The Milk Carton Kids are an American indie folk duo from Eagle Rock, California, United States, consisting of singers and guitarists Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan, who began making music together in early 2011. The band has recorded and released six albums: Retrospect, Prologue, The Ash & Clay, Monterey, All the Things That I Did and All the Things That I Didn't Do, and The Only Ones. They are noted for releasing their first two albums free of charge.
Biography
Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale formed a musical duo after Ryan attended a solo performance by Pattengale in their shared hometown of Eagle Rock, California. The Milk Carton Kids came together after both artists had largely unsuccessful solo careers and had reached a professional crossroads.[1]
They released Retrospect, a live album recorded in Ventura, California in March 2011. Retrospect predates the band name, and was released under Kenneth Pattengale & Joey Ryan. After performing at SXSW in March 2011, The Milk Carton Kids joined Joe Purdy's North American tour as his opening act and backing band.[2]
Prologue (2011)
The duo released Prologue on July 19, 2011. This was their first studio album and the first release under the band's name.[3] The San Francisco Chronicle referred to Prologue as "bittersweet and beautiful."[4]
Following Prologue’s release, the group headlined a North American tour.[9]
The Ash & Clay (2013)
The group's second album The Ash & Clay was released on ANTI- records on March 26, 2013.[10] Promotion for the album included touring with Austin-based artist Sarah Jarosz and a November taping of Austin City Limits.
Monterey (2015)
On May 19, 2015, the band released its album Monterey on ANTI- records.[11] The album was well-reviewed, with Rolling Stone calling it a "beautifully realised folk recording"[12] and Paste calling the album "exquisite".[13]
All the Things That I Did and All the Things That I Didn't Do (2018)
All the Things That I Did and All the Things That I Didn't Do was released on June 29, 2018 on Anti- Records.[14]
The Only Ones (2019)
The Only Ones was released on October 18, 2019 and was marketed and distributed by Thirty Tigers. It had a relatively short length for a studio album at just 25 minutes and 33 seconds. This led the band to quip at live performances that they intended to release an EP but added two extra songs.
On April 29, 2014 National Public Radio released a full concert DVD, Live at Lincoln Theatre.[23] On April 11–12, 2014 they collaborated with Joe Henry and Over the Rhine for a two night live performance & recording of all new songs inspired by the Great American Songbook.[24] An album of the collaboration may be forthcoming but no date has been set at this time.
In October 2016, the duo joined the Lampedusa concert tour in the US in support of equal human rights for refugees.
Instruments
Ryan plays a 1951 Gibson J-45 acoustic guitar while Pattengale performs on a 1954 Martin 0-15.
Awards, honors, distinctions
The Milk Carton Kids' 2013 album, The Ash & Clay, received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Folk Album of 2013, in addition to receiving a nomination for Emerging Artist of the Year at the 2013 Americana Music Honors & Awards.[25]
Both Prologue and Retrospect were made available for free download at the group's website.[27] By the end of 2011, the two albums had been downloaded for free over 60,000 times. By February 2014 downloads had reached 275,000.[28]