A split 7inch with the great alt – country, americana band DRAG THE RIVER from Denver, Colorado and CHRIS WOLLARD the singer and guitarist of the legendary band HOT WATER MUSIC from Gainesville, Florida with his band the SHIP THIEVES. This 7inch features 4 songs (one original and one cover each). DRAG THE RIVER covers CHRIS WOLLARDS’ “no exception” and he covers “a way with women” of DTR.)
Shortly after recording a split album, “Bristle Ridge”, with Chuck Ragan, Austin Lucas set out to start recording demos for what would eventually become “Somebody Loves You”. The demos were pretty raw, but there was a magic to the recordings so it was decided that Austin, Hometown Caravan & Sabotage Records to do a small pressing on 10 inch of these songs.That release, “At War With Freak Folk” sold out quickly and could be the most highly sought after piece in most people’s Austin Lucas collections. As Austin starts recording demos for his followup to “Somebody Loves You”, we discussed putting together a Collection of recordings that originally appeared on vinyl only releases. “Collection” begins with those 6 songs from “At War with Freak Folk”, includes Austin’s tracks from his split 7inch with The Takers, Austin’s cover of Dolly Parton from his Under the Influence split 7inch with Frank Turner, a track from his split 7inch with Chuck Ragan, and a track that has been unreleased until now.Until Austin completes his next masterpiece, allow “Collection” to offer you another dimension to Austin Lucas.
The Fort Collins, Colorado-based Drag the River are rooted in punk–their songwriters are Jon Snodgrass of Armchair Martian and Chad Price of the post-Descendants group All–yet their sound is much subtler than one might expect. The country rock on Closed, the follow-up to their 2000 debut Hobo’s Demos, is not aggressive or all-out roaring as much as it is hard-driving and confessional. Zach Boddicker paints steel-guitar stripes on steady-rolling roots-rock cuts (“Medicine,” “Song for Robin Reichhardt”) and downtempo cautionary tales (“Smokefinger”). Elsewhere, the quintet devotes equal time to speedy shuffles (the loser’s anthem “Get Drunk”) and barroom weepers (“Forgiveness”). –Anders Smith Lindall ‘Closed’ is arguably Drag the River’s best album. The anthem ‘Get Drunk’ is the band’s most requested song and the album has become an essential soundtrack for drunks all over the world.
This is what Drag The River songs sound like as they are being written. Before the amps are turned on and the drums are set. 10 of 24 songs tracked in July & August of 2010. warm & rounded songwriting paired with Jon’s and Chad’s great voice makes that record to a rough but beautiful affair of the heart.
Raised in the backwoods country of Monroe County, Indiana, Austin Lucas was born into a folk and bluegrass lineage. His father, Bob Lucas, is an accomplished musician and performer in his own right, having earned songwriting credits on two of Allison Krauss’ albums, including 1997’s Grammy-winning So Long So Wrong. Learning to harmonize before learning to read, Lucas honed his vocal control in six formative years as a member of the nationally-acclaimed Indiana University Children’s Choir. In a narrative as well-worn as it is true, Lucas rebelled against his upbringing, leaving his Americana roots for the catharsis of punk rock. After the better part of a decade spent criss-crossing the globe with a series of bands in broken-down vans, Lucas hit a musical glass-ceiling, eventually finding respite for his ringing ears in the delicacy of traditional songcraft.
Following his solo debut, The Common Cold (2006), Lucas has steadily built upon his recorded output, releasing Putting The Hammer Down (2007), the Bristle Ridge (2008) collaboration with Chuck Ragan of Hot Water Music, and Somebody Loves You (2009), which debuted at #7 on the Billboard Bluegrass chart. Culminating with his fourth album, A New Home In The Old World (2011), Lucas has consistently evolved and grown as a musician and songwriter, resting on no laurels. While some of his earlier recordings were as bare-bones as they come, each successive album has built upon the songs’ framework, incorporating banjo, fiddle, upright bass, and pedal steel. A New Home In The Old World ratchets the sound up to the next level, adding texture with a Hammond B3 organ, the brassy flourishes of a trumpet, and even a little bit of muscle, courtesy of electric guitar.
