Over the past year we’ve received many compliments on our latest record, “I Stand in the Weeds“, and we’re very grateful for it. When Andre and I decided to start making our second album, I’m not sure either of us really knew what the end result would be. I even remember being somewhat apprehensive about the idea of adding instruments that wouldn’t be a part of our stage show (mandolin, pedal steel, organ, baritone guitar???).
But I have to give credit where credit is due. The reason “I Stand in the Weeds” sounds as good as it does is because of the talents of Mark Goodwin, and the drummer he loaned us, R.D. Harris. From 20 or odd acoustic demos, Mark helped us whittle them down to the final 13 tracks, and oversaw every aspect of the album from song structures to rhythms, vocal phrasings and lyrical tweaks, session-man hiring and bari-guitar renting, and least of all, choir-arranging. Add to that R.D.’s specialty in making sure that each song’s drum track had its own unique style, and the result is a record that has some pretty distinct fingerprints on it.
And the point I’m driving at is if you like our record, then there’s absolutely zero reason for you to not like Mark and R.D.’s band Lazarus Moan. The two are joined by Ron Stutzon guitar and backing vocals, and Stuart Pattersonon bass. The proof is in the pudding. Click the image below to hear tracks from their most recent release, “Sunrise“.
Lazarus Moan is playing at Brutopia in Montreal this Saturday night, March 24th at 10 pm. The show is free.
We’ve met too many people who have never heard of Gram Parsons. That alone is an injustice. Why he isn’t in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame also leaves us scratching our heads.
What we call alt-country can be traced back to what Gram Parsons called “Cosmic American Music”, a blend of the rock and country genres that made them nearly indistinguishable from each other. Though his career and his life were short – he died at age 26, and is therefore never mentioned as a member of the Forever 27 Club – there is no denying his influence.
Gram Parsons
After a stint with The International Submarine Band, which he formed while attending Harvard, he joined The Byrds as a keyboard player in 1968 at the age of 22. But his talents on the guitar and as a vocalist were too strong, and he was soon able to convince the other members of The Byrds to record their next record, Sweetheart of the Rodeo, in Nashville, and focus the project on a more country sound.
Parsons and Byrds bass player, Chris Hillman would team up a year later to form The Flying Burrito Brothers, a band we consider to be the best to go unrecognized by the masses. Simply put, their music was fun and accessible. Click the link below to listen to Older Guys and tell me I’m wrong:
Beyond country music, Gram Parsons had an influence on the Rolling Stones through his friendship with Keith Richards. Together they composed the melody and penned a few key phrases of the song Wild Horses on the Stone’s album Sticky Fingers. Here’s a link to a video of Keith talking about his friendship with Gram:
Keith mentions the obvious: few people know of Gram Parsons because he never had a hit record. This is decidedly true; his two solo albums, GP and Grievous Angel, were critically acclaimed, but charted no higher than 195 on Billboard. But they helped launch the career of country music legend Emmylou Harris who sang back up vocals on both records. These records are worth finding and we highly recommend you add them to your collection.
GP
Grievous Angel
Now we’ve done our research and we know there’s no way of changing the closed-door process behind who gets voted in to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and who doesn’t. And some might ask why a musician so closely associated with the country music genre would be included with the likes of Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, and the Beatles. Well, Johnny Cash is in (country), so is Pete Seeger (folk), and so is Run D.M.C. (rap). Would you like to join us in our head scratching now?
We’ll leave you with this fantastic song, Return of the Grievous Angel:
Oh, There’s Just One More Thing …
We were featured in Tuesday’s Montreal Gazette! Click here to read the article on the Gazette’s website. We’d like to thank Bernie Perusse for taking the time to get to know us (next time, Bernie, we want you to drink with us). Thank you ALSO to John Kenney for being so accomodating and snapping some great photos in a very confined space. And thank you once again and always to R.D. Harris for being so gracious in letting us use the confined space known as his basement, not only for the photo shoot, but for two and a half wonderful years of making music. Long live Feathered Serpent Sound.
The Gazette sent an additional photographer to film us rehearsing a new song, Those Who Can’t Be Saved. That video can also be seen on their music page, click here.
We will be debuting the new song at our next show on SaturdayFebruary 18th in Montreal at O Patro Vys. Click here to RSVP.
the Jimmyriggers 