Issues → November/December 2008 → Features →

Music Review: 'Hungrytown'

Vermonters Rebecca Hall and Ken Anderson

by Justin Shatwell

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Credit: Gentyl & Hyers

For the past five years, this husband-and-wife duo has been enjoying a second honeymoon as one of the most folkier-than-thou acts on the road. Leaving behind the security of their clerical jobs at the United Nations, Rebecca Hall and Ken Anderson settled in a small Vermont town, traded their pensions for a touring van, and picked up where the Carter family left off.

Musically, Hungrytown is a rare breed. In this age of fusion, Hall and Anderson prefer to reverse-engineer modern folk: plucking out the rock and R&B and writing brand-new ballads that sound straight out of the '30s. Standing face to face, so close that their guitars almost touch, they sing into the same mic, evoking scenes from the glory days of the Grand Ole Opry.

Without a single grain of saccharine pop to help the Americana go down, Hungrytown may seem too authentic for some. But judging from the sidelong glances and foolish grins they get playing even the humblest of venues, Hall and Anderson don't mind. They may be old-fashioned, but they couldn't be happier being anything else.

For audio clips and a performance schedule, go to: hungrytown.net