The Gobblers Knob

Recently I read a post from one of my new favorite blogs.  In this post, the author pointed out some songs that he had caught on Myspace that he wanted to ensure that other people caught as well.  Well, here’s to me being a copycat and creating my own Myspace Mix-Tape. 

I have been listening to a lot of bands from the East & West Coasts recently, so this Myspace Mix will feature songs from some bands that are a little closer to home for me…

Mark McKinney - “Bonfire“:  I dig this relatively new rocker.  His songs have the brazen attitude of Kevin Fowler mixed with the guitar rock of Cross Canadian’s more catchy Southern-Rock material.  “Bonfire” is my personal fave from this selection, even though his cut, “Comfortable in this Skin” contains one of my all-time favorite lyrics, “I keep my koozie just in case….” (koozie = party, in this bloggers opinion).

Chance Anderson - “My Song”: This fella plays gigs all over D/FW as well as Oklahoma.  He is becoming more well-known throughout and it’s thanks to songs like this one.  The title to “My Song” says it all.  I am all for auto-biographical songs that remind me of Chris Knight’s “Pretty Good Guy” or Charlie Robison’s “My Hometown” without totally ripping them off.  He has a nice grit to his voice that makes his tales believable.

Jeremy McComb - “This Town Needs a Bar”: This song is actually in heavy rotation on a local “Texas Country” station here in Dallas, so I don’t want to act like I just stumbled upon this hidden Myspace treasure.  Regardless, this song is a great example of what is missing on Top 40 radio.  He talks about being sad and wanting to drink, and even needing to cry (but in a manly, drunk way if you ask me).  The fiddle plays a key role in this track and that is also in short supply on todays hit radio, by the way.

John D. Hale Band - “Pistol in Each Hand”: Another in an ever-expanding line of great, rockin’, Country bands that would be so at home here in Tejas.  This Missouri band knows how to spin a yarn, tell a tale, bust a rhyme and any other cliche I can use to properly explain how I got hooked on this track from the first time I heard it (again, not on Myspace, it was on a compilation cd, but whatever, its on Myspace and now you know about it…..okay!!!).

The Mother Truckers - “Streets of Atlanta”:  This deviously rollicking track is from their awesome forthcoming disc, Let’s All Go To Bed.  The Truckers blend Punk attitude, Rock beats and Country twang as well as anyone calling Austin home these days (except for Alejandro Escovedo and Jon Dee Graham maybe, but that’s still high-company).  To me, the blending of such key musical vibes is the “Austin Sound“, and each of the tracks from the new album that are up on their page right now (”Dynamite” mainly) serve as good example of that distinctive sound.

For more Myspace musical-type musings, please check out another new favorte blog of mine.

Chicago, by way of North Carolina & Maryland troubadour, Joe Pug would like to apologize to the innocent folks now living in the houses that he helped construct while working as a carpenter.  He is likely expressing his remorse for the hours he seems to have spent humming possible melodies and arranging lyrics in his head while he likely should’ve been leveling, hammering, caulking and anything else that may have gone undone as he planned his musical path (for the record, there are no reports of any “issues” regarding the possible negligence).  While certain details may have been missed as a carpenter, Pug’s E.P., Nation of Heat skips absolutely nothing as he relays the tales of his life and hopes. 

Earlier, I referred to pug as a “troubadour”.  With his nasally, almost Springsteenian rasp, I truly can envision Pug wandering the hills (ok, that’s a little too Sound of Music, sorry) strumming along and regaling all who will listen with folk gems such as the opening track, Hymn #101.  Aside from the excellent vocals, the distinctive quality to this song is the way in which the lyrics are used to time-travel to the past.  Terms such as “the posse“, “the sea” and “the village” are used in such a way that the listener has the picture painted for them as Pug sings  of his desire to “get high and not just get by“.  Much in the way of Josh Ritter’s recent breakthrough, Joe Pug is able to sound like a wise old sage with a million stories and a memory that captures each detail and refuses to let them dim.  When he sings of such specifics as “silver cans and bronze-colored dirt” in “Call it What You Will”, we are witnessing an artist sketch in color as much as we are hearing a yarn being spun.

By the end of the 7 song E.P., many of the songs have had roughly similar tones and pace.  That pleasant monotony is broken with gregariousness with the closing, title track, “Nation of Heat”.  The employment of harmonica accompanying Pug’s most forceful vocal performance proves to be an ideal display of his talent.  This combo provides a raw, rootsy and loose sonic that brings the disc to a satisfying close.

This morning I woke up and felt a tingling that only means one thing…one of my all-time favorite bands has a new disc coming out soon…very soon.  Of course, anyone with the same tendency to tingle for the same reasons is aware that Old 97’s have a new album dropping in a few days. 

Blame it on Gravity  (New West) ends the 4 year drought of new material, and by all accounts, ushers in a blast from the past that many fans have been praying for.  They are hosting a CD release party at a regular haunt of mine in Dallas this week and I can’t wait to be there and maybe get a picture with Ken’s soul patch (see above)….

Adding to the excitement is that Rhapsody is previewing the entire disc for free.  You have to download the player, but it’s worth it cuz they do this kind of thing regularly (oh, I remember when they did it for Kelly Clarkson’s last one….oh, the days….sorry, I…uh…what??).

Some call it Old-Timey, New-Grass, Jam-Grass, Rootsy, Pre-WWII, Folk or hell, some label junkies may even dream up a title like Appalachian Dumpsta-Funk (not bad actually, can’t it be as useful as “Alt-Country”?)  The fact is, in the last few years we have witnessed an Ellis Island-style rush of young, unique, and quality hard-to-define acts added to the rosters of summer festivals around the globe.  From The Avett Brothers to Old Crow to Uncle Earl to the Hackensaw Boys to Cadillac Sky and to the various Nickel Creek “hiatus” projects, these bands shine a light on the fast pounding pulse of American music and represent a vanguard the likes of which we may never see again in one such glorious grouping.

Add to the aforementioned group of emerging talents, The Middle Class.  Their record, Deep in Debt  (VAVV Records)  announces in a  groovy, eclectic, west coast-style manner that we should expect to see them soon on future Telluride and Merlefest stages.  Coming from LA, the laid back vibes of certain tracks such as “Thinkin’ of You” and “Rock-a-Bye” are not only appropriate but refreshing in their change of pace from many of their counterparts fast, finger-pickin’ fetishes.  Many latter-day acoustic based bands feel compelled to pummel the listener into submission with their fingers-of-fury style pickin’, but no worries, there isn’t any pressure hear to knee-slap your hands any quicker than you so desire.  Of course, I wouldn’t want the entire disc to be as laid back as a stoned surfer after a basket of fish tacos.  Thankfully, the opening track, “All I Want is You” bounces in and boasts the rough-hewn vocals of Matt Doherty and Clem Jeffreys’ harmonica licks that only sound right when done from a front-porch.

Adding to the discs cornucopia is the 70’s style funk track “Guantanamo Bay”.  The horns and disco guitar make it sound as if it would be a great cut to roll during the closing credits to a CHIP’s episode (‘ya know, the ones where they freeze-frame Panch & John laughing at how easy the crime was solved while riding motorbikes...).  In this day and age of debate over what is “Roots”, “Americana” and even “Bluegrass”, I see The Middle Class’ use of percussion, horns and electric instruments as a welcome addition to the collection of sounds that make up American Music.