CD Review – “Long Time Coming” by The Heavenly Chillbillies

One of Buffalo’s best-kept secrets (not for long) is the raucous good-time band The Heavenly Chillbillies. They’ve expanded to a quartet since this recording and certainly their heart lies in live performances, but this freshman release provides a guide to what is in store for you when you see them live. From their tag-line “Booze Infused Blues and Americana” to the song titles, including “I Don’t Need Drugs To Have A Good Time (I Need Drugs To Have A Good Time With You” and “My Sister’s So Mean (She Drinks Gasoline)” it’s obvious these boys are not only out for a good time, they’re about to show you one too.

The opener, “Long Time Coming”, has a funky-cool swing reminiscent of The James Gang and features the multiple vocalist capability of the band. Gabrial Mayer, guitars/vocals takes the lead here and on track two, “I Don’t Need Drugs To Have A Good Time (I Need Drugs To Have A Good Time With You). A straight up rocker that laments with tongue firmly in cheek, kick ass! Earl Irving, bass/vocals takes over the lead vocals with his distinct growl. Mike Olczak, drums/vocals drives the whole thing, steady and strong at the kit, his voice blends and highlights both Gabe and Earl’s. “Tell Me Mama” is a gritty, in your face plea for acceptance and communication with the fairer sex that leads to the rave-up, “Tired Of You”, makes perfect sense in sequence! “Buffalo Blues” starts with Gabe rhythm channeling his inner SRV on this tribute to their hometown and it’s own trappings. Funky as hell with a killer vibe, a must see live! If the pulsating rhythm section at the start of “Mike’s Song (Shine)” doesn’t make you move, nothing will, and the groove just drives the song under Gabe’s vocal. Yet another example of THC’s broad style base, they ain’t scared to grab you by the neck AND the heart! The seemingly endless groove continues on “My Sister’s So Mean (She Drinks Gasoline). THC makes it sound so easy, they funk, rock and kick the jams seamlessly, flipping a switch to rave it up on “Shotgun Revival”. While the disc is dynamic, it seems like a natural course for The Chillbillies to do a live album. ‘Cause this shit is hot! Play it loud!!

The bonus track, “Blues Is My Business (And Business Is Good) just kills combing all of the elements I’ve previously mentioned. Earl and Mike groove under Gabe’s smooth solos and the three part vocals run deep and rich. They aren’t afraid of anything, stretching and breaking genre boundaries on every track.

You can check out the band on their website at http://www.thcbillies.com, on facebook and reverbnation.
For booking information contact sublunar studios at managementandmedia@sbn-studios.com

Soul Risin’ produces a powerful third album in ‘Rise & Fall’

I was introduced to Soul Risin’ in 2009 by my friend Greg who noted that Jon Fishman himself called himself a fan of the group. When Phish played the War Memorial in the fall of 2009, an indoor lot scene was created with vendors of food, beer and clothing, as well as a few bands, most notably, Soul Risin’. Their first two albums were in regular rotation on road trips and the third album will find a home in the mix very shortly.

The album kicks off with “Don Negativo (Fool Like You)”, a country/rock foot-tapper, including a Blues Traveler vibe in the vocals that push right to the edge of each peak, building up again to the refrain. Title track “Rise & Fall” has a “You Can Call Me Al” rhythm, very calypso in composition with evenly balanced horns in the back. This is a definite crowd pleaser of a tune. “Heavens Done” has funk and blaring horns from the start, scat style singing and large builds with the horns, giving the band it’s first rock anthem of the album. “Tidal Waves” has a rockabilly, hip shaker beat to it while “Leaving Train” is the first softer track on the album, growing to nearly a full band ballad.

The next few tracks (“Worcester”->”Baby”) carry the theme of the passing of lead singer Bryan Weinsztok’s father last year through the birth of his child this spring. 

