Concert review: Rocking, drinking and being merry with Murder by Death, Royal Smokestacks and Strawfoot at Off Broadway, Thursday, December 29

Kate McDaniel

The rigors of touring are not for the faint of heart. The time away from home and loved ones is difficult enough, and when added to bad food, cold dressing rooms and bandmate farts in the van, those endless miles can wreak havoc on one’s soul.

With this in mind, it’s a good idea to develop a set of rules to keep you sane. These rules vary from band to band, but probably at the top of the Ten Commandments of Touring are the following:

Rule #1: Never underestimate the power of a good drinking song.

Rule #2: Especially in St. Louis.

Last night’s Murder by Death show at Off Broadway proved our city’s commitment to the finer art of drinking and appreciation of those who write songs on the topic. St. Louis is a place where the crowd howls at mention of whiskey, and neither Murder by Death nor their openers, local bands Royal Smokestacks and Strawfoot, could disappoint.

Royal Smokestacks played a moody neo-Americana, the kind of music we can’t just call “rock” anymore but it still fits the bill. Their set was mellow, with occasional outbursts of rockabilly vocals, ska inflection, and a swinging cover of “Wooly Bully.”  While I found them to be enjoyable enough, like Van Morrison songs, Royal Smokestacks was pleasant but mostly uninteresting to a sober listener (ahem, me).
                   
A shining example of what happens when the kids aren’t satisfied with just one style, Strawfoot opened their set like gypsy punk hooligans and closed it in a dizzying finale of “Churchyard Cough,” a drinking song given credibility, I guess, with an affected Irish accent and fiddle. If this seems like ADD, then it’s the best possible kind because it afforded the presence of accordion, harmonica, violin, mandolin and an upright bass. It could be that I’m just a sucker for skilled dilettantism, but I thought that Strawfoot played a giddily deranged mess of a set, riling up the crowd for a headliner they were clearly thrilled to support.

Strawfoot’s drinking hymns were all well and good, but they couldn’t hold a candle to Murder by Death’s opener, “Kentucky Bourbon.” It takes a certain kind of confidence to open with a drinking song, I think, and guitarist/vocalist Adam Turla’s polished baritone paired with Sarah Balliet’s mournful cello were, like the song’s namesake, smooth and stoic enough to pull it off.

Murder by Death’s second song, the gruesomely funny “You Don’t Miss Twice (When You’re Shavin’ With a Knife),” was indicative of the style the band has adopted since releasing their first truly country-influenced album, “Red of Tooth and Claw” in 2008. Balliet’s cello kept a gothic beat alongside Dagan Thogerson’s hop-step percussion, and the avant-garde result could fit into the background of a Tom Waits project.

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Posted by | December 31, 2011 | Concerts | Comment 

The Back Country’s top 10 albums of 2011

facebook.com/pages/Zoe-Muth-And-The-Lost-High-Rollers/122565481152887

Here’s my roundup of favorite country sounds of 2011. Enjoy!

The Carper Family – “Back When” (Self-released)

Three gals from Austin create a sophomore release mixing great covers and original tunes with wonderful three-part harmonies. Brennen Leigh adds mandolin and guitar, and the steel guitar and dobro of the great Cindy Cashdollar round out this fine release.

Cow Bop – “Too Hick for the Room” (B-4MAN)

Bruce Forman, Pinto Pammy and friends serve up another helping of jazz and swing tunes with great arrangements. Bruce’s guitar work is stellar.

Amber Digby & Midnight Flyer – “Live at Swiss Alp Hall” (Heart of Texas)

There’s nothing quite like a live honky tonk album, and Amber Digby delivers the goods, recorded at a historic Texas dance hall. Midnight Flyer features her uncle, steel guitar Hall of Famer Dicky Overbey, while HOT label mate and duet partner Justin Trevino lends his voice to the evening.

The Five and Dimers – “Quarter of a Tank” (Five and Dimers)

A relatively new band from the East Side, the Five and Dimers feature lead singer and chief songwriter Matt Taul, along with fiddle, banjo, guitar, bass and drums, with occasional pedal steel worked in. A strong debut release.

