The Pamlico Sound coming to Rock & Rails

Will Baumgartner, band founder, leader, singer and songwriter for funk and soul group The Pamlico Sound, is clearly excited about appearing at this week's Rock & Rails concert, July 6.

"I've been to Rock & Rails, I've seen what a party it is and how much fun it is," Baumgartner said. "The concert series has gotten such a great reputation. Everybody who knows the series gets excited when I tell them we're playing there."

This year's concert includes a few notable elements. Audiences will enjoy four lead singers, including the public debut of Asha Romeo, a soul singer who began to work with the band earlier in the year after finishing her education in CU Boulder's opera program. "She's young, very dynamic. An amazing singer and performer who works really well with us," said Baumgartner who went on to share that her other band, Lady Romeo, will be playing the Velvet Elk Lounge in Boulder.

In addition to the 10-piece band's usual performance presence, they'll be bringing plenty of horns, big voices, and costumed dancers on stilts. The performance has another highlight – it's taking place on Baumgartner's birthday. "There's nothing I like better on my birthday than to be playing a show," he said. "When it's on my birthday it's always an especially happy time for me."

Baumgartner said that while there's a theatrical element to what they do, they keep the focus on the music. They call their concept, "the jive church," which has a focus on funk and soul. He thinks of himself as the 'reverend Will B wrightback, the other female singers as "priestesisters," and the rest of the band as the "deconundrums." The audience is the congregation and the entire show is reminiscent of a southern Black baptist church experience, though it's not religious. It is designed to be transcendent and uplifting.

While they are new to the Rock & Rails stage, the band has a history and a longevity that translates to a solid experience for attendees. They've been together for a dozen years, consistently building their audience even through the pandemic when they were challenged to stay creative, keep positive, and keep going.

This year appears to be rewarding them for their perserverence. "So far, this has been a bucket list year for us where we've done or are doing a bunch of festivals and concert series that we have wanted to do for a long time, and are finally doing," said Baumgartner.

The Pamlico Sound's debut performances, in addition to Rock & Rails, include Frozen Dead Guy Days and the Denver Festival Underground Music Showcase on July 30. They're also excited to be headlining at The Fox Theater, on the Hill in Boulder on Aug 5.

While at Rock & Rails, they'll be preceded by a similar act, Indie soul balladeer Dechan Hawk. Hawk will be performing songs ranging from softer ballads to harder driving funk tunes. Hawk's show begins at 5 p.m. during Happy Hour, with The Pamlico Sound taking the stage at 6:30 p.m.