Lost Classics: Gram Parsons and the Fallen Angels - Live 1973

Lost Classics: Gram Parsons & The Fallen Angels - Live 1973

by Kelcy Salisbury

 

Retro is cool these days.  Punks are wearing "Cash" tee shirts, as a shout out to the man who's frequently considered the ultimate symbol of rock-n-roll cool.  Hipsters are wearing them for irony.  The comic books of my childhood are blockbuster movies.  They even re-made Dukes of Hazzard (shudder).

 

In the rush to embrace "retro-cool" the true pioneers, the ones who influenced the folks who get the credit, very rarely are recognized.  I don't see anybody (punks, hipsters or otherwise) wearing "Rodgers" or "Cooke" tee shirts.  I'm pretty sure if I started a business making these shirts, I'd be even broker than I am in record time.  Personally, I've always embraced retro, always been interested in digging deeper and finding the roots of the music I loved.  When I heard Mama Tried on vinyl as a kid, it led me to Buck Owens.  When I heard Waylon Jennings sing that Bob Wills was still the king, I dug into Wills, Ernest Tubb, and so on.  I'm ashamed to say I didn't discover one of the most interesting, influential and tragic figures in American music until about 1998 or so.  Dwight Yoakam had released Under The Covers, an album of songs that had influenced him, and I heard an incredible duet titled Sin City.  I had to know who originally recorded it, which of course led me straight to The Flying Burrito Brothers and their seminal album, The Gilded Palace of Sin.  The album might have been around 30 years old at the time but the music jumped out of the speakers and grabbed ahold of me.  I had to find out more about the band and the man behind the songs, Gram Parsons, who up to that point I knew of only as the writer of the Rolling Stones hit Dead Flowers and a tragically (if not surprising) deceased friend of Keith Richards. 

 

What I found was fascinating.  Here was a true country music "outlaw", the father of a movement that gave America The Eagles, a breathtakingly talented songwriter, a man whose (albeit brief) commercial success of the early 1970s helped pave the way for the outlaw movement that was soon to follow, and a tragically flawed human being who left behind one of the all time great stories of a young rock-n-roller's death.  A man who did all this, didn't even live to 30, and was largely responsible for Emmylou Harris' career.

 

Of course even a casual Parsons fan is familiar with his work with The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers and his two solo albums, GP & Grievous Angel.  Eventually I discovered a recording of an in-studio concert, recorded as part of a 1974 radio tour on Hempstead, Long Island, NY. 

 

The recording is a slice of Americana of the time, as banter between Parsons, Emmylou Harris and the disc jockey is all captured on the recording, right down to Parsons' tongue in cheek takes at live reads of a bread commercial, a brief discussion of the band's new tour bus, a stop in Blytheville,AR is mentioned, and Parsons personality and sense of humor shine through as he seems quite lucid and healthy in spite of his prodigous drug and alcohol abuse at the time.  Looking back it's a bittersweet thing to hear a man who would soon be dead, his ashes scattered in the California desert (look up the story, it's well worth the read), sounding so alive, and happy to be so.

 

The songs are superb.  Emmylou Harris never sounded better in her illustrious career than when she was backing Parsons as a member of the Fallen Angels.  Parsons himself sounds like the living embodiment of a fallen angel as the songs run the gamut from the regretful "We'll Sweep Out The Ashes In The Morning", the straight ahead gospel of "Country Baptizing", an extremely strong cover of Merle Haggard's "California Cotton Fields", Tompball Glaser's "Streets Of Baltimore", and on a version of "Love Hurts" that puts all others to shame.  These songs are primarily covers, but the versions of "Six Days On The Road" & "Cry One More Time" stand up favorably with the originals.  Parsons puts his own stamp on the album by playing "Big Mouth Blues" (a song Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones has long covered in concert), "The New Soft Shoe" and my personal favorite, the slightly subversive, definitely wierd, "Drug Store Truck Driving Man". 

