Country with Muscle: John D. Hale Band & Back Porch Mary

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”.