September 2011

Mix Tape

Poundings LIX

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Since things are gonna be a little quiet around the Impound for the next few days, we thought we’d leave you with a big, fat bit of rockin’ & rollin’ to keep you busy until we return from our travels. You know what? This kinda music will help you get outta bed in the morning…if you play it loud enough and don’t resist when your body starts to wiggle. We begin with two from the streetwise pen of Mr. Ian Hunter…

If you experience playback problems, pop over to the 8tracks mix page and it should play fine.

track listing

Give Me Some Skin

Andrew Barr

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The Barr Brothers by Andre Guerette

If one had to settle on a single word descriptor of percussionist Andrew Barr the best might be “sublime.” There is great power to the drum center of The Slip, Surprise Me Mr. Davis and most recently his collaboration with brother Brad Barr in the aptly titled The Barr Brothers, but also something more fluid, elusive and altogether intoxicating, a roll and glide that’s far more alluring than simple crash ‘n’ bang. Judicious use of force, a sensibility that stretches outward to Africa, and an obvious sense of play missing from most high end players further set Andrew Barr apart from the pack. Watch his face as he navigates through music as diverse as the folksy bounce of SMMD or the cosmic headcharge of The Slip onstage or the knotted, fascinating, melodic spaces he explores with the Marco Benevento Trio. What’s revealed through his expressions (and really his entire body language) is a musician on a quest for fresh sounds grounded in inarguably rich foundations.

Andrew’s prowess is on full display on the long awaited self-titled debut from The Barr Brothers, which arrives September 27th on Secret City Records. Like its drummer, the album is a complex and well, subtle work, touching on thorny ontology, God and The Devil running through clouds and morning fog. It’s also beautiful, quietly moving and a further extension of the Barr Brothers’ seemingly endless vision. Time spent with this grower – a kindred spirit to Barr buds The Low Anthem though with a winning, unexpected Congotronics streak – is time well spent. One feels pulled through a few veils that surround the waking world, drawn into the silken truths that hide just outside of normal sight. And it’s full of lovely songs, too.

Here’s what Andrew had to say in the Impound’s drummer survey.

read on for Mr. Barr’s answers

Hey Shredder

7 questions for guitarists

Andrew Trube

Greyhounds, JJ Grey & Mofro

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Andrew Trube

One should smile when they see Andrew Trube headed towards a stage. The six-string secret weapon in Greyhounds and JJ Grey & Mofro is a primo flavor enhancer with a style that doesn’t bark after solos so much as stir the pot beautifully. Oh, Trube has chops to spare but his ear and instincts place him closer to subtler sorts like John Fogerty, Shuggie Otis, The Paladins’ Dave Gonzalez and Marc Ribot. His range is yawning wide, seemingly comfortable wherever you drop him in. Just focus in on what he’s doing on a given song and you’ll hear someone down in the cut – deep – but rarely in a way that leaps up for attention. Some folks don’t need a spotlight to let you know how damn good they are.

Currently on Mofro’s fall tour, Trube also put out a sweet, leave-em-wanting-more new EP with the Greyhounds recently titled Spring Training that does more in four cuts than many bands tackle on an album. Every track is soulful in some way – hard to avoid with a Stax/Volt ready singer like Anthony Farrell or Trube’s own warm-grit pipes – but they dish it up in varied ways, from the nu-soul ready “What’s On Your Mind” to the blues-moderne of “Yours To Steal” (a rival for the best of The Black Keys) to the coulda-been-a-Sam-And-Dave-hit “Soul Navigator” to playful New Wave cartoon “H-E-L-L-O.” And Trube tells DI that the ‘Hounds have a new album coming up before too long. Based on this taster, it’s gonna be very fab, and in the meantime you can pick up the EP here for a name-your-own-price deal.

Andrew Trube is a musician’s musician, one of those guys that other guitarists watch with hunting dog intensity when he’s onstage. We’re happy to have him join the list of Shredders who’ve graced the Impound with their wisdom.

read on for Trube’s answers

In Your Eye

you gotta see this

J. Roddy Walston & The Business

Austin City Limits Fest Performances

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After having J. Roddy Walston & The Business described to us as “Jerry Lee Lewis meets AC/DC,” we had to do a lil’ sniffing around – that’s a promising combo. And lo and behold, it’s kinda accurate. Apparently the band burned it down at the Austin City Limits Festival this past weekend and we’ve got three clips from their set. Just based on this evidence, we’re gonna need to get a lot deeper into this band.

Impounded Inquiries

Vinny Peculiar

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Vinny Peculiar

Smart people tend to have lots of interesting bits pinging around their heads. Whatever their chosen craft might be, their minds range into all sorts of subjects, grabbing at the world with an inquisitive yen most leave behind with sailor jumpers and wooden blocks. Vinny Peculiar strikes us as someone who hasn’t lost that boyish, primal urge likes to poke at things, or perhaps peel them back and get a good look at the entrails. Solid measures of sweetness and cynicism play in his work, clearly a man who comprehends the tremendous power people possess to nurture AND destroy one another. While generally sway-ready pop-rock gold, his songs juggle big ideas AND the smallness of workaday life, finding connections we’d have missed without him. It helps that one can readily hum along as he digs around in museums and record shops for tidbits o’ wisdom in the paint and vinyl. Vinny finds humor and compassion in our universal foibles, which makes him a great candidate for Impounded Inquiries.

And do yourself a favor and check out his new video for Dave Davies-esque “My Generation (I said goodbye)” off his boffo new album, Other People Like Me, at the end of this piece. If you missed DI’s rave for Mr. Peculiar’s latest, here it is. Thanks to Vinny for indulging us.

tinned peaches & fine old English ales await

In Your Eye

you gotta see this

Stephanie Finch and The Company Men

Don't Back Out Now

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If Stephanie Finch had come along in the 1960s she’d have given ol’ Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield and the other great ladies of that time some serious competition. As it is, the airwaves and what the mainstream considers pop today isn’t the same thing by several country miles. Still, in a just world (and up above on God’s jukebox) Stephanie Finch is a multi-platinum poster gal for everything right about quality crafted pop-rock. Her band, The Company Men, includes hubby (and Impound favorite) Chuck Prophet (guitar, bass, vocals, drums), Rusty Miller (bass, piano, drums, vocals) and Kelley Stoltz (drums, piano, guitar, vocals), i.e. pretty much the best the Bay Area has to offer. Check out DI’s rave for Steph and the Company Men’s debut, Cry Tomorrow, and then snap up a copy toot sweet. It’ll improve your listening life. Seriously. And right now, press play on this wonderful ditty and feel your day instantly improve a few notches.