 

In summary this is not an album to cherry pick songs from, or to skip songs while listening to.  It's meant to be heard as it is, because it was never really supposed to be an album anyway.  It's just a group of musicians who loved true country music playing it and having a good time at it, all while having no idea what they were doing that day on Long Island would still be heard and appreciated nearly 40 years later.  This might not be the best introduction to Gram Parsons music, although as brief as his catalog is almost any album is as good a place to start as another, but it's a solid addition to the collection of any fan of country, rock-n-roll, or just radio the way it ought to be.  Who knows, maybe soon Hot Topic will start carrying "Parsons" tee shirts (oh how I hope not!)

 

Until next time, enjoy some timeless music and throw on a Gram Parsons record.

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Gram Parsons and the Fallen Angels Live 1973

Available here.

Kelcy Reviews: Turnpike Troubadours - Goodbye Normal Street

This is one joyful goodbye

by Kelcy Salisbury

I've been a Turnpike Troubadours fan since Jason Boland introduced me to their music back about the time their debut album, Bossier City came out. The album was raw in places, sometimes loose, a little sloppy, but there was an honesty and a joy in the playing and a gripping, photographic quality to the lyrics that made me sit up and pay attention. I remember thinking to myself that this was a young band with incredible promise that could really blow up if they could only make it through the trials and pitfalls of being a young band on the road. 

Time went by and the Troubadours released one of the great sophomore albums of the past decade (at least), with Diamonds and Gasoline. It was a Mike McClure produced gem of an album. Everything was an improvement, the playing was stronger, the songwriting began to stand out from the crowd with its evocative pictures of everything from vivid dreams of MLK (1968, I challenge you to find a more uniquely themed song anywhere in country music in the past 5 years), and the haunting title song. 

So it was with great anticipation that I looked forward to May 8th when I learned that was the release date for Goodbye Normal Street, the Troubadours third album. Back in late September last year I finally saw the Troubadours life at a small festival in Morrilton,AR with Matt Stell & Jason Boland & The Stragglers. I heard about 5 of the new songs that night and learned at least three things about the band: they are a prodigiously talented bunch of players with every instrument on the stage, even better live than recorded. Second, Evan Felker lacks the motor skills to open a non twist off beer bottle without an opener. Finally, Felker bears a pretty strong resemblance to a non sexually ambiguous Daniel Tosh (although he did not show any videos of puking while on stage). Anyway, the experience certainly whet my appetite for the new album and it absolutely does not disappoint. 

The lead single, Gin, Smoke, Lies kicks off the album with fiery fiddle and a poundingly addictive drum track. The subject matter may be dark and sad, but as with the majority of the album, its presented with such infectiously upbeat musicianship and a lyrical delivery that veers toward tongue in cheek at times, the whole album sounds to me like a wonderful slice of Celtic influenced country that leans on a certain cynical, dark humor to set it apart from anything else I've heard in a while. 

This feeling comes across strongest in Before The Devil Knows We're Dead, a story song that draws directly on Irish traditions for both the catchy chorus and the fiery fiddle playing (Felker credits The Pogues as a major influence on this song.)

Southeastern Son & Blue Star tell stories of a young man joining the National Guard and a slightly older family member adjusting to life after a career in the military. 

Call A Spade A Spade features Jamie Wilson sharing vocal duties with Felker on a song that feels like a sequel to Down On Washington from Diamonds and Gasoline. 

Morgan Street is the classic tale of a group of misfits and past-their-prime party animals that could have easily come off as a retread of a number of other songs in the Texas/Red Dirt catalog, but the heartfelt treatment it gets from the entire band saves it from being the only possible weak link in the album. Truth be told I like the song a lot, even if one line always reminds me of Small Town Saturday night (give it a listen, you'll hear it too I'm sure). Perhaps the "Liquor on his breath, trouble on his mind" is an intentional homage to Hal Ketchum's mid 90s hit, perhaps not, but either way it's still an endearing number. 

It doesn't hurt that Morgan Street segues into two of the finest tracks on the album, Gone Gone Gone, a classic theme and story that sounds amazingly fresh thanks to incredibly strong and unique lyrics and Good God Lorrie, a song that I particularly love because of its spot-on references to the people and places of my native Arkansas. 

