Noah Jeffries-Guitar, harmony vocals
Dennis Ludi… Read Full Bio ↴From Austin, TX.
Noah Jeffries-Guitar, harmony vocals
Dennis Ludiker-Mandolin, harmony vocals
Brian Beken-Fiddle, lead vocals
Matt Mefford-Double Bass
Contemporary jazz-grass band MilkDrive features award-winning instrumentalists Brian Beken on fiddle and lead vocals, Noah Jeffries on guitar and harmony vocals, Dennis Ludiker on mandolin and harmony vocals, and Matt Mefford on double bass. But awards reveal nothing about the Austin string band’s exhilarating sound. Fueled by equal parts tradition and innovation, MilkDrive delivers a distinctive acoustic experience that crosses genres, geographies, and generations.
The band’s much-anticipated sophomore studio album WAVES, produced by Bil VornDick, will be released in June. Capturing the band’s sophisticated arrangements and fierce musicianship, the album showcases a number of original compositions and features guests Noam Pikelny (of Punch Brothers) and Futureman (of Bela Fleck & the Flecktones).
Dennis Ludiker, Brian Beken and Noah Jeffries met as youngsters competing in the National Oldtime Fiddlers’ Contest in Weiser, Idaho. Eventually they migrated to Austin, where they toured with an eclectic mix of bands and honed their songwriting chops before joining up with bass player extraordinaire Matt Mefford and forming MilkDrive.
In June 2009, the band recorded and released a live album, MILKDRIVE LIVE ’09, which spotlights the band’s vigorous picking technique and charismatic writing style. Their debut studio album ROAD FROM HOME, released in April 2011, combines haunting ballads with their signature instrumentals – “achieving a rootsy feel with a sophisticated edge,” as reviewer Graham Robertson put it. “A fantastic canvas for solo work.”
Andrew Dansby of the Houston Chronicle calls the MilkDrive repertoire “a virtuosic blast of bluegrassy string-band music.” With labels that range from jamgrass and nu-folk to redneck gypsy jazz, the band has built a following that’s as funky and friendly as they are. The group plays festivals from coast to coast every year, with stops in between at Colorado’s beloved RockyGrass Festival and at home at the Austin City Limits Music Festival.
Soho
Milkdrive Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Only fades away
Everywhere I go I always take my shades
Don't even hesitate, don't hesitate
Do you know I've been told
Got this kick-back from some friends left in SoHo
When you left and said goodbye
It's written on the door, I know you're running late
But I've got some things to say
Feeling like a ghost when you don't call my name
From your motorcade, your motorcade
Do you know I've been told
Got this kick-back from some friends left in SoHo
When you left and said goodbye
I'll never lie now that you're gone
Do you know I've been told
Got this kick-back from some friends left in SoHo
When you left and said goodbye
I'll never lie now that you're gone
When you left and said goodbye
I'll never lie now that you're gone
The lyrics to Milkdrive's song "SoHo" evoke feelings of bittersweet nostalgia and longing for a lost love. The opening line, "Life at twenty-five never weighs my pain," suggests that the singer is young, but perhaps still experienced some sort of heartbreak or disappointment. However, they have learned to move forward and "fade away" their pain, as though it is just a passing phase.
The mention of "shades" and "motorcade" suggest that the singer is perhaps a celebrity or someone with a certain level of fame, while the reference to SoHo places them in a specific location with a particular set of memories. The line "Feeling like a ghost when you don't call my name" highlights the loneliness and isolation the singer feels after the departure of their love.
The repetition of the line "Do you know I've been told/Got this kick-back from some friends left in SoHo" suggests that the singer is seeking some sort of validation or reassurance. Perhaps they are trying to confirm that their lost love still thinks of them or misses them as well. The final line, "I'll never lie now that you're gone," reveals the sense of regret and honesty that the singer feels in the absence of their love.
Line by Line Meaning
Life at twenty-five never weighs my pain
At my age of twenty-five, I never feel the burden of pain.
Only fades away
The pain I feel eventually disappears over time.
Everywhere I go I always take my shades
I always wear sunglasses everywhere I go.
Don't even hesitate, don't hesitate
I have no reason to be hesitant.
Do you know I've been told
Someone told me something.
Got this kick-back from some friends left in SoHo
I received a message from some friends who are located in the SoHo neighborhood.
When you left and said goodbye
When you left me and said goodbye.
I'll never lie now that you're gone
I will always tell the truth since you are no longer here.
It's written on the door, I know you're running late
There is something written on the door that tells me you are behind schedule.
But I've got some things to say
I have something important to communicate to you.
Feeling like a ghost when you don't call my name
I feel invisible when you do not acknowledge me.
From your motorcade, your motorcade
From your car convoy.
When you left and said goodbye
When you left me and said goodbye.
I'll never lie now that you're gone
I will always tell the truth since you are no longer here.
When you left and said goodbye
When you left me and said goodbye.
I'll never lie now that you're gone
I will always tell the truth since you are no longer here.
Contributed by Carter E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Brian Vercellino
nned somelyrics of the songs.soho and water.
@wixomlakehouse
Love this-Bluegrass, jazz-good call Rex!
@jacicrimmccrary
These guys are great! They should apply to play at the annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival and at Merlefest in North Carolina!
@keenancharlesolson
please come back to cali soon guys.
@lilwayneisbad1
saw these guys on the acl playlist. badass song, love it
@TheSpyrunner101
I have grown up to hate country and blue grass but damn this is good music and they have a great interview with DangerManxx check it out !
@tamwitabragg4237
First time I have ever heard them. I love their music, almost as much as his sexy eyes. Wow!!! May have to go see them in Avon.
@iloveshady2much
Noah's hair is cracking me up.