The Gobblers Knob

Add this post to the “I’m probably not telling many of you anything new” bin, but this blog isn’t so much about breaking artists as it is simply to tell you about exciting artists that I just wanna talk about (or “type” about, as it were).  I have been rockin’ a whole bunch of new music and it can be hard to keep up with blogging about each one sometimes.  These 3 discs have really stuck out in the recent past to me:

• Ike Reilly - Poison the Hit Parade:  After the first couple of listens, I couldn’t tell you what genre this CD would fit into, which I love.  a little funk, soul, country, pop and sharp writing make this an eclectic album that demands multiple listens.  Key Tracks:  “New Assasination Blues”, “Hip-Hop Thighs”, & “Duty Free”.

• Band of Heathens - Band of Heathens:  Group of Austin musicians that turned a side gig into a full-time, soulful act.  Chip from Amber Waves has a great peice on this disc.  With it’s mix of Country, Blues, and Rock, this album helps define the better aspects of what people refer to when they say “Texas Country“. Key Tracks: “Jackson Station”, “Heart on My Sleeve”

• Langhorne Slim - Langhorne Slim: This artist has been called “Neo-folk“, “Prog-folk“, and a ton of other odd, non-sensical attempts at calling him some sort of ”folk”.  The opening track, “Spinning Compass” reminds me of a song that would play during the opening credits of a Wes Anderson movie.  Much of the disc has a throw-back vibe to it, as Slim seems to channel the vocals and reckless abandon of Van Morrison, with a tad bit of Harold & Maude era Cat Stevens thrown in. While many of the songs deal with love, none of them handle the well-worn subject in a typical way.  “The Honeymoon” makes no bones about it when Slim sings of needing to be made “into a man“.  Key Tracks:  “Rebel Side of Heaven”, “Colette”, “Diamonds & Gold”

I have been very clear (or not, probably not) in the past that I have grown weary of musical-genre labels that either fail to make much sense, or simply don’t really define much (”Red-Dirt” anyone??).  Having said that, I have recently began espousing a labeling philosophy that I think suits me just fine.  If the band or CD in question has a generally “Country” vibe to it, then fine, the term “Country” will be added to the label.  Obviously I can’t stop there, as that term encompasses everything from Kenny Chesney and Pretty-boy Urban to Hank Sr. to Nickel Creek to Todd Snider to Poco to even parts of The Rolling Stones catalog.  I like to customize the “Country” term by adding a word that illustrates the personality or key traits of the song, artist or album in question.  For example, I think there is an exciting “Country with Tattoos” movement afoot in Texas right now (the movement isn’t new, by any means, but the name is).  The Mother Truckers, Heybale, and The Texas Sapphires represent that rockin’, swingin’ honky-tonkin’ country sonic, but each band sports a bunch of ink, and I think that in a large way, that represents the attitude behind each bands perspective.

Now that you understand the key process behind my thoughts of this extravagant and complicated labeling system, I present to you….“Country with Muscle”.  Sounds simple enough, and it means exactly what it sounds like it means.  Rockin’ Country where men talk about drinkin’, drivin’ (sometimes at the same time, sorry), hatin’, fightin’, cheatin’, and yes, even lovin’.  The key difference here is when the bands that fall under this label sing about lovin’ (or any of the subjects mentioned above), they do it with drums that seem to pound a bit louder, voices that ring just a tad rougher, and lyrics that sound just a tad grittier than your typical “Country”.  There have been great examples of “Country with Muscle” released recently.  Bleu Edmondson’s Lost Boy, Rodney Parker & 50 Peso Reward’s The Lonesome Dirge, and most recently, Reckless Kelly’s phenomenal Bulletproof, are sterling works that showcase what I am explaining here.  Two recent releases that showcase the swagger and sweat that a disc requires to join the ranks of the aforementioned releases are John D. Hale Band’s Lost and Back Porch Mary’s Time of the Broken Heart.

John D. Hale Band, originating from Jackson, Missouri, plainly and simply bring it.  Opening the album with “Heartbreaker”, Hale is asking a chick “why are you so cruel?” as he warns, “you’re gonna get whats’ coming to you”.  Hale’s vocal possesses a nasally twang that almost seems as if he is straining to reach the full potential of the notes he looks to emphasize, this attempt is a great example of the “muscle” this album contains.  As a rule, I don’t happen to think covering Lyle Lovett is a wise idea, but Hale and the boys make “L.A. County” their woman, as the opening notes recall Lovett’s original, but then Hale’s vocal takes a bouncing turn into a more countrified territory versus the folkier terrain that the original travelled. Perhaps the song that sums up my argument for this band to be included into the “Country with Muscle” genre is the heist-rocker, “Pistol in Each Hand”.  This tale of guns, desperation and contraband, augmented by crashing cymbals with thunderous drum-beats in the chorus reminds me of the more memorable crime tales that have been documented in song over the last few years, Robert Earl Keen’s “Road Goes on Forever”, Charlie Robison’s “Desperate Times”, and sure, even “Copperhead Road”.  Each of these tales focus on a guy that is experiencing some sort of panicked decision to alter his reality with actions that require guns and/or avoiding the law in a violent manner.  More tales of life from a small town perspective help round out this album and provides us with a band from outside of the Lone-Star State that would fit ever-so nicely into the musical landscape here.