Things continue to stay on the right track with Empty As A Drum, probably the best take on the same basic story as Vern Gosdin's (RIP) Alone. Any time you can make a song that evokes positive comparisons to one of Gosdin's greatest songs, that's a huge compliment in my book. 

From there we move right into Wrecked, another dark song with the tiniest sliver of a certain dark humor in it. The clever lyrics may make this my favorite tune on the album, but anytime an album is this strong I could easily say the same of 7 or so other songs. 

Goodbye Normal Street closes with another song packed full of wry dark humor, Quit While I'm Ahead. It's obvious the frustrations and trials of the road on a young musician heavily influenced the song, and yet once again the Turnpike Troubadours bring just enough levity to the performance to give the song, like the entire album a vibe that can't help but put a smile on your face. 

It was a difficult feat to equal the quality of Diamonds and Gasoline, but with Goodbye Normal Street the Troubadours have not only made their strongest album to date but may have actually made an album that will transcend their current circles and push them past the barriers faced by independent musicians and into mainstream consciousness. The Turnpike Troubadours may soon be saying goodbye to their current state of normal and hello to a huge splash into the mainstream. I hope to see it happen, but even if it never does they will always be able to know that they have made about as perfect an album as anyone is likely to hear in this or any other year. 

Finally, if you want to catch the best country music show on the road keep an eye out for one of the frequent Turnpike Troubadours/Jason Boland & The Stragglers concerts. I've personally never seen a better one-two punch than these two since Willie & Waylon live, and I am completely serious about that. 

5 stars for sure.

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Turnpike Troubadours - Goodbye Normal Street is available at Amazon, Lone Star Music, iTunes and all the other usual outlets.

Sounds Painful

by Kelcy Salisbury

After a few poorly written meanderings on the relative merits of various recently released albums, I felt like it was a good time to take a step back and provide a poorly written, rambling review of a couple of albums that were formative in my musical journey.  So without further ado here is the first of however many of these Trailer will let me write.

In the early to mid 1990's alternative music was exploding worldwide.  Of course the Seattle scene was huge with bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice In Chains making music that seismically altered the landscape of rock radio.  Austin, TX, long a hotbed for the "weird" was also playing a major role in the alternative rock scene, along with such locations as San Francisco and New York.  Along about 1994 someone (I'm not sure who and am a bit too lazy to do the research to find out) had the brilliant idea to combine some of the brightest lights of the alternative rock scene with a handful of Willie Nelson tunes for a project that would become Twisted Willie.  This album was a seminal point in my discovery of music.  I discovered The Presidents Of The United States and the Supersuckers through this album, along with rediscovering just how cool Willie's music was and heard what I believe to be the beginning of the third act of Johnny Cash's career.  It's not a perfect album, every song doesn't work, but the overall product is well worth hearing (or rediscovering if you haven't heard it in a while.)

The album opens with Johnny Cash (backed by Alice in Chains in one of their last recordings before Layne Stayley's death) covering Time of the Preacher.  The song gives a glance at what Cash would later create with Rick Rubin. Another highlight is Jerry Cantrell's haunting solo performance of I've Seen All Of This World I Care To See. Supersuckers' cover of Bloody Mary Morning is another great entry on the album.  This song seems to have been written for a more punk styled interpretation, and that's exactly what it gets.

Jello Biafra covers Still Is Still Moving To Me, and knocks it out of the park.

My personal favorite on the album is The Presidents Of The United States hyper, desperate sounding cover of Devil In A Sleeping Bag.  To this day I often find myself playing this cut on repeat.

Jesse Dayton absolutely kills Sad Songs And Waltzes, before Waylon adds his inimitable stylings  to I Never Cared For You.

The album closes with a haunting version of Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground by Kelly Deal.

While there are some tracks that don't hold up to the overall standard, particularly X on Home Motel, overall it's an older album well worth a listen that has held up well over the nearly 20 years since it's release and is well worth the purchase price on iTunes.  So give it a listen whether you're a fan of old school alt-rock or Willie Nelson.  If nothing else it proves what an incredibly strong song writer Willie Nelson is, a fact that occasionally gets lost in Beer For My Horses type dreck.

