The other night, my husband and I went to Carnegie Hall in New York City. There, we had tickets for the Milk Carton Kids. Rosanne Cash, as part of the American Byways Series, brought the two musicians out to play.
From Eagle Rock, California, the Milk Carton Kids are Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan. Both play guitar and both sing. There are times when Ken takes the lead and other times when Joey takes the lead.
The two men have harmonic vocals and play the guitar beautifully. They sound almost like the Everly Brothers or Simon & Garfunkel. Their music is a cross between folk, country and little alternative all mixed in one.
The music is melancholy yet uplifting. It captures your attention and brings you in and you just don’t want to leave.
In between songs, they talked with the audience and told witty stories. We were all hysterical!
When I researched the Milk Carton Kids, I found an article from Entertainment Voice. The reporter asked Joey Ryan where he got the name of the band. He said the name of the band comes from the first song the duo wrote together called, “Milk Carton Kid.” One of the lines in the song reads, “I don’t feel the pain I once did / One day it just vanished like a milk carton kid.” Ryan said the song is a coming of age song, leaving your youth behind and entering adulthood. “It’s a bright and positive reference,” he said in the article.
The group has been together since 2011 and has several albums.
Although at times, I found some of their songs depressing and dark, I think they are actually uplifting. I thoroughly enjoyed the duo guitarists/songwriters and left Carnegie Hall feeling happy.
