The Molenes pack bluegrass and twang into new disc

The album begins with an instrumental bluegrass jam titled “Redemption.” The introductory track weaves strains of banjo and mandolin into a driving, rockabilly drumbeat, knitting together a timeless sound that follows the roots of American music. As the tune begins to fade, amplified feedback drowns out the jam, making way for the country-rock guitar riff of “There’s a Sufferin’.”

It’s a striking transition, and one that might surprise fans of The Molenes’ first album, “This Car Is Big.” Emerging more than 18 months after the debut disc, “Songs of Sin and Redemption” wraps together all the rootsy elements that define The Molenes’ style, from blues to bluegrass, rock to rockabilly. The band will unveil its new effort with a CD release show at The Press Room on Saturday, May 3.

“We feel like this is kind of more representative of what we’re like as a band now,” said front man Dave Hunter. “It really kind of says who we are more and it speaks to the kind of music we want to play.”

That music has its roots in Hunter’s native Midwest. The singer-songwriter was born in Kansas and grew up in Cincinnati. He began tinkering with guitar while in his early teens, emulating the styles of classic rockers like Hendrix and Zeppelin, as well as early punk bands like The Clash. But no matter what he tried to mimic, Hunter found that a Midwestern twang invariably worked its way into his playing.

“It always had come out a little bit twangy, even though I was playing what was really just rock or punk,” Hunter said. “My mom’s side of the family is from down in rural Kentucky and my dad’s side of the family is from rural Indiana, and we ended up in the middle in Cincinnati, so that’s probably where all that twang comes from.”

Hunter also spent close to a decade in London, where he played with indie rock band Drugstore and other groups. He settled on the Seacoast with his wife and two children in 2004 and formed The Molenes shortly thereafter, but a spree of lineup changes ensued. The band has gone through three drummers and three bass players, ultimately settling on drummer Zach Field, who hales from Amesbury, Mass., and bassist Andrew Russell, who lives in Kennebunk, Maine. Keyboardist Thomas Ferry, a fellow Seacoast resident, is an original member.  

The current lineup has been together for about a year and has managed to hone a distinctive style despite rarely having occasion to rehearse. Because the band members are spread across three states, they typically only perform together during actual gigs. But you wouldn’t know it from listening to the album. On “Songs of Sin and Redemption,” the four instrumentalists, along with guest Bruce Derr on pedal steel and vocalist Jess Hunter singing on two tracks, demonstrate individual skill and comfort that translate into a collective understanding of the band’s sound.

Although the group is often tagged with labels of Americana or alt-country, Hunter does not think of The Molenes as a country band. He prefers to describe the sound simply as rootsy American music with a range of influences.

“It’s hard to describe what the music is. I’m sure a lot of songwriters would agree that you write what comes out and you probably end up trying to define it afterwards,” Hunter said. “I mean, obviously there’s a lot of rock in there, but also some rockabilly, maybe a little blues, but more what people think of as being hillbilly-rock kind of elements.”

For the new album, Hunter had written 30 to 35 songs for the band to choose from. He considered doing a lengthy concept album, but later decided that two discs with 24 songs might be a bit daunting for local listeners. The quartet narrowed the track list down to 12 songs, and the instrumentalists pitched in their own parts to embellish Hunter’s melodies and words.
“We kind of ended up wanting it to be something of a journey through American music and just say, ‘Hell with it, as long as it’s got some rootsy and either rural or metropolitan twang elements to it, then we’ll throw it all in there,’” Hunter said.

Recorded partly at Milltown Recording Company in Newmarket and partly at NoHeadroom Studio in Portsmouth, the new album includes a range of songs tied together by the binary themes of sin and redemption. Songs like “Silver Stars” and “Charlotte Lights” include hopeful lyrics about love prevailing over hardship. Other songs, like “Pain Express” and “Trouble in the Corn,” tell of difficulties that are not so easily overcome.

“It really kind of divides down along those lines. A lot of the songs are about going astray, and there are other songs about just the quiet hope of finding out that things are working and that you’re saving yourself,” Hunter said. “Some of them are a slightly darker mood and other ones are lighter.”

At The Press Room on Saturday, The Molenes will be joined by local legend Dan Blakeslee. The show begins at 9 p.m., and the $8 door charge includes a copy of the new CD. The Molenes have other release shows coming up over the next several weeks in Boston, Manchester and Portland. For more info, visit www.themolenes.com. 

After the rigors of putting together a professional recording, Hunter and his band mates look forward to performing new material for live audiences. They also hope to return to the studio in the not-too-distant future to record other new songs. All the band members have day jobs, making a national tour unlikely. But The Molenes’ goals are fairly modest.

“Just to get the best shows we can get around here and spread the music around a little bit. That’s pretty much all we hope from it,” Hunter said.