Purchase Twisted Willie here or here.

Kelcy Reviews: Fred Andrews and Honeybrowne - This Side of Crazy

by Kelcy Salisbury

Of Throatpunches, Reactions & The Lack Thereof

Fred Andrews & Honeybrowne (Aka Honeybrowne) have been around for a few years. They had a pretty big regional hit with Texas Angel a little while back and while I'd heard of them I'd never really listened to them until I was asked to review their latest offering, This Side of Crazy.

Let me set the stage by saying a couple of things about my musical tastes. First I have very eclectic tastes. I had James Blake, Jason Boland & The Stragglers and Adele all in my top albums list last year. I tell people who ask what kind of music I listen to that I like good music, genre doesn't matter. I also am not a musician or a music expert, just a fan. Finally I like music that hits you like a punch to the throat. Stuff with the kind of grit and realness to it that you know the artist HAD to make it. Now with that out of the way, on to the This Side Of Crazy.

This isn't a bad album. In fact it's pretty good. Fred Andrews has a pleasant enough voice, the band is musically competent and the songwriting is decent if unexceptional. I listened to the album a few times through looking for something to grab me, something that got my attention, something with some urgency to it. Other than the title track and "When Good Love Dies" I just didn't hear it. The whole album is decent enough in its own way but I couldn't find anything that sets it aside from the rest of the pack of mid-tempo Texas Country bands and albums. I couldn't help but feel that the overall low standard of current country music makes this offering seem better than it is. I certainly don't hate the album and if you're looking for a fairly safe offering of almost mainstream country with above average vocals and a pleasant sound it might be the album for you, it just won't find a permanent place in my rotation simply because its a bit too safe and predictable to hold my attention. Nothing is really wrong with this album it just doesn't have the "it" factor to set it apart. 

FTM Best Albums of 2011: Kelcy's Ten

by Kelcy Salisbury

Well, it's that time of year.  Time to look back at what happened, what we wish had happened, what didn't happen and most importantly, who released the best music.  So here, just in time for your Christmas shopping, are the best albums that I heard amongst the many that were released this year.  Keep in mind, that these will lean toward my favorite types of music (although my taste is fairly eclectic) and as a "real" person with a full time job and a life that doesn't involve occupying things, I didn't get to listen to every new album that came out, let alone all the ones I wanted to hear.  So if your favorite new album isn't on here it doesn't mean I hate it (although I probably do, especially if you're a Deer Tick fan), I may just have been busy trying to keep my lights on.

Without further ado: The list, first the honorable mentions, followed by my personal top ten.

Honorable Mention:

Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit: Here We Rest

This album will top many lists, and while I liked it and found it compelling in places it just didn't grab my attention and hold it throughout the way some of his earlier work (Sirens Of The Ditch) did.  Still a worthy effort.  Don't miss these tracks: Codeine, Passing Through, Alabama Pines and Go It Alone.

Mike Ethan Messick: The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday

Could have easily made the top ten, but something had to get cut, and unfortunately for Mike, this album was one of the cuts.  It's a solid country album with some incredibly clever songwriting.  Don't miss Oldsmobile, Fools of Us All, Walking Into Walls and Nothing Left To Lose.

Robert Earl Keen: Ready For Confetti

Much like Isbell's offering, I loved parts of this album but it didn't grab me as a body of work the way some of his earlier albums did.  Can't miss songs are I Gotta Go, The Road Goes On and On, and Play A Train Song.

My Morning Jacket: Circuital

If I'd found this album a little earlier in the year it probably would have made the top ten.  I find something more to like on every listen.  The thing that makes this album stand out from the rest of the "honorable mentions" is that I felt like it needed and deserved to be heard as a whole.  Perfectly laid out and beautifully arranged.

And now the top ten.  The order of these (especially the top 5) could change depending on the day and my mood but each and every one of these albums can stand on it's own merits and would be a worthy addition to any collection.

10. James Blake: Self Titled

This one may come as a surprise to some, but as I said before, my taste is fairly eclectic.  I never expected to like this album and didn't even give it a thought until it was suggested to me by a friend whose taste I trust (you know who you are, I hope you're not upset it didn't get a higher position).  James brings a ton of vocal ability to the table, pair that with solid songwriting and great instrumental work and you have one fine album.

