P.G. Six

One of the great moments of this year came when Weeping Bong Band reunited at Deep In The Valley to play for the first time in years, returning to their brand of quiet magic once again. Though, prior to their assembly on the stage, the band’s members have been found huddled in the studio once again as Pat Gubler picks up the mantle of P.G. Six on a new album, Murmers & Whispers. Finding Gubler tucked into the quiet & contemplative end of the moniker’s canon, the new record explores home comforts, the intricacies of love, the shadows of death, and the autumnal hues of folk that’s toured around the English isles. September’s still got the hooks of summer embedded in its opening, but as the nights turn cooler this fall, Murmurs & Whispers may just be one of the most essential records of the season.

This past year saw a reissue of Pat’s 2001 album Parlor Tricks and Porch Secrets, an album that revels in Anglican folk, an apt companion piece to the new record. As with this early gem, M&W finds the harp in prominent position, with several songs feeling ripped from the traditional canon. That album found Gubler largely solo, though this time around a few good friends find their way into the mix — Wednesday Knudson provides sax, Clark Griffin percussion, and both Weeping Bong members lend vocals to the record. This time around local luminary Mike “The Mighty Flashlight” Fellows also finds his way behind the boards, as he’s done for labelmate Mike Donovan this year. The record captures the many sides of P.G. Six, draping its songs in delicate folk (“I Have Known Love,”) creosote scorch (“I Have A House,”) and rain-streaked intensity (“I Don’t Want To Be Free”). Each cements Gubler as well deserving of his celebrated status with the record slotting in nicely among his sterling catalog.

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