"Be content with your life, it may not get any better"

Johnny Dowd"Be content with your life, it may not get any better". These perceptive words from Johnny Dowd is taken from his song "Thanksgiving Day" from the debut album "Wrong Side of Memphis". The man was born in 1948, so I think he knows what he's talking about. "Be content with your life, it may not get any better"At last, an attitude to life that I can live by. I find these lines very comforting, since peer and social pressure imply the reverse. There's always some improvements to be made in your working life, some fine-tune calibrating to adjust in your private life, some new training methods to explore or some personal projects to begin with in order to fulfill yourself as a human being. A nice feature that comes with age is that you don't worry too much about your hip factor. Don't get me wrong. Of course you should make all the necessary changes if something is major wrong in your life. But the pursuit for perfection seems to be both endless and futile. The phenomenon has been investigated by psychologists and its characterized by a person's striving for flawlessness and setting excessively high performance standards, accompanied by overly critical self-evaluations and concerns regarding others' evaluations. Obviously, now is the winter of our discontent. Personally, I feel content when connecting with artists in the genre, when I find a rare cd on internet and it makes its way over the Atlantic Ocean (always non-assured), writing a blog entry about some obscure topic and listening to music on my old high-end Linn-system. Maybe life can get better, but it can definitely get worse.

 

   

"The Denver Sound examined"

the denver soundThe "gothic country" genre would be only half as intriguing if it weren't for the competing schools and infected disputes in almost every small matter. However, in this case it's a more fundamental and existential question. The question is: is there a "The Denver Sound"? Typically, a question like this should be possible to answer with a simple yes or no. But, I'm afraid this is not the case. One school (deniers) argues that there's no such thing as a "Denver Sound" (only artists and bands from Denver), while a competing school (believers) argues that there's a typical "Denver Sound". It's time for a declaration of interest. I'm a believer. In my opinion, you have to be both deaf and dumb (stupid not mute) not to recognize the existence of the sound. Of course, the sound isn't just one sound, but instead the term "Denver Sound" refers to an umbrella of quite different sounds. The common attributes are the dark and brooding mood with a strange mix of americana, polka, punk, dark cabaret and vaudeville including some east-european influences. Denver was founded in 1858 as a mining town during the Colorado Gold Rush. Denver experienced a second Golden Age in the late 1980s with The Denver Gentlemen and a cult emerged. Very soon bands like Slim Cessna's Auto Club, 16 Horsepower, Wovenhand, Munly & the Lee Lewis Harlots and Tarantella followed (all six of them covered in my prestigous article series). A second attribute is the multi-tasking on the verge to work environment offences and incestious conditions. Most musicians in Denver play in at least one band, but often in three bands or more. The names of the musicians shows up everytime and everywhere. You need to be an epidemiologist to keep track of all the constellations and new lineups. Take Slim Cessna's Auto Club for example. Almost every talented musician in Denver have played in the band at some point in a shorter or longer time. All in all, over twenty people have played in the band. Slim Cessna's Auto Club seems to be working as a Temporary Work Agency in the "gothic americana" industry. Musicians tend to go in and out of the band depending on their other commitments. This is not very common in the genre, where leaving a band often is definite and irrevocable. A third attribute is the use of organ, accordion, violin and cello. These instruments also occur outside the Denver scene, but not in the same extent. Denver has undoubtedly had a strong attraction on musicians and have become a creative hub for this kind of weird music. You will find a list with the ten most important Denver bands here (opens in a new window). Sadly enough, only four of the bands on the list are still active and three of them have been around for a long while. What does this say about the regrowth? Is time running out for Denver and is - God forbid - the Golden Age over? There are some new blossoms from the old bough, like Two Tone Wolf Pack, which I maybe will come back to in another context. Personally, I hope Denver will continue to retain its importance and luminosity in the "gothic country" genre. As always, lets hope for the best and plan for the worst.  

 

 

"Devil's Ruin Records - the label that left a mark"

DRR logo 500There are record companies and there are "record companies". Some of them have made a lasting impression and been very influential, like Sun Records founded in 1952 by Sam Phillips. Over the years they released groundbreaking records with very renowned artists. Sun Records is, strangely enough, still active. The "gothic country" counterpart to Sun Records is Devil's Ruin Records (DRR), which was a short lived, but legendary record company. Devil's Ruin Records motto was "Loathsome music for sinners, saints, imps and angels". The label was active between 2008-2010 and released 30 albums of which five were compilations. You can check out the complete DRR catalogue here (opens in a new window). Devil's Ruin Records was based in Leo, Indiana and owner was Joshua Warfel. You can read an interview with him on the reputable site Sepiachord (whose motto is "Music Now for a Past That Never Was"). You will find a link here (opens in a new window). I don't know anything about the business side, contract issues or reimbursement. I just focus on the music. All that glitters is not gold. But almost all. In many articles, I have stated that the provenance of DRR is a mark of quality. The list of artists is exquisite: The Dad Horse Experience, Christian Williams, Pinebox Serenade, Reverend Elvis, Uncle Sinner, OldBoy, The Mountain Apple Epidemic, Black River Brethren among others. I proudly admit that I have found a lot of artists through Devil's Ruin Records. At the moment I have managed to get a hold of 18 of the 30 albums that have been released. Some of the DRR releases, like "Thin & Pale" with The Mountain Apple Epidemic (DRR028), are on the verge of impossible to get a hold of.