9. Everlast: Songs of The Ungrateful Living

I already reviewed this album in an earlier piece and I won't rehash that.  I'll simply say that this album does a great job of combining working class concerns and social consciousness with hip hop beats with blues and country elements.

8. Adele: 21

Anyone that has the kind of pipes this girl possesses stands a decent chance of making a good song or two.  This young lady has made an entire album of great songs.  Her vocals are clearly the highlight, but the instrumentation is solid throughout.  The only reason this offering didn't land higher on my list is that the songs are (thematically anyway) somewhat interchangable.  As someone (I don't recall who) stated on Twitter, Adele's ex-boyfriend deserves a Grammy for inspiring this album.

7. Cody Canada & The Departed: This Is Indian Land

The album that Cody had always wanted to make finally got made, and what an all star cast of musicians made it!  Every song is a cover of a song by an Oklahoma born or based songwriter but The Departed make these songs their own.  If I hadn't known better I'd have been easily convinced that these songs were originals.  From the opening snippet of a voicemail from the legendary Randy Crouch to the rollicking take on Stand Up, this album is a pure slice of heavenly heartland rock n roll.

6. Micky & The Motorcars: Raise My Glass

The lesser known half of the Braun Brothers have been steadily working towards this album and it's been well worth the work and the wait.  The whole thing hangs together thematically from the heartbreaking story of the title track to the rocking Saint Lucy's Eyes.  There is a story here and it takes all 11 tracks to tell. 

5. Ryan Adams: Ashes and Fire

Adams finally returns with an album worthy of his prodigous talent and reputation.  Sobriety and a stable personal life have been good to the former Whiskeytown frontman and it shows.  His songwriting is better than ever.  His vocals are a perfect fit for the music and the music is pretty excellent.  I had pretty well written off Adams as a waste of talent over the past few years but he proved me wrong in a big way and I'm glad for it.

4. Stoney LaRue: Velvet

The "Red Dirt Chinese Democracy" is here and it was worth the long wait.  Stoney's sound has evolved over the years.  Layers of lush instrumentation wash over his pitch-perfect vocals. Much credit is due to the influence of Mando Saenz who co-wrote the majority of the album but at the end of the day it is Stoney's name on the finished product and what a finished product it is.

3. Amanda Shires: Carrying Lightning

Perhaps best known as Jason Isbell's girlfriend, Ms Shires deserves to be known as one of the finest musicians and songwriters on the planet.  Elements of folk and bluegrass permeate this outstanding album.  One listen to When You Need A Train It Never Comes and you'll be hooked.

2. Jason Boland & The Stragglers: Rancho Alto

The only criticism I heard of this album was that it was traditional country that didn't break new ground.  In today's world, truly traditional country music is ground breaking in itself, so I don't see the problem.  What I heard was the best country songwriter on the planet today providing socially conscious, thought provoking lyrics over the best traditional country sounding band you're ever likely to hear.  Roger Ray's steel guitar work has only improved over the years, Brad Rice adds a new dimension to his drumming with heavy use of brushes instead of sticks, while Noah Jefferies and Jeremy Watkins provide outstanding fiddle work and Grant Tracy keeps the whole thing moving along with his bass work.  This is simply the best offering yet from a band that never fails to deliver great country music for people who like country music.

1. The Damn Quails: Down The Hatch

It comes as no surprise to anyone who's read my prior writings that this album tops the list.  There isn't much I can say about it I haven't already, so I'll just say that even after taking the time to seriously think about it and listen to tons of new music there was nothing I heard all year that grabbed and held my attention any more than this album.  If you already own it, congratulations, and if you don't, do yourself a favor and buy it for yourself for a Christmas present.

Well, that's all for this year folks.  I hope you enjoy the article and most of all I hope you enjoy the music.

5 Albums You Probably Missed But Shouldn't Have

by Kelcy Salisbury

Here's another installment of 5 albums that deserve a listen.

