PULSE MAGAZINE “The core of Hoboken, N.J.’s Demolition String Band is the musical partnership between ace stringbender Boo Reiners and the petite but powerful songwriter/vocalist/mandolinist Elena Skye, who is an avid promoter of New York City’s underground Americana scene.”
NO DEPRESSION’ “The Demolition String Band’s latest is proof that a band this edgy and adventurous can just keep getting tighter and crisper over time. Different Kinds of Love features the strong points they’ve shown for years, Elena Skye’s sharp songwriting and Boo Reiner’s immaculate picking for instance, and powers them up with new rockabilly-tinged thrust.”
VILLAGE VOICE “Live, Skye wears her heart on her sleeve and Reiners plays the hell out of his telecaster, supported by a no nonsense rhythm section.”
ROLLING STONE.COM “Thank you Elena Skye and Boo Reiners for honoring the late Ola Belle Reed, the remarkable banjoist, songwriter and Appalachian music legend on the album ‘Where The Wild Wild Flowers Grow’”
NORA GUTHRIE/WOODY GUTHRIE PUBLICATIONS “The lyrics for ‘Go Coney Island, Roll On The Sand’ seemed like a light and funny combination of bluegrass and sand, and that’s why I picked them (Demolition String Band). They have a good sense of humor and are lovely people.”
BLUEGRASS NOW “Their reverence for Ola Belle Reed and her music is tangible. One listens to this artfully constructed tribute regretful of coming too late to the acoustic world to hear Reed in person. As was intended. this album will make Ola Belle Reed’s musical legacy available to a new generation.”
SING OUT MAGAZINE “With such enthusiastic, appreciative practitioners as the Demolition String Band carrying on the tradition in true form, Ola Belle’s Reed’s songs thankfully will remain with us in perpetuity. An excellent tribute to Reed’s staying power.”
BILLBOARD MAGAZINE “‘Different Kinds of Love,’ released on the versatile indie Breaking Records, delivers on the group’s beloved mix of bluegrass, honky-tonk, rock and Bayou ooze, highlighted by the whimsical track “Letters.” DSB’s members are across-the-board connoisseurs; master instrumentalists, lyricists and entertainers while Skye is a vocal treasure.
HARP MAGAZINE “This Hoboken quartet has strong musical roots in bluegrass traditions but those roots are shot through with plenty of rock ‘n’ roll electricity. Correlations could be drawn to towering roots/punk bands like Lone Justice and X, but Skye’s twang of a voice and the chugging, old-school instrumentation lands these guys firmly on the “roots” side of the equation.”
LUCID CULTURE “X would be the closest comparison for this band. Although Demolition String Band aren’t punk by any stretch, they share the legendary LA band’s love for both American roots music and sheer guitar volume.”
BLUEGRASS UNLIMITED “Elena Skye’s resonant vocals exude a definite Ola Belle Reed influence, anyone familiar with the music of Ola Belle Reed will surely want to add these interpretations to their musical library”
ORLANDO WEEKLY “Though not a string band in the true sense, the Demolition String Band is a totally righteous country-rock outfit that’s a well-measured balance between melody and muscle. Together, Elena Skye’s big voice and Boo Reiners’ efficient but studly guitar-playing packed enough octane to juice an 18-wheeler. Pretty damned McCoy for a buncha Yanks.”
THIRD COAST MUSIC “Reiners has always been a stupendous guitarist, showcased here on his original instrumental Boonanza and the multiple overdubs of Wisteria but Skye, who wrote or co-wrote ten of the thirteen tracks, sings eleven of them (Reiners gets her “Thinkin’ Bout Drinkin’”) and plays mandolin, has really blossomed in all three roles, positively radiating confidence and maturity on an album that pulses with energy.”
BILLBOARD MAGAZINE “Skye’s originals, such as “Gone So Long,” show a Buck Owens Bakersfield flavor, aided immensely by Reiners stellar musicianship and co-producer Eric “Roscoe” Ambel’s recognizable roots production touch.”
SING OUT MAGAZINE “With such enthusiastic, appreciative practitioners as the Demolition String Band carrying on the tradition in true form, Ola Belle’s Reed’s songs thankfully will remain with us in perpetuity. An excellent tribute to Reed’s staying power.”
NO DEPRESSION “The Demolition String Band has ventured from punkish alt.country to acoustic string band updatings of the songs of Ola Belle Reed. Their latest is proof that a band this edgy and adventurous can just keep getting tighter and crisper performing together over time. Different Kinds of Love features the strong points they’ve shown for years, Elena Skye’s sharp songwriting and Boo Reiner’s immaculate picking for instance, and powers them up with new rockabilly-tinged thrust.”
POP MATTERS “Hailing from New Jersey, Demolition String Band the band’s exuberance and style is personified by vocalist Elena Skye, whose sound resembles folk rock empresses of the late 60s. Her bandmates weave the soul of the 60s into their country/bluegrass hybrid. When at their best, the group seems to add something new to the stylistic world they inhabit with tracks like Wisteria, Baby Come Home and the instrumental Boonanza.”
CHICAGO TRIBUNE “When Demolition String Band’s lead singer Elena Skye first heard Ola Belle Reed’s own recording of her classic song “High On A Mountain” a decade ago it led to what might be described as an obsession. This disc is the result, a beautiful tribute to the North Carolina native and recipient of the National Endowment For The Arts National Heritage Award. While Skye’s and her band manage to evoke their tributee’s power and guileless delivery while bringing the music’s message into the present day.”
SANTA MONICA MIRROR “Skye’s singing is powerful but mindful of the quiet ache in the voice that can communicate as much as a howl. The twang from Reiners’ guitar is equally memorable…Skye & Reiners don’t file down the rough edges and their music has a whisky wallop to it.”