Back Porch Mary, coming from Austin, TX also adresses the same masculine subject matter, as Hale.  The disc opens with “This Band”.  I can’t tell if Mike, the lead singer, is lamenting his circumstances or celebrating them (probably the latter), as he sings that “no good girl will ever talk to me, ‘cuz all I got’s this band”.  The songs on Time of the Broken Heart address love and the opposite sex, but again, not in a “I just gotta cry” kinda way.  Tracks such as “Harsh Light of Day” and “I’m to Blame” show the side of the manly narrator in an apologetic mood, after suffering from loss. By retracing steps that shouldn’t have been made, we get a glimpse into many of the same mistakes that guys make all the time as relationships suffer.  The disc picks back up when the train-track rhythm of the rockabilly song ”I Won’t Look Back at You” reminds us that us guys like to end a relationship and move on as often as we like to sit and wonder what went wrong.  When Mike sings, “it’s not for me to do“, we know that this is a dude that isn’t overly worried about how this girl has made him “cry and scream“.  Word of BPM’s live show has traveled far and wide and it is the up-tempo tracks such as “That Song” and “Other End of the Road” that have given these guys a rep that is one of a rocking band that also represents “Country with Muscle”.

Man, I gotta tell ya, when the stars align, they really help produce a great night.  With an 11 month old son at home, it is rare that Mom and Dad have an adult night out, let alone catch a show that starts after 7pm (which means we don’t catch as many gigs as we used to).  For this July 4th, we decided to ship the little concert-blocker to Grandma’s and enjoy the evening of July 4th at Hank’s in McKinney to see one of my newer favorites, The Jackson Taylor Band.

Taylor is a great example of an artist that has been around for while, put out a few discs, and still, I wasn’t overly-familiar with his work.  After hearing “Lonely” played on KHYI, and then reading a positive review of that very song on my fave country music site, I knew it was time to delve deeper.  I emptied my E-music acct, by downloading Dark Days, and it has been my default soundtrack to the time I spend outside grilling and drinking (usually at the same time, kids don’t try that without an adult around).

Back to the parent’s night out.  The missus and I enjoyed some good grub on what must be the only patio in town to compete with Love & War in Texas-Plano.  Almost completely covered, while allowing the elements to enter in from the sides of the venue, I felt as though I was sitting in one of the finer examples of what a true Texas Music venue should be.  Great sight-lines, well-placed stage, and even more well-placed bar made me embarrased to be on my first trip to this venue.  JTB hit the stage around 9:45 and immediately busted out material from the Dark Days album.  The band all display an impressive array of tattoos, (most notably the “Honky Tonk Hero” tat that Taylor himself wore) and they even played an excellent version of Social Distortion’s “Highway 101″, but there isn’t any mistaking this outfit as anything but a Honkin’-Tonkin’ Country Band that uses each night as a chance to resurrect the vibe and spirit of the old Armadillo World Headquarters.

I will admit to sometimes being behind the times when it comes to bands that are right here in my home state.  In those cases, I am simply glad that I am catching up and gettin’ with the program, because I indeed did have some catching up to do.  Again, I find myself getting acquainted with a promising young band after many of my fellow Texas-music lovers have already been keen on them for a while now.

The Gougers are a four-piece group that feature both male and female vocals on lead.  Their sound covers everything from Alt-Country, Old Timey Gospel Vibes, to Folk.  Thanks to a few of my favorite outlets of info, I found out that I could grab their latest CD, A Long Day for the Weathervane, for free from their website.  I found that to be quite the bargain and I have thoroughly enjoyed the disc since downloading it.  The highlights for me thus far are “Rosaline”, “Everybody knows” and “John Henry”.  Great tunes, great variety and great writing flavor this disc. 

This band and this new album are great examples of why I get so angry at ignorant meat-heads who claim that “Texas Country” begins and ends with George’s Bar, Live Diner #2 (even though I do like these albums), or even worse, Eli Young Band (who I am not fond of actually).  Weathervane, at no point, offers a chugging base-line, lyrics about a small town Friday night football game, or a slick, paint-by-numbers approach to storytelling that plagues the most recent releases from EYB, No Justice and many of today’s “up and coming” Texas bands that continue to lean more and more towards the oily polish of the Music-City in which they claim to be rebelling against.  I really like The Gougers.  I like a band that actually portrays the unpredictable and unique traits of this indigenous sound that is slowly evaporating from the scene that still claims to thrive upon it.

Mickey & the Motorcars have done a great job at escaping the big-brother shadow of Reckless Kelly.  Their album, Careless, is easily one of the best Texas discs I have heard over the last couple of years.  They are getting ready to release their new disc, Naive, and they are previewing a track from the album.

Go to the band’s Myspace and click on “GROW OLD” to hear it….