1) Red Dirt Rangers - Ranger Motel

The Red Dirt Rangers are probably at least equally as influential, at least in their individual parts, on the "Red Dirt Scene" as the oft lauded Great Divide. With versatile players like Oklahoma music Kingpin Randy Crouch and Brad Piccolo they should be at the very least the sum of their parts and on this outstanding offering they are. Essential tracks are Stillwater, Under The Radar and Pennies From Heaven.






2) Bob Childers - Circles Toward The Sun

Perhaps no single artist has had a more profound influence on the current crop of Oklahoma singer/songwriters than the late Bon Childers (RIP). I'm usually more a fan of his songs as covered by other artists (most notably Jason Boland & the Stragglers) but if you have an interest in the roots of "rootsy" music should own at least one Childers album and this one is a great starting point for the music of the Woody Guthrie disciple.





3) Cory Morrow - Brand New Me

Cory's first album since his personal & religious rebirth brings a renewed sense of purpose and energy to his music. This is Cory's strongest offering in years and yes, he still plays barefoot.

4) Micky & The Motorcars - Raise My Glass

The younger Braun brothers step out of the shadow of Reckless Kelly with their strongest offering yet. The songs all tell a story, one that is at times both heart wrenching and hopeful. The song sequence is perfect and the production is top notch. There isn't a weak spot in the album, which may well be one of the top 3 offerings in country music for all of 2011.

5) Everlast - Songs For The Ungrateful Living

First of all, Everlast is not and has never claimed to be country rap (a term that simply makes me ill). He is hip hop with strong blues and country type themes. He has one of the strongest blues type voices in the business. This is his best offering since his seminal Whitey Ford Sings The Blues release. Standout tracks are Long At All, The Crown and I Get By but as with all great albums it should be listened to as a whole. Everlast does an incredible job of blending "everyman" themes and lyrics with true hip hop beats and the very best of blues and country instrumentals.

5 Albums You Probably Missed But Shouldn't Have

by Kelcy Salisbury

I'm sure everyone has at least one favorite "obscure" album, whether it's a little known effort by a well-known artist or the masterpiece album of their favorite underground band. Here are five relatively unknown albums that should be in your collection, in no particular order.

1) Billy Joe Shaver - Tramp On Your Street

Billy Joe's songwriting is in fine form here with versions of Georgia On a Fast Train & Live Forever included along with When The Fallen Angels Fly, a hauntingly personal heartbreaking story with a seed of hope included, and the autobiographical title track. What really makes this album the crown jewel of Shaver's discography is the blazing guitar work of his son, Eddy Shaver. Eddy Shaver was one of the great guitar players of his generation, who tragically died much too young. If you want to hear him at the height of his powers take a listen to this one.

2) Corb Lund & The Hurtin' Albertans - Hair In My Eyes Like A Highland Steer

Chris LeDoux's strong western sensibilities and sense of humor meet strong musicianship and perfectly suited vocals to the subject matter. Highlights are Ian Tyson's turn on The Rodeo's Over, and the raucous romp of Good Copenhagen.

3) High On Fire - Surrounded By Thieves

Sludge Metal masters churn out 8 of their heaviest tunes in front of a live crowd (given the title maybe they should have recorded in a prison). The energy of the live performance surpasses their studio efforts, in my opinion. Standout tracks are Hung, Drawn and Quartered along with The Yeti but this is as album that needs to be listened to straight through.

4) Black Lab - Passion Leaves A Trace

90s rock fans may recall Black Lab hitting the charts in the late 90s with Wash It Away & Time Ago from their standout album Your Body Above Me. What you may not realize is that they are still around and making good music. They may have been mislabeled in the 90s post-grunge movement, thus they weren't the easiest band to market, making them another casualty of the downturn of the music business. Regardless, Passion Leaves A Trace features strong lyrics over mostly shimmery Bowie influenced arrangements. Essential tracks are Ghost In Your Mind & Pictures of People.