The island jamming music of “Worcester” is a little Strangefolk-sounding mixed into the progressive jams and guitar work. This track opens up nicely with keywork from Mike D’Ambrosio before returning to the composition and Weinsztok’s impassioned lyrics. “The Door” gets started on a slow and steady path, but halfway through diverges and gets abruptly louder, with notable accents from Adam Fisher’s bass.  Another album highlight, “Part Two/Open the Door” showcases John Capozzolo’s drum work and Jim Dunham’s Percussion, providing the framework for the band to create a song with even greater depth; one cannot help but recall Dave Matthews efforts from a decade ago when hearing “Open the Door”, a compliment to this grand track.

“The Greatest Advice” moves by at a breakneck pace but the lyrics chillingly stick out, notably the repeated “Love means more than madness, when we’re tossed off to life’s great abyss. Ours is the flame that burns in this insane world over.” A lullaby sung from father to child, “Baby” is the softest moment on the album. “Punk” takes the album out on a high note, with Weinsztok’s guitar tearing through the song.

Key Tracks – Rise and Fall, Worcester, Part Two/Open the Door, The Greatest Advice

Soul Risin’ plays Saturday at The Westcott Theater for the official album release party. You can win tickets via UpstateLIVE at the bottom of this page.

Soul Risin’ on Facebook 

Widespread Panic produces classic ‘Wood’ album

Earlier this year, southern jam rockers Widespread Panic embarked on a four city, 11 date tour that relied on acoustic performances of originals and a nice array of covers that took the band a step away from their arena-rocking sound towards subdued but fantastically creative performances. The product of this tour is Wood, which includes a wide array of selections from the Washington D.C., Denver, Aspen and Atlanta shows from January and February this year. The band gave fans a unique experience before taking off the rest of 2012 to relax and refresh.

The full band’s acoustic sound is spectacularly mixed by John Keane at John Keane Studios and mastered by Ken Love at MasterMix, giving each song a crisp sound that allows the listener to hear the subtle instrumentation applied to songs like “St. Louis” and “Good Morning Little School Girl”. The tracklisting features a broad selection of Panic songs from over the years, as well as new covers that hopefully will make an appearance in regular rotation when they return to the road in 2013. The album plays like a regular live, acoustic show with two disks for two sets, or 1 long one depending on how you look at it.

“The Ballad of John and Yoko”, one of the many covers debuted this tour, breaks the ice on this acoustic album; an acoustic album is far from a way to say ‘quieter music’ – this is a full and at times, a heavy album, thanks to great sound and recording. Straight up rocker  “Imitation Leather Shoes” has a different sound in this format, and fans of Panic will find this tune a unique twist on the original. A swing version of “Tall Boy” makes this gospel-friendly song a Dixieland tune while “Many Rivers to Cross” is soft and soulful, with JB singing the Jimmy Cliff tune perfectly.

Dave Schools’ bass resonates in the softest thumping manner on “St. Louis”, Alan Price’s “Sell Sell” is a unique song from the British film O’ Lucky Man and Howlin Wolf’s “Tail Dragger”, a nasty blues number that is perfect for Widespread Panic in this format. “Tickle the Truth” is gritty and nasty and it seems that acoustic is a preferable way to perform the song. “Fixin’ to Die” features Col. Bruce Hampton on vocals in a traditional Panic sit-in on the upbeat number.

“C. Brown”, the story of a boy and his dog, is softer than live versions and has percussion that sounds like Sonny Ortiz playing a small child’s xylophone. “Blight”, the Vic Chesnutt classic is as dark as ever without amplification while Bloodkin’s “End of the Show” gives John Bell’s mandolin a go through impassioned vocals, a perfect ending to this album.

Not since the Sit n Ski tour of 1996 were audiences treated to intimate shows like these. Pick this one up and enjoy some classic Panic.

Key Tracks: Ballad of John and Yoko, Tall Boy, St. Louis, Tickle the Truth, C. Brown, End of the Show

Pick up the album at Widespreadpanic.com