Paleface: Folk music that can get a crowd dancing

By John Benson

If there’s one constant in popular music, it’s the ever-shifting winds of influence that continue to create one subgenre after another — the lastest of which is folk-core. That’s where legendary underground New York City singer-songwriter Paleface (vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica) now falls. He’s performing with his girlfriend, Monica “Mo” Samalot, (drums, vocals).

“I don’t know; that’s just something for people to call it,” said Paleface, calling from somewhere in Kentucky. “The core of the music is folk; it’s like this whole scene where most people we know are playing acoustic — The Avett Brothers, Langhorne Slim and Holy Ghost Tent Revival. Everyone has their own definition. I think it gives some sort of idea for people that don’t know what it is.

“It’s like people say we’re the acoustic version of The White Stripes when we play. But we’re not really doing The White Stripes; we’re doing like a folk-y thing with a lot of energy, because it’s one guy with a guitar and one girl playing drums. So it’s easy for people to reference that. And I’m OK with that. I don’t care. If that’s the way they want to tell their friends about it, I’m fine.”

Paleface’s digression into folk-core was more of a practicality than a calculated move to enter any hipster scene. It was only a few years ago that the artist was based out of Brooklyn, N.Y., with a full backing-band behind him. However, the seminal artist, who Beck cited as an early influence in his career, decided he’d had enough of the Big Apple and split town with Samalot.

Eventually, they relocated to North Carolina where they wrote and recorded their latest effort, “The Show is on The Road.” Among the new tunes the twosome will be playing live at its Youngstown debut Saturday are the upbeat title track, the bittersweet “New York, New York” and the frantic “Holy Holy.” In looking over Paleface’s nearly 20-year career, what stands out is the fact he’s never come close to any mainstream attention. In talking to the laid-back artist, this apparently wasn’t by mistake.

“If you’re going to get mainstream acceptance, you have to make a mainstream record,” Paleface said. “And I never really have. I made one record [‘Bottle Fed’] that was sort of. I went out to San Francisco and made one sort of rock record, but at that time the music business was dissolving and it was still sort of a raw record. So I haven’t really made any music that’s in that vein.”

Mainstream success notwithstanding, the unique artist has recently witnessed a unique phenomenon at his shows. His audiences have often been known to celebrate the energy and excitement of a concert by, well, um, breaking into dance. As unexpected as this may have been to the singer at first, he now realizes this connection or synergy with the crowd speaks directly to his motivation and desire as an artist.

“It’s just something that happened,” Paleface said. “It’s like, well, we’re on stage singing these numbers and people start dancing around. So I go out and dance with them sometimes. I’m not sure that when people go to a show that most of them realize how much power they have as an audience to really make the concert fun, because there’s nothing better than an audience that’s really into what’s happening and really participating in the show. The show is just better for everyone.”

>If you go

Who: Paleface with Modern Life

When: 10 p.m. Saturday

Where: Cedars Lounge, 23 N. Hazel St., Youngstown

Information: (330) 743-6560