Tim Van Huss Top 10 Albums

'Tis the season for top tens. I did not get all the stuff I wanted to review, reviewed. The top three are in order, the rest is no particular order.

1) Gillian Welch - The Harrow And The Harvest
2) The Rum Drum Ramblers - Mean Scene
3) Destroyer - Kaputt
4) Ha Ha Tonka - Death oOf A Decade
5) The Bandana Splits - self-titled
6) Shamarr Allen And The Underdawgs - 504-799-8147
7) The Go! Team - Rolling Blackouts
8) Carolyn Wonderland - Peace Meal
9) Drive-By Truckers - Go Go Boots
10) St. Vincent - Strange Mercy

Happy New Year!

Gillian Welch The Harrow & The Harvest

Writing partners Gillian Welch and David Rawlings write and perform songs under the name Gillian Welch (as if that was an eponymous band name). The Harrow & The Harvest released earlier in the year (2011) provides yet again a glimpse into a time both forgotten and yearned for. The tone, as her previous album releases captures rural Appalachia, the Ozarks, Okie plains, and the deep country South.

The Harrow & The Harvest opens with the rhythmic guitar plunk of Scarlet Town. A song about heading to a corrupt town and becoming...well...corrupted, finding love to lose it and finding sin that will damn you. Welch constantly seeks the dark side of rural life with bleak stories of characters who have no redemption or hope. It's no different with The Way That It Goes which opens with the lyric "Becky Johnson bought the farm and put a needle in her arm, that's the way it goes." Although modern in language it hearkens back to early 20th century folk music, operating in that amoral gloom of poverty or depression and murder ballads. It's that black and white understanding of how hard life can be. There's no judgement really, nor right or wrong...it's just the way that it goes.

Most of the songs are Welch's and Rawlings' otherworldly harmonies, two guitars or guitar and banjo. The segue into Six White Horses is old time banjo accompanied by muted, sluggish hand claps with a simple harmonica taking the music chorus. Welch takes a solo outing on the sparse Hard Times. It's just banjo and her hauntingly sweet voice except for some light harmonies on the choruses. The song is about a "Camptown man" and the love he shares with his work mule. Of the songs on this album, even though the Camptown man loses his mule, the lyric to the chorus "hard times ain't gonna rule my mind" is a bittersweet understanding that a person has to go on in the face of loss, death, or loneliness - that the alternative to those penalties of living are somehow better.

This album is not much different than the rest of her catalog. All her albums are great ciphers of a different time. The Harrow & The Harvest is no exception. Powerful, dark, literate, with no judgement of the character or actions of the uncomplicated souls that inhabit this fine set of songs.

Drive-By Truckers Columbia, MO

Darling Bride and I sprung for front row tickets to one of my favorite bands, the Drive-By Truckers. This was at the Missouri Theatre in Columbia, MO October 27, 2011 and a cow punk girl group called Those Darlins opened. DBT are promoting their new album "Go Go Boots" which dropped in February of this year I believe. In any event, what a great concert. I had not previously seen one of my favorite bands (and certainly favorite band of the 21st century), before. They were loud, hard, and a whole lot of fun.

Along with the great seating, our hard-earned cheese bought us a meet-n-greet with the band. All of them were very, very kind and considerate. I am sure the last thing anyone wants to do is visit with some rubes from CoMo when they are trying to chill before they go to work. They took pictures with us, gave us their new greatest hits CD, t-shirts, just about anything you could imagine. Plus we made out with band autographed copies of their "Go Go Boots" tour print and a large glossy poster specific to the CoMo event. Sweet!



Then what they did from beginning of the show to the end was rock our goddamn socks off! They probably played a song or two off every album along with crowd cover favorites of The Jim Carroll Band's "People Who Died" and Warren Zevon's "Play It All Night Long". The live verision of "Let There Be Rock" from "Southern Rock Opera" was probably the main great tune that I so enjoyed that night. So, so good...great to perfect I mean!



It can probably not be overemphasized how important this band is in American music right now. Like their Northeastern brethren The Hold Steady they make classic rock cool. If these were in existence any time between 1976 to 1983 these guys would be playing football stadiums and on heavy rotation on FM AOR and classic rock radio stations. But don't be fooled, like many contemporaries of mine they have a nice rounded love of punk rock.

Their latest release is called "Ugly Buildings, Whores & Politicians (Greatest Hits - 1998-2009)" which is an excellent annotated bibliography of their career. This would be a New West release. They have been on ATO records for two albums now, so it rounds out with their final album for New West "Brighter Than Creations Dark". This album will be an excellent introduction for the novice and it's a great compilation for the superfan who can't make up their mind of which album to play.

Thank you DBT you are the most important Southern Rock touring group today and probably the top 1 or 2 Rock & Roll bands touring today. God bless you!

Roots & Blues & BBQ, Columbia, MO

It's a little late to post about, but went to Roots & Blues & BBQ Festival in Columbia September 9 & 10, 2011 in downtown Columbia, MO. Best one yet! What I saw for my hard-earned cheese (all legendary, that goes without saying); On 9-9 I took in Mavis Staples of the Staple Singers & Dr. Ralph Stanley. I would have paid my entire ticket price to see him do O Death. Which he did. On 9-10 took in The Flatlanders who are comprised of Texas singer/songwriters Butch Hancock, Joe Ely, & Jimmie Dale Gilmour. A true supergroup of Texas roots guys who all have legendary solo careers. It was great. After that mellowed out to prog grass superstar Sam Bush. Took a little drinking break and regrouped to catch Los Lobos (Sam Bush came out and played fiddle with them-only at a festival are you ever going to see that kind of genre bending performance).

