Poor Law Union is a brand new band on the Boston rock scene. The band is made up of songwriter Bob Carlin on vocals and guitar, Eric Holden on bass, and Crag MacIntyre on drums. The group first met in the Spring of 1999 for a recording project under the direction of local producer Crit Harmon (Martin Sexton, Jess Klein, Mary Gauthier). Two days, six pizzas, and 15 original songs later, the band emerged with "Carousel," their debut album. Released in January of 2000, the album has received high praise from local critics and industry insiders.

Among the group's earliest fans is local artist launcher Crit Harmon, who believes Poor Law Union has the potential to break through very quickly on the national scene. "Poor Law combines great songwriting and a classic rock foundation with a modern sensibility," says Harmon. "They're far ahead of most bands in that they start with great material and their style is completely natural."

At the core of the album are a set of songs penned by Boston born singer and guitarist Bob Carlin. Bob has been called the best emerging songwriter in Boston by numerous industry insiders. Legendary Capital records A&R rep Ian Ralfini, who singed Fleetwood Mac and Faces among others, feels that Carlin has "all the right stuff." Says Ralfini, "in many ways Poor Law is throwback in that the songs come first. They're smart and you can tell in one listen that this is a group with real staying power in a one hit wonder marketplace." Many in the local music scene, including WBOS DJ Carolyn Morrel, have compared Carlin's songs to those of the great Bob Dylan. "Beyond the clever lyrics and great lines,"says Morrel, "are a set of great stories that deliver more with each listen."

The backbone of Poor Law is the drummer many consider the best in Boston, Craig MacIntyre. Craig has kept the beat for a number of the areas best bands including Duke Levine (Mary Chapin Carpenter), the Tony Lynn Washington Band, and Peter Wolfe guitarist Johnny A's new band, the Bam Boom Ensemble.

Holding down the low end is bass player and Western Mass native Eric Holden. Eric's a 1999 graduate of the Berklee College of Music who has already accumlated the resume of a top touring pro. Eric has recorded and toured with renown guitarist Bobby Lee Rodgers (Missing Persons), 1998 Country Music Association's act of the year, Phoenix, and the fast rising Boston based singer-songwriter Adrienne.

"Carousel" also features the lead guitar work of Northhampton guitaris John Sheldon. John has recorded and toured with some of the music industry's legends, including Van Morrison and James Taylor. National Public Radio has called John "one of the top guitarists playing today."

The band's next step is actually to head back in the studio to record a second album. Tentatively titled, "The Pit," the album will be produced by guitarist Marty Walsh, who's famous for his work with Supertramp, Leanne Rimes, and Diana Ross among others. Poor Law is aiming for Spring release.