Merle Haggard – “Working in Tennessee” (Vanguard)

He’s mellowed somewhat — like an aged Tennessee whiskey — but his output still amazes me. His marvelous songwriting continues to impress and his voice sounds as vibrant as 30 years ago. There’s even a reworked version of his hit, “Working Man Blues” with fellow country icon Willie Nelson. Long live the Hag!

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Posted by | December 29, 2011 | Music | Comment 

88.1 KDHX DJ Spotlight: Pat Wolfe of Interstate

Pat Wolfe of Interstate at KDHX

Sara Finke

Pat Wolfe hosts the Interstate every Friday, 10 a.m.-noon Central on 88.1 KDHX. His specialty is Americana music ranging from alt-country, traditional country, bluegrass, folk and rock ‘n’ roll.

I had a chance to sit down with Pat at KDHX a few weeks ago to learn about his passion for music and his long tenure at KDHX as a volunteer DJ.

James Kaegel: This seems like a conversation between two old friends, because I’ve been listening to your show for quite a while. Does that seem odd to run into people that act like they know you because they listen to you on the radio?

Pat Wolfe: People say all the time, “I’ve been listening to you for three years and I’ve never called before, but I just wanna tell you that you do a great job” and it’s like, wow, there’s a lot of people out there. I get a lot of phone calls on the show every week. I want people to call in and request music because I end up learning a lot from the listeners. People have turned me on to a lot of different artists that I wasn’t really aware of or I didn’t pay enough attention to. I knew they were out there, but the listener tells me, “No, you gotta listen to the song on this album,” and then it’s like “Wow, you’re right.” It’s a shared experience. I love it. It’s great.

How much of your show is prepared and how much of it is based on feedback and interaction with the listeners?

If someone requests something and it’s something I have that I didn’t bring that week, I’ll make a note and make sure that’s one of the first things I pull from home to bring in next week. I usually bring enough to do a complete show if nobody calls, but that usually only happens a couple of times a year — if my show happens to fall on a holiday. When I first started, I would plan it out. I would actually plan sets and specific songs I was gonna play. Sometimes I would print out a playlist, but as things evolved I kinda chucked that out the window because it was just too hard to follow a set script. So now I just kinda go through the music at the house and pick things out. It’s just random, and when I get here and start the first CD, it just kinda goes from there. I never really know what I’m going to wind up playing from week to week because a lot of people call in and ask for music. It’s probably half my library and half the station’s library.

Do you have a sizable music collection?

Yeah, I probably still have about 400 vinyl albums. I used to have a lot more, but over the years I’ve sold some and traded some for different music I was trying to pick up. Nowadays I download from sites like iTunes or eMusic. It’s really convenient. I can find a lot of stuff that I wouldn’t be able to find in a normal record store.

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Posted by | December 6, 2011 | Interviews, KDHX | Comment 

Concert review: Ha Ha Tonka stomps back to St. Louis and the Firebird, Friday, November 25

Ben Mudd

Call the sound of Ha Ha Tonka folky indie rock; call it Southern rock; call it Ozark-steeped-blues-rock. What the labels don’t convey is the band’s sense of raw power and four-part harmonies. On Friday night, Ha Ha Tonka broke out the harmony and more.

The crowd at the Firebird stood tall with smiling home-state pride for the West Plains, Mo. boys. On “St. Nicks On the Fourth In a Fervor,” from 2007′s “Buckle in the Bible Belt,” front man and guitarist Brian Roberts reveled in the bluesy, guitar-spun, train-in-the-night-vibe as guitarist and mandolinist Brett Anderson provided bright, sunny harmony to the head basher. Bassist and bass vocalist Luke Long leaned in close and sang the baritone part of the harmony with a crooked grin.

“Caney Mountain” brought the Missouri regional flavor to the forefront as the swirl of Anderson’s mandolin conjured the Ozarks with power and forewarning like an unhinged blend of Murder By Death and Kings of Leon. The foreboding tune would have had the Ozark Mountain Daredevils in thrall. When the instrumentation cut out toward the end of the track, the band broke into church-style a cappella singing: “High shine sequin buckle in the bible belt.”

