Langhorne Slim

A rootsy singer-songwriter whose material draws from blues, folk, and country wellsprings, Langhorne Slim infuses his work with an unpolished authenticity that shifts easily between boisterous energy and quiet reflection. Whether appearing alone or backed by the War Eagles and later the Law—groups whose lineups flex according to the occasion—his shows generally favor a semi-acoustic contemporary-folk approach. His career opened with the vigorous 2005 release When the Sun's Gone Down, expanded into more ambitious sonic palettes on 2009’s Be Set Free, and reached an especially intimate chapter with the 2021 album Strawberry Mansion, composed amid personal upheaval.

Born Sean Scolnick in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, on August 20, 1980, the future performer displayed an energetic and rebellious nature from childhood, first channeling it through community-theater roles. By his early teens he had turned to music, enlisting his mother to restore a guitar originally given to her by a friend; he quickly taught himself pieces by Pearl Jam and Nirvana and, at fourteen, crafted his debut composition by adapting the chords of Nirvana’s “Polly” to fresh lyrics titled “Lesbian Friend.” Following high school he enrolled at Purchase College, part of the State University of New York, to study music. Increasingly absorbed in songwriting, he began frequenting singer-songwriter venues in New York City and Philadelphia, secured a recurring opening slot for the indie-rock family band the Trachtenburg Family Sideshow Players, and issued the 1999 D.I.Y. CD-R Slim Picken’s. After further sharpening his craft through club performances, he signed with Narnack Records, which released the six-song EP The Electric Love Letter; his first full-length album, When the Sun's Gone Down, appeared in 2005. He toured behind it with the War Eagles duo of Malachi DeLorenzo on drums and Paul DeFiglia on bass.

Growing attention prompted an offer from V2 Records, which issued the four-song Engine EP in 2006; however, after album sessions began, the label was sold and the artist was dropped. Kemado Records, based in Brooklyn, stepped forward to release the self-titled Langhorne Slim in 2008. Extensive road work ensued across the United States and Europe, including appearances at the Newport Folk Festival, the Philadelphia Folk Festival, and Lollapalooza, before a second Kemado album, Be Set Free, arrived in 2009. In 2010 Langhorne parted ways with the War Eagles and assembled the Law, featuring David Moore on guitar, banjo, and keyboards, Jeff Ratner on bass, and returning drummer Malachi DeLorenzo. Their debut collaboration, The Way We Move, emerged on Ramseur Records in 2012; the critically praised set reached the Top Ten of the Folk Albums chart, and its title track featured in Tina Fey’s film Admission.

The Law next moved to Dualtone Music for 2015’s The Spirit Moves, recorded after Langhorne had renounced an escalating drinking habit. A live document, Live at Grimey's, followed in 2016, and he pursued a rawer, more organic texture and inward focus on 2017’s Lost at Last, Vol. 1. Heavy touring accompanied the album, capped by a third appearance on Conan O’Brien’s program, where the host—an avowed supporter—again showcased the songwriter. Addiction resurfaced, culminating when tranquilizers ran out during a European tour and no physician would issue replacements. While restoring his well-being, Langhorne sketched ideas for a new record and wrote its songs between March and May 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic halted normal life. Drawing on those recent hardships and recollections of family, Strawberry Mansion—titled for the Philadelphia neighborhood where his grandfather was born—was issued by Dualtone in January 2021.