HoboEye Music:
Kate Power & Steve Einhorn, Portland, OR

"Brick & Mortar"
by Mitchell McInnis

The yeoman-like craft of Kate Power and Steve Einhorn’s music is a serenade. A serenade to their soulful, passionate decades of brick-tending in folk music.

The 12 tracks of their LP "Brick & Mortar" take the listener on a variety of harmonic journeys that remind us of the best folk music has to offer, while also reminding the listener why folk music is such an enduring form. This well-trod form still possesses endless variations when in the hands of skillful musicians like Power and Einhorn.

Songs like "My Love" and "Wallowa" showcase Kate Power’s sultry, emotive voice. When she sings "...there really is no place like home sweet home, sweet home," even a hardened pessimist gives over to the sweet myth, letting unmitigated longing take over for a moment, thinking if there is a god., I hope she’s a woman.

Steve Einhorn is the perfect harmonic complement to Power’s classic folk voice, and also stands out in several songs on the LP, taking the listener along on his rambling adventures. He still finds wonder in unlikely places like barbershops, and narrates his visits with an earnestness reminiscent of Kerouac. As with Power, the hardened urbanite finds a playful and inviting challenge from this wanderer’s heartfelt tunes.

Power and Einhorn’s instrumentality is masterfully and delicately done, and makes headphones a necessary accessory with this LP. In "Before You Go," the pair achieves perfect intimacy between their harmonies, instruments and words, leaving the listener with an urge to smoke a cigarette. This husband and wife team aren’t just amazing musicians, they’re very truly in love.

I’m a sucker for good banjo picking, and after months of listening, I’ve found myself returning over and over again to the anthem "Liberty." Power picks two different banjos on this track–a 12" standard and a 10" Pony–and Einhorn plays guitar. This instrumental track reminds listeners just how much the music can say on its own when in the hands of great musicians. Power and Einhorn are most certainly that.

Go wild with Kate and Steve >