Damion Suomi and Paleface | The Beachside Resident

By: Tobin Bennison

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DAMION SUOMI and PALEFACE

As dedicated Resident readers should already know, Cocoa Beach-based singer/songwriter Damion Suomi crafts elegant, drink-fueled lamentations and explosive, midtempo rockers with one ear cocked toward the dusty world of alternative country and the other bent toward the Irish tradition.

Suomi spent a number of years filling time in various local bands before striking out on his own, and his eponymous debut album, a collection of tunes that were “birthed from pubs, drinks, and relationships,” was released on the P Is for Panda label in early 2009. Now fresh on the heels of his excellent three-song EP Needs More Water, which was released this past December, Suomi is playing tirelessly throughout the area and around Central Florida.

When he stands before you on a slightly elevated stage, you’ll find yourself wondering where exactly you heard these songs before. There’s just something that familiar about them — as if they’d always been inside you; you just hadn’t heard them actually sung before. Suomi says his songs are “a mix of hope and despair.” If you’ve ever fell on aged whisky to help you sort things out, then Suomi will be your preacher. And if you’ve ever held onto your friends and lovers like stolen money, then recordings will be your holy book to keep at your side. It will remind you to smile when sadness comes crashing in, because you have to have them both to live.

Appearing for select dates this month with Suomi and his band the Minor Prophets (made up of Ian and Gavin Little and David Fountain) is Paleface, a founding member of NYC’s Antifolk movement. More than a decade since his last major label release and collapse from alcohol abuse, Paleface is currently touring in support of his Ramseur Records full-length debut, The Show Is On The Road. Soon after it was released in April of 2009, the album landed on the CMJ top 200 charts and PASTE Magazine featured Paleface as “Band Of The Week.”

The Show Is On The Road is an intimate, 11-song diary that transcends genres with its ingenious lyrics and deceptively unassuming style – just Paleface on acoustic guitar and harmonica, his girlfriend Monica “Mo” Samalot on drums and backing vocals, and special performances by friends including The Avett Brothers. The album is a farewell love letter to his longtime home of New York City, and an embrace of his new life in the South and on the road with darling “Mo.” Paleface was discovered at an NYC open mic in 1990 by Danny Fields (The Stooges, The Ramones, MC5) and soon became the first Antifolk (NYC Neofolk) artist signed to major labels (Sire and Polydor), followed by college radio hits and national tours with the likes of Billy Bragg and The Breeders.

While hanging around the Lower East Side with his then roommate and close pal Beck, Paleface became a major influence on Beck’s early work. After touring with The Breeders, Paleface collapsed and nearly died from alcohol. Following a long recovery and cleansing he returned to the Antifolk scene and befriended a new breed of artists (The Moldy Peaches, Regina Spektor, and Langhorne Slim among others). Paleface became a major source of influence and inspiration to many of them, including the Avett Brothers to whose records he often contributes. Since his reappearance, he’s been charming audiences from coast to coast with his dynamic performances, honest and refreshing lyrics, and his raw yet full sound.

Damion Suomi and the Minor Prophets and Paleface perform this February 19 with musicians Lauris Vidal and Andy Zipf at the Shamrock Room in Cocoa Village (105 Harrison Ave.; 634-5555). The musical contingent will also appear together at Wills Pub in Orlando 2/17; Durty Nelly’s in Gainesville 2/18, and at the New World Brewery in Tampa on 2/20. Visit Damion Suomi online at www.damionsuomi.com, and check out Paleface at www.palefaceonline.com.