But, their claim to fame and what really stand out are the four compilations in their serie "Best of Dark Roots Music". The album titles are inspired by rodents. Rodentia (vol I a double album), Rodentagogue (vol II), Rodenticide (vol III) and Rodentum (vol IV). They are all out of print and very hard to find. I'm very pleased to see them in my cd shelves. The album art is fitting (see below). The art work are designed by Ronaldo Selistre, Gromyko Semper, Eddie Obituary (a.k.a. Joshua Warfel) and Huseyin Ozkan, respectively. The four "Best of Dark Roots Music" compilations makes the list of renowned artists in the genre even longer: Strawfoot, O'Death, Reverend Glasseye, Creech Holler, Tarantella, Antic Clay, Lonesome Wyatt And The Holy Spooks, Sons of Perdition, Slackeye Slim, Those Poor Bastards, Myssouri, Palodine, The Blackthorns, Pushin' Rope, .357 String Band, Highlonesome, Murder By Death among others. If this exquisite series weren't enough there's also a fifth compilation, Compendium, released in 2009, which is also a must have album.

      

 

Devil's Ruin Records really left a mark on the genre and on me. The idea behind Devil's Ruin Records is very close to a dream I have. You can read more here (opens in a new window)  in my blog entry. 

 

 

Review of "Bad Omen"

badomen 350Six years after the release of their critically acclaimed album "A Bitter Harvest" Lonesome Wyatt and Rachel Brooke have got together again to record a new album, "Bad Omen". The album was released on April 21, 2015. The frequently used term "critically acclaimed" is an understatement. "A Bitter Harvest" was praised and embraced by critics and reviewers. And very rightly so, if I may add something. Rachel Brooke and Lonesome Wyatt are both an odd couple and quite an implausible combinationbut at the same time congenial. The collaboration means that Lonesome Wyatt becomes a bit less gloomy and subdued, while Rachel Brooke stays pretty much the same (or maybe just a bit darker). All in all, the result is great. On the album "A Bitter Harvest" they played and singed alternately in beautiful harmonies in sad but beautiful songs. If you - by any chance - have created what is considered to be a critically acclaimed album there’s two scenarios for how the follow up album will be reviewed. The scenarios are equally likely. The first scenario is that the provenance of the first album will spill over to the follow up album and it will be reviewed in a recycled, ruminated and uncritical way, with more focus on the first album than on the follow up album. The second scenario is that the first album will become the yardstick for the follow up album and it will not be evaluted on its own merits, but only in respect to the first album in all possible aspects. The reviews will almost certain become overcritical and foreseeable and, of course, quite boring. There's however a middle way - the swedish middle way - of how to approach this since we like to think of ourselves as solution oriented pragmatists. This means that reviewing a follow up album is very much like driving a car. Every third second you should look in the rear-view mirror (not more, at least in Sweden), but always keep your main focus ahead of you. I will stick to this working method in this review of "Bad Omen". The album is approximately 42 minutes long and contains twelve songs of which Rachel Brooke has written five songs. You can buy the album in the format of your choice, just click on one of the icons (bottom left). 

 

badomen rabI will now walk you through the whole album. The album starts off with ”Not Over You” which seems to deal with a person who realizes that love has gone, but have no plans of letting the object for love go away. The song is framed by scattered guitar and vocals. The vocals are almost chanting. "Not over you. Not over you. I'm not over you." Lonesome Wyatt whispers some cues here and there to underline the message. Then pounding drums is introduced to further emphasize the seriousness. The song breathes pure obsession. It gets worse. "I never let. I never let you go". ”Not Over You” is one of the best songs on the album. The second song is "Death Watch Blues" and is written by Rachel Brooke. The song has a completely different mood with a very deep blues, hard groove, noisy piano, feedback guitars and shared distorted vocals. "I feel death coming." It's a good and catchy song. The third song "Ice Cold Betrayal" has all the desirable attributes of Lonesome Wyatt. This song is also a very good example of the synergy effects in their musical partnership. Rachel Brooke and Lonesome Wyatt have different vocal range and abilities. The vocals on the song are seamlessly intertwined and the result is astonishing. "Ice cold betrayal. I don't even care". The song is one of the highlights on the album. The fourth song "If the Beasts Should Hunt Us" is without any doubt the best song on the album. It's a rather simple song when it comes to its structure. The vocals of Rachel Brooke is crystal clear and cuts like warm knife through butter. "My shoes are worn down. I can feel the ground. Let me walk with you tonight...When summer comes again. Don't know where I'll be then. Let me walk with you tonight....Our steps the only sound. Let me walk with you tonight". Only a person with a grave emotional disorder is untouched by this. The exceptional vocals of Rachel Brooke is perfectly counterbalanced by Lonesome Wyatt's dark, rough and unmistakable voice. The shared vocal responsibilities lifts this song to top notch. The fifth song "Miles and Miles" is written by Rachel Brooke and is one of the best songs on the album. The song has an elevated beginning with razor sharp but heartfelt vocals from Rachel Brooke. The vocals of Lonesome Wyatt changes the mood and atmospere to more prosaic levels. There's sparse but enough instrumentation in the song. The sixth song "Dance With Me" is also written by Rachel Brooke. This song has a more traditional country approach with all its attributes. Lonesome Wyatt contributes effectively on the song and at the end of the song he takes it in a more weird direction with some singing, humming and grunting.     

