To say the music of Walter Parks and the Unlawful Assembly is diverse would be an understatement. The Unlawful Assembly entertains and informs while successfully combining roots music with divergent origins. It can loosely be called Americana roots music or Neo Southern Folk Rock. However, putting names on things does not always convey what they are and that is the case here. Walter and his band perform a heady mix of gospel, spirituals, swamp hollers, Appalachian jigs and Memphis blues all delivered with a swampy funk groove along with Walter's original material. Their live performances have been hailed as magical experiences, while they cover the history of the southern outback and swamps and the people that inhabited that area by reviving many of the old work songs, spirituals and hymns sung by slaves, poor Scottish immigrants, indentured servants and social outcasts. It is the history and music of the past that has been brought to the present to be absorbed and remembered.
The Ulawful Assembly is a trio consisting of guitarist and vocalist Walter Parks who played and toured with the legendary Richie Havens for ten years and has also performed with Bernard Purdie and at Lincoln Center with Judy Collins; drummer and producer Steven Williams and vocalist Ada Dyer who tours with Bruce Springsteen. This will be an evening of uplifting songs and stories so join us instead of sitting home and being bored.