Recorded in December 2010 at Farm Fresh Studios in Lucas’ hometown of Bloomington, A New Home In The Old World was mixed and mastered by Paul Mahern, who has built his reputation engineering records for Bloomington’s prodigal son, John Mellencamp. Engineered by Farm Fresh owner Jake Belser (who has worked on recent recordings by Bloomington’s gothic Americana quartet, Murder By Death), A New Home In The Old World also marks Lucas’ first time self-producing. While Lucas does not have a regular backing band, his studio accompaniment comes from a rotating cast of friends and family, including members of alt-country heavy-hitters Lucero and Magnolia Electric Co., and no less than four members of the Lucas clan. The songs themselves are the most diverse Lucas has offered to date, pushing past the confines of singer-songwriter genre convention. Opener “Run Around” wastes no time hitting its stride with a searing fiddle lead and galloping drums. With its languid piano and drawling pedal steel, “Sit Down” conjures a house band playing through a hazy happy hour. “Thunder Rail” and “The Grain” pull no punches as Lucas’ most straightforward rock songs, drawing from heartland rock and the guitar riffs of bands like Thin Lizzy. “Sleep Well” sways as a funereal waltz, its chorus dropping to clipped guitar and falsetto vocals that are spine-tingling in their intimacy and fragility. Album closer “Somewhere a Light Shines” is a slow-burner, rising to one of Lucas’ biggest choruses, a swell that could be considered the first power-ballad in the Austin Lucas repertoire. Singing with the conviction of a preacher bereft of his faith, Lucas accordingly tackles recurrent themes of the soul, sin as personal purgatory, and the possibility of finding redemption in this life. The fallacies of man take center stage as the righteous false prophet is denounced as a “hollow vessel with unsteady hands.” Turning the harsh light of hindsight on himself, Lucas addresses the hard lessons learned in the passing of youth, ruminating on the failures and missed opportunities that still haunt him. To make mistakes is only human, to recognize the error of your ways is invaluable, but to dwell on past mistakes until they corrode the soul is a road to ruin. Lucas wants not to lie fallow, pledging, “If there’s a light shining/ Point the way there/ A straight way of walking/ I’ll be like an arrow.”
Having raised his profile on the road with the troubadour-packed Revival tour and Pennsylvania’s Langhorne Slim, and with appearances at the Philadelphia Folk Festival, Canada’s Sled Island Festival, and Florida’s Harvest of Hope, Lucas has further developed his loyal grassroots following. Folk music is for the common folk, and Lucas delivers, often ending his shows playing on the floor amidst the crowd. Lucas will tour extensively throughout 2011, hitting Europe in the Spring before joining Willie Nelson’s Country Throwdown tour, followed by a US headlining tour in late summer.
Richmond, Virginia’s Josh Small is proud to release a new album, Josh Small’s Juke. Juke, his followup to “Tall by Josh Small” will be available at th1st of May 2011. The 10 song album was engineered, produced, and arranged by Matt White at Space Bomb Studios. The album was mastered by Lance Koehler at Minimum Wage Studios. Sculpture and original artwork by Bobby Joe Small (Josh’s Father), Photography by Liza Kate, and Layout/Art Design by Drew Liverman.
I have been a fan of Josh Small for as long as I can remember. There is no denying his ability to create and develop compelling songs that demand the attention of an audience, while shattering any and all preexisting ideas about heartache tunes. When Tall was unveiled years ago, I couldn’t imagine a stronger representation of Small’s craft and skill. I stand corrected–Juke takes everything that seemed quintessentially perfect about his previous work and improves it in ways that I don’t think anyone could have predicted.
The immediacy of the release is unquestionable. Opener “Brain Van” reintroduces Small’s guitar prowess. In the complexity of his boogie-woogie rhythms and soulful croon, he masterfully howls at the open skies in a way that channels folk heroes of the past. What sets Small apart is the way he introduces modern ideas that incorporate themselves remarkably into traditional folk ideas. This is something he also did on the two full-lengths that precede Juke. In particular, there are several instances on his self-titled release that use broken, shattered plates as a means of percussion. This element reintroduces itself on “Atonal I (Heart) U” with the inclusion of organic noise buried beneath the whirlwind of steel guitar, harmonious bells and supporting sound from local outfit Fight The Big Bull. It’s in these glimpses of the contemporary that the poignancy of Josh Small truly shines. He pays respect to the troubadours of the past while reinventing ideas which may result in proclamations of Small’s name alongside theirs.
If I had to pinpoint one song that hits the mark for me, it would have to be “Somebody’s Queen.” In this reaction to a Maxwell song, Small uncovers a romantic side that isn’t too unfamiliar. There has always been a romance at play within his words and music. In this particular song, this hybrid of ideas resonates and shines. The gentle hum of his guitar introduces the song as his words carry through to a diverse layer of instrumentation that will conclude the song and the record itself. It’s a beautiful composition that goes to show how far he has come from Tall. In contemplating what one person can mean to another, he not only connects with an audience but leaves them with a story for the ages. He achieves a status of timelessness that many hope for, but only a few can ever achieve.