 

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The seventh song "When You Are Young" is a marching sing-a-long about undemanding childhood. "When you are young. You think your happiness can last. You will never waste your joy for future. And desperate longing for the past." The song is nicely backed by some scattered banjo playing and distinct bass lines. "When you are young. Everyone else is old." The song belongs to the highlights on the albumLonesome Wyatt seems to think  more and more of physical and spiritual decay lately. The second song on Those Poor Bastards' latest album Vicious Losers is "Getting Old", almost overly hard played with ultra-distorted guitars and roaring vocals "Why is my skin melting like wax, Why is my hair so grey and thin, You're getting old buddy, Noooooo!". The eight song "This Terrible Mess" is a modern cautionary tale. "As I am. You can't be. Don't ever follow me". The accompaniment is simple with some bass picking, and - with gothic country standards - quite funky. The ninth song "Evil One" makes you think of the soundtrack to "American Graffiti" when it comes to style. Except for the song title, that is. The tenth song "Don't Leave Me" is written by Rachel Brooke and is one of the best songs on the album. Lonesome Wyatt and Rachel Brooke sings the verses alternately. "Is it selfish but to ask. Just how long your love will last. The brightest star still fades at dawn." The eleventh song "In Flames" puzzles me. I can't decide if the song is a filler on the album or if the song is an ingenius amalgam of glam rock from the 1970s and gothic country. Well, I stick to the latin phrase "in dubio pro reo". The twelfth and last song on the album "What Happens to Our Love?" is written by Rachel Brooke. The song is untypical of Lonesome Wyatt and Rachel Brooke since it's a straightforward and traditional country song. On the other hand, Lonesome Wyatt and Rachel Brooke don't need a bombastic last song or any overacting gothic showmanship to make their point. When "Bad Omen" was released they wrote "We sure do appreciate it and hope the album makes you feel terrible and sad." What more can I say than: Yes, I feel terrible and sad. 

I'm sceptical to collaborations and album splits, but I must confess that this album convinced me that it can work. Actually, it can work very well. At least sometimes, with the right conditions and at the appropriate juncture, in due course and in the fullness of time. And finally, the rear-view mirror question: how does "Bad Omen" stand the test of comparison with "A Bitter Harvest"? Very well, I think. However, the question if "Bad Omen" is better than "A Bitter Harvest" is open to interpretation and is moreover almost a metaphysical question. What I can say is that "Bad Omen" is a must have album for everyone interested in Lonesome Wyatt or Rachel Brooke in general and for everyone interested in Lonesome Wyatt and Rachel Brooke in particular.

    

If you click on the icons below they will open in a new window, from left to right: Lonesome Wyatt's homepage, Lonesome Wyatt's Facebook page, Rachel Brooke's homepage, Rachel Brooke's Facebook page.

 

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"Pick Up The Steam"

PickupthesteamA popular and hard-fought misconception among some long-range tourists is that there are polar bears walking around on the streets of Stockholm, Sweden. You can laugh inwardly at it, but it’s not entirely far-fetched since it’s almost total winter when it comes to the swedish music scene. We find ourselves remotely located (58º 35′ N 16º 11′ E) caught between horrible Nashville cover nights (see my blog post here) and countless indie bands who are spending more time on their appearance than on their epigone music. The booking agencies are, as in all other places, focused on music for the masses. However, there some exceptions. Club Nuggets (a group of music enthusiasts, see link here) have arranged concerts with artists like Jayke Orvis and the Broken Band, Scott H. Biram, Joe Buck Yorself among others. The interest for this kind of music seems to increase in Sweden. A new festival PICK UP THE STEAM (swedish equivalent to Muddy Roots Music Festival) will premiere on June 13 2015 at an old railway area. The choice of venue is very symbolic (a small wedge under two bridges between the south of the inner city and a popular green belt). The festival will be arranged by Club Nuggets in cooperation with Rootsy Live, CGBG and Trädgård på Spåret (translates Garden on the Track, a nonprofit organization with the aim to convert a forgotten track area to a green and vibrant part of the city). Scott H. Biram, The Goddamn Gallows, Possessed by Paul James and Urban Pioneers among others will be playing. There will be no polar bears attending.

 

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