(HUDSON, N.Y.) – There are two approaches in the contemporary neo-folk revival. Many of the most commercially successful bands hearken to the breezy, anthemic, deracinated pop-folk of original white-bread folk-revival groups like the Limeliters, the Chad Mitchell Trio and Peter, Paul and Mary. Others look to the same folk roots but come up with innovative twists and fusions and stronger individual personalities. Count Brown Bird, which combines an organic, rootsy approach drawing from blues, swing, bluegrass, French chanson, and Eastern European modes and instrumentation and which performs at Club Helsinki on Saturday, January 19, 2013, at 9 p.m., in the latter category.

The band’s two members, David Lamb and MorganEve Swain, build their sound from the foundations of blues and American roots music, utilizing the simple foot-percussion, violin, cello and upright bass that they have become known for, while expanding Swain’s vocal presence and flaunting Lamb’s lyrical mastery. Based in their home-state of Rhode Island, their writing is inspired by Omar Khayyam, Christopher Hitchens, and Plato, among others, and grapples with the human condition. With the introduction of electric guitar, electric bass, and a more prominent display of the band’s Middle Eastern, metal, and psych-rock influences, their upcoming album, Fits of Reason, delves into heavier territory and invites the listener to hear with discerning ears.

Brown Bird spent most of 2012 on the road, supporting Trampled By Turtles, The Devil Makes Three, Yonder Mountain String Band and Horse Feathers, and wowed the crowd at the Newport Folk Festival with their first main-stage appearance. The band will continue crisscrossing the US in 2013, with a full US tour planned in April, and an appearance scheduled at the Stagecoach Festival in Indio, Calif.

For reservations in The Restaurant or in the club call 518.828.4800