Coffman, but I must admit that I’m pretty darn...

Although it doesn’t quite compare to Bowie’s recent passing or yesterday’s truths brought to light (or really, print) by Amber Coffman, but I must admit that I’m pretty darn bummed that the upcoming dates of my favorite band, Those Darlins, will be the group’s last for the foreseeable future.  This last Friday the twangy, jangly Nashville garage rockers kicked off the first date of their final tour, which runs through the 29th, with a hometown farewell show, but that does include a date at our very own Boot & Saddle this coming Sunday, January 24th.  If my calculations are correct, this final area appearance will be their 11th stop in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection since 2010, from numerous times headlining Kung Fu Necktie, Johnny Brenda’s, and Boot & Saddle, to mega shows supporting Best Coast and Shakey Graves… And I have to say I loved them the whole time through, from their roots as the brashest and crassest kind of country punks, to their South psych rock years, and their most recent output, which resembles Patti Smith taking on some beautiful amalgam of all aforementioned designations.  Well, it felt only fitting for Those Darlins’ farewell to the city that I have one more chat with the band, this time with Linwood Regensburg, before their final stop here this Sunday.  (In addition, I’ll leave you with some YouTube-captured highlights of their time spent in Philly.)

Izzy Cihak: First of all, I just wanted to thank you for being awesome and you should know that Those Darlins are actually my favorite band of the past 10 years and in my time as a music journalist, so yeah…

Linwood Regensburg: Are you sure? Thank you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JluHzMmlQIk

Izzy: To be a bit general, what were some of the highlights of the band for you, personally?  You seem to have played a lot of really cool shows and made a ton of amazing musical friends.

Linwood: To continue being vague, yes, we have met so many wonderful people, many of which became close friends or collaborators and travelled all over the world. It’s possible the biggest highlight could be our final show. Of course, I won’t know that until we step offstage.

Izzy: What can be expected of your upcoming farewell dates?  Or maybe a better question is, “What are you hoping for your upcoming dates?”  I know you’re sort of taking requests for certain things via Facebook.

Linwood: Well some people are approaching us as if we should be mourning all this but I see the shows as celebrations for all the songs we’ve done. It’s really fun to go back to the older songs that we haven’t been playing much over the last few years. They have a different life to them when we play them now. The shows will be an absolute good time.

Izzy: Are there any songs that you still especially really love or are exceptionally proud of and suspect that you’ll miss playing?

Linwood: I like the majority of our songs. But if I ever miss playing any particular song, I can always grab a guitar and play it in my living room. I don’t think our songs have made it into the karaoke world yet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKXp8Mlnb54

Izzy: So I’m curious what you’re all planning to be up to once the tour wraps; I know you’re each sort of looking to work on different things.  What do you have in the works, if you don’t mind me asking?  What are you most excited for in 2016?

Linwood: Jessi and I will be making music. Stay tuned for a more proper announcement.

Izzy: Finally, any final thoughts or messages for your Philly, or Philthy, fans prior to your last local date?  I believe your upcoming Boot & Saddle show will be your 11th here since 2010.  Any particular favorite memories?

Linwood: I feel like we didn’t have any steady momentum here in Philly until we started playing at Boot & Saddle. I don’t know what the explanation is, but I’m certainly grateful for whatever happened.

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Band InterviewsLive EventsMusic

During the day Izzy Cihak teaches transgression, subversion, and revolution at Temple University. At night he haunts Philthy's best venues to cover worthwhile acts for Philthy Mag. Morrissey is everything to him and, in their own heads, all of his friends see themselves as Zooey Deschanel.

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