Reviews     

Call it alternative, Americana, cow punk, alt country, grange, ad nauseam--whatever works for you. If the blues had a baby and called it rock 'n' roll, then the blues just became the proud grandparent of yet another subgenre, this one with family ties to the good ol' folks up in the Appalachians. Acclaimed rootsy rock bands of today such as Uncle Tupelo (the spearhead late-'80s, early '90s band that split-then-spawned two great bands: Wilco and Son Volt), the Jayhawks, Old '97s, Whiskeytown, and the like, have built a strong scene for a long misunderstood and marginalized music movement that is as deep as America is broad. Santa Barbara independent label Jackass Records is doing its part to put this music on the map by Literally combing said map and compiling 16 of the best new artists, released together here on Full Tank Vol. 1.

Owned and operated by Santa Barbara musician Pat Kennedy, Jackass was started last summer when Kennedy began taking out "bands wanted" ads in No Depression magazine, the Rosetta stone of their genre.

Current alt.country artists bring time-honored traditions such as country, folk, bluegrass, rockabilly, and swing into modern music relevance. Although some artists tend to get lost in mimicking their influences, the interesting ones are those that update rather than imitate. On Full Tank Vol I, Kennedy has successfully yielded an eclectic crop representing several of these flavors.

Tucson, Arizona's band Creosote shit-kicks things off with their banjo and slide-guitar driven "Trouble"; then president Clinton's hometown natives, Mulehead, deliver a Gram Parsons/Neil Young/Tom Petty-inspired ditty called "King of the Minimum Wage" Representing Los Angeles's vast roots rock scene are the El Vez (aka Robert Lopez) fronted Trailer Park Casanovas with their (you fill in the blank)-abilly tune "Where You Belong"; Santa Barbara's native sons of "don't call us rockabilly" psychobilly -- Blazing Haley -- wring out their greasy shop rags and whip your ass out the door with their hi-octane stomp, "Back for no Good Reason," my personal favorite of the lot.

Other highlights include: the Hank Williams hick-twang and Merle Haggard hard-living outlaw redneck vibe of "Always Country" by the Foggy Mountain Fuckers from Denver; "Gunstore, Liquor Store Project" by Bakersfield's Wilson Gil and the Willful Sinners; the campfire-style ballad "River Red" by Steve Pride (featuring Wilco guitarist Jay Bennett playing the dobro); and Ventilator's "Jericho's Pool" (led by pop-punk new wavers Possum Dixon's guitarist Matt Devine). Portland's the Countrypolitans rev it up with "Redneck Riot"; their female singer conjures up a fantasy pairing of Patsy Cline and the Stray Cats.

With the swing-revival trend already in full swing, L.A.'s annual festival Hootenanny gearing up to do the summer package tour circuit next year, and people getting bored with the bombastic parody-of-itself that mainstream country has become, it looks like alternative roots music is finally full-tanked and ready to go the distance. Don't be surprised if the vintage truck in front of you has a Black Flag sticker on it along with the "two kinds of music, Country and Western" mainstay. Hot Damn!

--Marko '72