Ha Ha Tonka stormed through “Problem Solver,” “Jesusita,” and “Death of a Decade.” The band folded mid-state mountain grace into the dulcet sounds of indie rock. Each song featured the literary tinge of narrative and emotive power: “I was just about the change.” Drummer Lennon Bone hammered out massive rolls and fills as Roberts hyped the crowd.

Ha Ha Tonka gathered around the microphones and bled out the four-part harmonies of “Hangman” as the crowd crooned along. Long’s bass vocals shone as Roberts led the charge with pipes that could stop a semi in its tracks.

The quiet hum of Anderson’s electric guitar created a contemplative mood on “Pendergast Machine.” Roberts’ vocals reminded the audience, “You don’t know your own strength.” The romantic “Lonely Fortunes” featured the return of Anderson’s mandolin as Roberts apologized to the audience, “I’m so sorry, I forgot myself, I should have asked for help. You say that’s okay and that you know we’ve got it made, so I know we’ve got it made.” With such versatility, for musical forms both young and old, Ha Ha Tonka does seem to have it made.

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Posted by | November 27, 2011 | Concerts | Comment 

Concert review: Rock & roll tornadoes hit Off Broadway with Ha Ha Tonka and Spring Standards, Friday, April 22

Ha Ha Tonka

Todd Roeth

On Friday night, amid tornado sirens and bouts of torrential down pour, college frat boys, rained-out Cardinal fans and music revelers alike made it to Off Broadway for a whiskey-filled tribute to Missouri roots and southern rock.

Opening for Ha Ha Tonka, the Spring Standards give new meaning to the term “hair band.” With the band members’ locks suggesting a ginger-haired Grace Potter to early ’90s grunge and a white-man afro that could stand up against Dylan’s famous curly mop, the Spring Standards are a small indie band out of New York that creates a sound much bigger than their three-person lineup. They really showcased their talents when they brought out their eclectic mix of interchanging instruments like the melodica and harmonica. My initial apprehension of their song about sharks, aptly named “Sharks” was eased after the song played out much like their others — a storybook song accompanied by diverse instruments and high energy.

The mood of the night was that of camaraderie and jovial enjoyment: Taking shots of whiskey to toasts of the Cardinals, stormy weather and their entry into Billboard’s Top 200, Ha Ha Tonka seemed happy to be back in their home state and playing to familiar faces.

These West Plains, Mo. natives seemed to be enjoying their stop in St. Louis, just as much as the crowd was, maybe even more so. Settling into Off Broadway’s intimate setting, the boys of Ha Ha Tonka were in their element and enjoying every second of it. The band engaged the audience, enticing them to join in on the fun; it is no wonder these small-town Missouri boys have created such a family-like following.

Ha Ha Tonka opened with “The Usual Suspects” off the new album, Death of a Decade. This latest album is a testament to the band’s growing maturity and entry into refined music adulthood. With music that encompasses the sounds of traditional and modern Americana, these southern boys stay true to their roots, while also evolving into a band comfortable with their sound and not afraid to go off into rock-filled tangents or acoustic harmonies.

The band’s Ozark roots really show when Brett Anderson displays his finger picking skills on the mandolin during folksier tunes. “Westward Bound,” a celebratory gospel-sounding tune talking about wasted youth, drips with the excitement of a band finding themselves. The group closed the show with a rambunctious cover of Ram Jam’s “Black Betty” — ending the night on an incredible high note, with lead singer Brian Roberts letting go on his vocals and the band as a whole just letting loose.

Posted by | April 23, 2011 | Concerts | 1 Comment 

Concert review: The Reverends Peyton and Horton Heat rain fire and brimstone down upon the Old Rock House, Thursday, April 21

Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band

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The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band and Reverend Horton Heat played their second night at the Old Rock House last night to a large and energetic crowd of true believers and newcomers alike. At the end of the evening, even the most die-hard had been converted by the country blues and rockabilly gospel spread by these two holy men.

As if he were challenging Mother Nature to a duel, the Reverend Peyton and his Big Damn Band took the stage with the force of an EF5 tornado and didn’t let up for the entire set. A three-piece country blues outfit, the Big Damn Band consists of Reverend Peyton playing finger-style guitar and harmonica, his wife Breezy Peyton on washboard and cousin Aaron “Cuz” Persinger on the drums and 5 gallon bucket.