5) Reckless Kelly - Bulletproof

This may be the most well known album on this list, but it's also such a great album that I felt I HAD to include it. There are a few albums that come out each year (if we're lucky at least) that are so good, regardless of genre, that it should be mandatory that anyone who claims to love good music own them. This is such an album. Again, it should be listened to as a whole, but if you're so broke you can only buy a few songs pick up Ragged As The Road, American Blood, How Was California, Mirage, and Godforsaken Town. If Godforsaken Town doesn't tug at your heartstrings you are not human.

Hopefully you haven't heard of at least one of these albums and you'll find something in here to enjoy. Until next time.

Review: The Damn Quails - Down the Hatch

First of all, I'd like to welcome Kelcy Salisbury ( @slingblade322 ) into the fold as an occasional reviewer and possible regular contributor to Farce the Music! His debut piece is a review of my current favorite album of 2011.

The Damn Quails - Down the Hatch

by Kelcy Salisbury

A great man (I’ve heard the quote variously attributed to Kris Kristofferson & Guy Clark) once said that there are two ways to write great lyrics. One is to write about “uncommon things in common words”. The other is to write about “common things in uncommon words”. As a music fan I’ve always leaned strongly on the lyrical quality of the music when choosing between what I consider good or bad. Of course good music requires strong playing and solid arrangements but that’s just the cover charge. To actually get in the club and make an impression, it had better have some serious lyrical weight.

I’m happy to report that the Damn Quails debut album, Down The Hatch, delivers on all counts. Most great songwriters excel at either common themes in uncommon words, or vice versa, to reference the previous quote one last time. The lyrical strength of the one-two punch that is Damn Quails songwriting is that they can pull off either type of writing with equal aplomb.

But there is much more here than just great lyrics and well crafted songs (I may be labeled as a heretic, but I’m looking at you Bob Dylan and you too, Neil Young when I say this). The performances, both vocally and musically more than hold up their end of the bargain and actually enhance the lyrics of each song.

Now, at this point in time the Quails are one of the most buzzed about bands in this region of the country and possibly in all of independent/Americana/Red Dirt music, so I’ll spare you the biographical information, but let me just say that I haven’t heard a duo that works this well together since at least Foster & Loyd, again risking being burned at the stake for heresy I actually prefer the Damn Quails to any musical duo I can recall hearing since the height of the Waylon & Willie collaborations and truthfully the Damn Quails are more of an actual duo than those efforts ever were. The third person whose contributions cannot be overstated is producer and Oklahoma music kingpin Mike McClure. The production is spot-on throughout the album. After about two dozen spins I can’t hear a single spot where I felt like the production was flawed or lacking, yet the album never loses it’s organic feel. It’s truly a remarkable achievement.

My personal favorite feature of the Damn Quails music is the interplay in vocal styles as they trade off lead vocals from song to song. Gabriel has a voice that vaguely reminds me of a celtic singer I heard once at a bar in Canada. Random I know, but I could definitely imagine him singing some Chieftains cover songs on a lark. Byron has what feels like a more classic country/folk voice to me. Neither voice is incredible on it’s own, though both are certainly very good. It’s the interplay of the two, and the changing styles from one song to the next that really give the album such a uniquely wonderful vocal quality.

Musically, there is plenty to love. The guitar work on opening track, Better Place To Stop, and Parachute both stand out to me but every song has great instrumentals, even a touch of organ in places. There is not a weak link musically on the entire album.

Lyrically every song is exceptional, I suspect everyone who listens closely will have a different favorite and will possibly change their minds about what that favorite is after each listen. Each song evokes the emotions of the story being told as the lyrics are perfectly blended with the instrumental arrangements to paint a picture that words alone simply cannot do. My personal favorites on the album are Fools Gold, Parachute and California Open Invitation but I don’t skip a single song any time I listen and I doubt I ever will.

If you can buy only one song on this album, save your money until you can buy the whole thing. A true piece of art deserves to be seen/heard the way it was intended to be, as a whole and this is a truly great piece of art. I simply have nothing negative to say about it.

Finally, this is deservedly the most buzzed about band out of the musical hotbed that is central Oklahoma in quite a while and (with all due respect to Jason Boland & The Stragglers whose Rancho Alto is incredible and all the other acts who put out great work this year) I am willing to state that this is the best record of the year, regardless of genre. It’s simply that good.