It is safe to assume from here on out that whenever Josh Small unveils a new record, it will be a game-changer. In his howls, hoots, hollers and cries, Small creates a record that feels human. It’s a manifestation of ideas about how we control our feelings regarding love, our past, the dangers of the world, and our endeared. Juke is a gem, and as long as Josh Small has a guitar in his arms and a song to sing, the world is all the better for it.
You’ll find rock songs, sad songs, a couple songs you won’t expect, more songs that you will probably expect and one or two silly songs on this 10 song record.
Like ‘Visitor’s Band’, this record follows in the same tradition of recording. That means tracking with many friends in many locations. This time introducing a new cast of characters, hosted in new locations.
Stephen Egerton of ‘All / DESCENDENTS’, Brandon Carlisle of ‘Teenage Bottlerocket’, Chris Wollard of ‘Hot Water Music’ w/ Addison Burns, Chad Darby & Bobby Brown of Wollard’s equally fantastic band ‘The Ship Thieves’. Also including appearances from tried & true buddies such as Cory Branan, Darren Radach and Brian Wahlstrom of the ‘Scorpios’.
These songs were recorded in Colorado, Oklahoma, Florida, Texas & New York.
This release has exclusive tracks for ‘Hometown Caravan’ and this European Tour. It includes the “Tri-State” 7in released by ‘Paper & Plastic’ in the U.S. in May 2011 and two songs from the Jon Snodgrass / Cory Branan split which was never officially released in Europe. It also includes handy translations in the insert for all the people of all the countries Jon plans to visit on the Oct/Nov. 2011 ‘Scorpios’ European Tour, The ‘Scorpios’ are Joey Cape, Tony Sly, Jon Snodgrass & Brian Whalstrom.
The Coloradas are a collaboration between singer and songwriter Roy Davis, his longtime musical co-creator Bernie Nye (songwriter, vocals, banjo, and guitar), and the very best bluegrass musicians from the great state of Maine.
Davis has been busy. Though only 25, the last five years of his life have included three full length indie/folk albums (We Are A lightning Bolt, Deadweight, Grey Town), several US tours from coast to coast, and most recently a burgeoning transition to Europe.
The result is their self-titled debut, recorded over a period of two months in Portland, Maine: a collection of energetic, lyrically-dense country songs, performed in music’s most natural form; live, acoustic, and in one room. Mandolin (Joe Walsh), upright bass (Amanda Kowalski, Steve Roy), and banjo (Nye) lay down the foundation as the album weaves its way through rollicking Dylan-esque blues, pretty country waltzes, and stripped-down acoustic stories. It sounds like a group of traveled American roots musicians remembering how fun making a record can be.
The great quality vinyl is limited to 300 copies and you will find also a CD version in every LP.
A tired man steps into his apartment after long weeks of touring. Nothing has changed except for the thin layer of dust on top of his belongings. Still, he knows he won‘t stay for very long. No everyday life, no old friends. This place doesn‘t feel like home to him. Its uncertainties seem bigger than those lurking behind the distant hills out there. The car on the other hand feels tidy and lucid. There‘s only one type of perspective there: forward. Every Story True by Digger Barnes is the soundtrack to this kind of living. An Americana-album about travelling and the side effects of travelling, its constraints and its defeats, its neuroses and all those peculiar figures one picks up on the roadside in the course of a travelling musician‘s life.
Every Story True is the record that a good late-night DJ will play for you as you steer your car down nightly highways.
The evolution of these nine perfectly structured songs has substantially been determined by Digger‘s past years as a live musician for Chuck Ragan (Hot Water Music) and his Revival Tour. Inimitably all of this is realized within the Diamond Road Show, a dark Highway-cabaret in between concert and the video art of the befriended Pencil Quincy, who is also accountable for the album’s artwork.
Whether it is the old woman, beginning a new life far away from her family in Pure As Gold, or the tattered love letter full of what if’s and could have beens, left by a hitchhiker on the passenger seat in The Letter.
Every Story True is a bow to the people who are getting by without securities, people who are on fire with restlessness, people who dare to start over new. All of this is wrapped into typical Digger Barnes arrangements and song patterns: plain and unadorned, decelerated, cinematic, densely woven and atmospherical.
CD comes in a special arigato pak and the vinyl comes on 180g plastic in the strongest cover you can get for LP’s and with free downloadcode.
Looks and sounds awesome woven and atmospherical.