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May 20, 2003
May 20, 2003
"spectrum: any of various continua that resemble a spectrum
in consisting of an ordered arrangement by a particular characteristic."
(i.e. Ol' Everlovin' seeing Steve Earle on a Sunday and Kip Attaway on a Wednesday and then Michael Fracasso last night) .
Trust me when I say that is the truest definition of "both ends of the spectrum" when it comes to Reckless Kelly and the major influences on the Braun Brothers and the collective psyche of the remaining members.
Several of the major players from the old days on Club Millican and some of the current standouts (aed, Texas girl, Jay
-dub, Matt, etc...) will tell you without any hesitation that Steve Earle is their #1 favorite artist, bar none. It seems a natural progression for RK to fall into that category as a band that has been influenced not only vocally, lyrically and within the songs' structure by Steve Earle, but in the willingness to incorporate traditional instruments into their music in non-traditional fashions ( the fiddle, harmonium, bouzouki, dobro, piano, sitar etc..)
This has become abundantly clear with the release of Under the Table and Above the Sun on Sugar Hill Records on May 13th, which by now most of the Everlovin' readership probably already knows was produced by one half of the Twang Trust, Ray Kennedy (the other half of the Trust being Mr. Earle himself).
"There is no reverb on this record " -- as quoted by Cody Braun -- lends an appreciation towards the production style that Ray and Steve used on such sonic behemoths (yeah, I said it..) as Transcendental Blues (on which Ray did the lion's share of the recording) that has very definite ties to the Beatles and their Revolver record, to Lucinda Williams' Car Wheels on a Gravel Road which both members of the Twang Trust had their dirty little mitts on.
This is miles away from being a bad thing.
Some of the tracks on the latest endeavor have that "only on vintage instruments" saturation that just coats you in retro fuzz and feel great from the get-go... and then again some of the tracks have that crystalline quality that strip away all but what exactly is being sung and played... in itself having the ability to transport you to ...well, wherever it takes you. (I believe those in the know would use a word like "dichotomy "here.)
I'm going to really go against my nature and leave out the titles of the tracks that I'm referring to just because I think this works better if you just fill in the blanks and pick and choose which tracks grab you however they grab you. (if any of y'all want to send me your personal record review of the new CD do so now...)
Willy Braun has said that Kip Attaway is "the best worst influence we ever had". OK...OK...OK... I said that. But I think, when Kip's claim to fame as far as the Brauns are concerned is that he taught them how to cuss and how to play "Wild Western", If it was anything, it wasn't bad.
Dirty, filthy, and rummy maybe ...but those are good qualities, right?
I feel that after what Kip did to me and the crowd on Wednesday @ Blanco's (and with a smile, mind you)... I think I have a little better insight into what makes RK tick. As far as the ever-apparent "we have a leg up on you" grin that they all wear during and after a show ...for the most part.
It's a fairly well-known fact that even after as many RK fandangos as I've been to I still get a bit [what's the word... Fanboy-ish?] around the boys, and to tell the truth if I could be a fly on the wall for even half of the stuff that none us will ever hear about... well, it'd tickle me pink.
I bet the war stories that RK has just from their trips to Stanley and -- heck, just from their days off in and around Austin -- are the stories of legends! Having running/drinking buddies like Pinto, Chris Wall, Kip, Jon Dee, even to some extent Chris Ledoux and Bruce Hauser... I think its safe to say RK does have a leg up.
I know the minute I read the liner notes from the new CD that the private jokes and stories that were interlaced within the thanks are and will continue to be why RK pounds the pavement for well over 200+ gigs a year ! You just really can't put a price tag on the bonds and friends you make on the road.
Now... on the other hand, WB had well over 30 songs to cull for the 12 tracks that they finalized as being "the ones." I could go on about the songs I love that didn't make the final cut and take that approach but I won't. WB has proven that he is a songwriter and will only improve (how do you improve over Black & White, Vancouver, Hatax, Nobody's Girl, Lonely All the Time? sheesh...)
Michael Fracasso is an artist that is indirectly responsible for me really taking a HUGE interest in RK and the songwriting aspect that sometimes gets overlooked in the huge amount of fun and talent that are showcased every nite at an RK show. They used to (and should bring back, in this humble writer's opinion) cover "Started On the Wrong Foot" by Mr. Fracasso way back in the 90's, and it was the song that kind of drew me up to the front of the stage to check out the dynamics.
WB corrected me years later and told me it was a cover and that I needed to check MF out . Well, I did... I can only say after the 5-6 live shows that I've seen Michael that the culpable feeling that grabs you is that, if it's in you, and you sing or write or dance or paint or whatever... get it out of you!!! it will only make the world better.
Willy and the boys had enuff insight to listen to Michael early on, and I think the balance of finding the line between entertainment that was instilled by their Dad, and the Bob Dylan directive of "don't rhyme for the sake of rhyming" and '"Try to make each line in each song the potential beginning of another song" -- that's up there as far as rules to live by... WB has it and Michael has it . It takes a great deal of wherewithal to bring what is in your heart and mind together on paper, and even more to put it to song...
All 3 artists have really brought a ton of influence to the RK table and indirectly to all of us. I know I laugh a lot more and smile a lot more and hurt a lot more and feel a lot more with RK in my life -- and I bet the fellas will continue to pay homage to the artists that get them to that spot in their lives too...
Just a feeling I get...
What a mystic sound ...
Posted by reh at May 20, 2003 10:43 PM