Persinger was fantastic behind the kit tonight, keeping time like an over-caffeinated metronome and bashing the skins as if he were channeling Bam-Bam Rubble. More often than not his drum kit was wobbling and swaying under the force of his blows, looking as if it would topple over at any second. Breezy strutted around the stage scratching and slapping at her washboard like a proud mother hen, locked in a tight groove with Cuz and the Reverend and occasionally adding in backing vocals.

The Reverend himself was a sight to behold, running around the stage and conversing with the crowd like a manic hillbilly incarnation of Rick Nielsen. Peyton plays the guitar finger-style, whether working the slide or fretting notes the old fashioned way. We’ve all heard that seeing is believing, but even after witnessing the skill and hearing the sounds coming from that man’s guitar I still can’t believe that one man was making all of that sound. Taking a break from the set list, Peyton showed the crowd how he plays the bass lines with his thumb and finger picks the rest of the guitar parts, even showing off by playing “Yankee Doodle” and “Dixie” at the same time.

Whether the songs were slow-paced like “Lick Creek Road,” fast and furious like “Two Bottles of Wine” or rapidly alternating between both in the same jam like “That Train Song,” the Big Damn Band was completely in sync and hit the sweet spot that all good bands look for. Although the band has its roots in traditional American blues and country music, its sound wanders into other territories. On more than one occasion, Reverend Peyton’s vocal style and raw slide guitar sound brought to mind Ian Anderson’s vocals on early Jethro Tull and Zoot Horn Rollo’s raunchy slide work with Captain Beefheart.

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Posted by | April 22, 2011 | Concerts | Comment 

Concert photos: James McMurtry and the Bottle Rockets at the Pageant, Saturday, March 26

All photos by Nate Burrell. See more at my Flickr stream.

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Posted by | March 27, 2011 | Concerts, Photos | Comment 

The Top 10 Uncle Tupelo Songs

Uncle Tupelo

Courtesy of Legacy Recordings

In memory of March 16 -20, I present my Top 10 Uncle Tupelo songs.

10. “Before I Break” – No Depression

From the debut. On an album of mostly dark small-town songs fusing punk rock along with country comes a song that fuses punk rock with country and is about trying to get through the small town days with the help of liquor. Coming from a small town like Belleville, Ill., a town of German heritage with a brewery (Stag, which closed in 1988) and many industrial businesses, the thought of growing old and spending your last dime on liquor must have seemed like a very real possibility and this song embodies that possibility.

9. “Still Be Around” – Still Feel Gone

In the midst of the punk/country maelstrom that is UT’s second album, Still Feel Gone, comes an acoustic song that could seem out of place; when it’s a song this good, it makes perfect sense. The acoustic guitars and plaintive vocal from Jay Farrar singing “When the Bible is a bottle and this hardwood floor is home,” you can’t help but feel for the bedraggled protagonist of the song and answer that, yes, you’ll still be around to put him back together when he breaks in two.

8. “Wipe the Clock” – March 16-20, 1992

For their its album, UT hired Peter Buck to produce a 90 degree turn from the assault of the first two albums. March is a gorgeous album of original songs that fit perfectly with the 6 traditionals and 1 Louvin Brothers track. “Wipe the Clock” is an original (I would have included “Moonshiner” and possibly “Coalminers” had I included traditionals in my top 10) that closes the album with harmonica, grace and one of the strongest Jay Farrar vocals ever.

7. “Fifteen Keys” – Anodyne

Anodyne, Uncle Tupelo’s fourth album, is my favorite. The blend of pedal steel and banjos open up the songs and give them a more personal sound to make up for the lack of the personal lyrics of the first two albums. I admit to being more of a sound and music listener rather than someone who focuses on the lyrics. Sometimes the simple sound of the lyrics and how they’re sung can make the best instrument. For example, listen to the line “Danger slow sign ahead, exhaust fumes Thin Lizzy instead…” and let the words wash over you.

6. “Grindstone” – March 16-20, 1992

An opening song that marked a new Uncle Tupelo, one that was willing to risk an absolute change in direction and managed to mesh perfectly with the murder ballads and traditional songs yet to come. “Maybe a waste of words and time….” Hardly.

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Posted by | March 16, 2011 | Music | 2 Comments 

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