For those unaware, ask anyone who has caught them live and you will hear the same thing: It is simply impossible to see Lara Hope and the Ark-Tones perform and not have a great time!

A smile on the lips, a swivel in the hips, and an earful of snappy tunes are the inevitable takeaways from any Ark-Tones appearance.

The bands singular blend of rock n roll, country, blues, surf, Western swing, rockabilly, folk, pop, and jazzy rhythm & blues gets feet a-moving and hands a-clapping no matter the audience.

By the end of the night, if they were not already, those lucky concertgoers are rabid fans!

From behind her trademark red cat-eye frames, Lara, winner of the 2017 Ameripolitan Music Award for Best Female Rockabilly Artist, fills any hall that she and the Ark-Tones play.

Her neon-bright, bigger-than-life persona is matched only by the outsized power of her towering voice, an instrument that moves effortlessly between big-stage belting and sexy, sultry crooning.

Alongside Lara, the ace Ark-Tones know innately how to complement the leader and singer-songwriters dynamic vocal presence, both before an audience and in the studio: Double bassist Matt The Knife Goldpaugh, lead guitarist Eddie Rion, and drummer Jeremy Boniello keep the train rocketing down the rails, making moody detours whenever the songs call for them.

Want an illustration of an act that knows its craft? Here to Tell the Tale (out June 25th, 2021 via Sower Records), the bands red-hot third album, is diamond-hard proof. In spades.

1. Lets Go!
2. Stop, Drop, & Roll
3. Here To Tell The Tale
4. Some Advice
5. Whoa Is Me
6. Its A Crime
7. Running In Circles
8. Knocked Out
9. The Art of Asking
10. 12 Minutes of Hot Water
11. I Drink to Your Health

One listen to the all-originals here on this vibrantly excellent, and highly appealing to the senses new album, and you are instantly transported to your happy place (where you remain throughout the entire album, trust me!)

Opening on the foot-tapping brilliance of a high-octane shot of the bands steadfast sound, Lets Go!, that is backed seamlessly by the one-two hop skip of Stop, Drop, & Roll, the personal storytelling of the raucously fervent title track Here To Tell The Tale (a track imbued with the knowledge of a 2019 tour fall that shattered Laras leg, but did not stop her), and then we get the fun and euphoric, joyously raucous Some Advice (a playful poke at the generation gap complete with hilarious voicemails from Laras mom, and the simmering sax of Hayden Cummings of the Kings of Nuthin).

Next up on this album that also features guest keyboardist Matt Jordan, sideman to Stray Cat Lee Rocker and Reverend Horton Heat, are the fast-paced rhythms of Whoa Is Me and the hauntingly Americana-country of Its A Crime which are themselves followed by the Old West-imbued Running In Circles, the upbeat swing of Knocked Out, with the album rounding out on the drum-led, and highly melodious The Art of Asking, the rambunctious 12 Minutes of Hot Water, closing (all too soon) on the irrepressibly exuberant I Drink to Your Health.

Laras tale begins in suburban Long Island, where as a child she fell in love with music and performing (the Beatles and Dolly Parton were formative favorites).

She discovered the roots scene while playing in punk bands in the Hudson Valley, and in 2010 joined rockabilly revivalists Lara Hope & The Champtones, who shared bills with Matt Goldpaughs pyschobilly outfit, the Arkhams.

With both bands winding down in 2012, and Lara and Matt becoming a couple, they decided to fuse their musical efforts, and the Ark-Tones were born.

It has been a rocking ride ever since, with near-constant touring across the U.S. and Europe although unfortunately the group had to delay its 2020 tour plans due to COVID-19.

But now, with a scorching new album and the hope of things opening back up, the band is raring to rev it up and go again. We can not wait to be back on the road, says Lara, who is kept busy with Matt during the downtime by doing weekly livestream shows and making and recording an EP with their side project, the Gold Hope Duo.

We are really looking forward to people being able to get out of the house, dance, and simply enjoy what we have all been missing about live music this past year.

Lets Go! - Lara Hope & The Ark-Tones [Official Song Listen]

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