Finished off the evening with the incredible neo-soul/R&B act Fitz and The Tantrums. Truly blown away. The female lead singer did not stop moving the entire time of their performance. And they had one great baritone sax player who could double on flute. Man, they were awesome! I could go on-and-on but this is all I can wring out for posterity. CoMo did it again.

Kermit Ruffins at The Blue Nile in NOLA

It's already a week removed, but got a chance finally to see the inimitable Kermit Ruffins & His BBQ Players last Friday February 18 2011 at The Blue Nile on Frenchman Street in The Marigny, New Orleans. Good times. He was playing unfortunately, for the you 20 something white people, but still a good show. I have been wanting to see the music star of the HBO show Treme' for awhile. He usually gigs at Vaughn's (Thursdays) or Bullit's (Tuesdays). Finally so live music got under my belt in the greatest musical city in the world.

Also took my picture in front of Cosimo Matassa's studio (now a laundramat). As a friend of mine recently said on Facebook, it should be the site of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Trombone Shorty Live Columbia, MO Feb 5, 2011

Just got back from the Trombone Shorty show which was held at University of Missouri's Jesse Hall. The only drawback of this particular venue is the unavailability of a dance floor. They did let folks gather on both sides of the stage and the dog-paddling hippy chicks loved it!

But let's talk about this young master, who I am saying is the future of New Orleans music. I reviewed Backatown not too long ago and loved it. It is up for a Grammy for 'best contemporary jazz album.' Jazz doesn't even begin to categorize the funk. Much like the album I reviewed, Troy Andrews mines a lot of New Orleans. He also owns what he mines and expounds on it in leaps and bounds.

Seeing him really drives home the point that this guy is a Band Leader with an excellent band. In the middle 90s I got a chance to see Maceo Parker with his band. I have seen many live clips of James Brown. I have seen a lot of clips of Ray Charles as a band leader. All of these musicians are par excellance arrangers and boss-ass managers and leaders. It is impressive. Trombone Shorty is way above impressive. I expect his career to continue in the vein of his dead peers.

As proficient on the trumpet as he is the trombone his band consisting of two percussionists, a monster super bass player, a funky (and white) lead guitar player, a tenor sax, and the creme de la creme baritone sax player. You don't get that very often. A lot of sound comes out of this small funk ensemble. Oh yeah, Trombone Shorty has a beautiful 2 or 3 octave voice and could dance Michael Jackson off the stage. Tons of songs written on the bass clef.

Trombone Shorty even got the blue hairs up offa their dead asses.

His encore consisted of an un-miced set of second line brass band standards. This guy and his band were just incredible. Robust, proficient, soulful and he just made a gumbo as diverse as New Orleans itself. I have seen the future of New Orleans music and it is Trombone Shorty. Good luck at the Grammies Troy. You gave me one of the best concert experiences I have ever had!

Wanda Jackson

Look out for Wanda Jackson's the Party Ain't Over, produced by Jack White.

R.I.P. Charlie Louvin

I was saddened by the passing of Charlie Louvin a couple of days ago (Born July 7, 1927, Died January 26, 2011) . Charlie and Ira Louvin, in my humble opinion, were maybe the best contemporary music harmonizing duo. They informed the likes of The Everly Brothers and Gram Parsons with Emmylou Harris. It's a natural part of life of course, but that makes it no less poignant. I don't have Charlie's solo work. I have Razor & Tie's excellent greatest hits package of the Louvin Brothers called When I Stop Dreaming. I have their most important gospel album Satan Is Real and finally their country & western classic Tragic Songs of Life. These are essential to any serious country & western music collector and any serious record collector in general. May you have met the maker you wished to meet Brother Charlie.

Trombone Shorty Backatown

True, I am behind on reviews. But I am inspired here for two reasons. I soon will return to New Orleans first of all, and second of all I will get to see the great Trombone Shorty in Columbia on February 5, 2011 (which is REALLY great because it is a Saturday night!).

Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews' 2010 release Backatown could have been made in New Orleans as early as 1960. It is something that is that funky-butt style or early 70s Funky Meters or 21st Century hip-hop bounce all at once.

Opening with seamless New Orleans Funk crossed with progressive southern hip-hop bounce Hurricane Season sets the tone for this classic gumbo. There is such a taste for The Meters here that you would think they are the rhythm section, as they were for so much of New Orleans bands of the 60s, 70s, and 80s.

By the time you make your way to the post modern R & B of the song Something Beautiful (with backing vocals by Lenny Kravitz) you know this young trombone player has made something beautiful. Backatown is not only a Rosetta Stone of New Orleans music ranging from 50s Rock and Roll to neo-soul, he's made it accessible as hell! It is the best of New Orleans brass bands filtered through rap 'tude.

Each listen subsequently brings something new, for example, the likes of the song Neph feels like Jazz made in Egypt. And god in heaven, Andrews can arrange a brass ensemble as if the spirit of Ray Charles was hovering behind him. The hard-rocking Suburbia will blast you to your feet. Two-chord electric guitar and bass are the underbeat punch to Andrews' Spanish bull-fighting staccato trombone. It's fucking crazy!

The flavor and tones this young master possesses will someday read like other master's album catalogs...long, storied, scattered with classics that will be transcendent. He could pick any genre and do straight albums of whatever type of music and be considered brilliant. But Backatown has been chosen as a master's genre-bending sampler masterpiece. Allen Toussaint even lends piano on a track to solidify Andrews' street cred.

Don't leave home without this.