Mention of bands like the Grateful Dead, Little Feat and the Band used to give cause for theatrical sighs and raised eyebrows if you asked about them in a trendy record shop but times they are a’changing and there’s no shame any longer in reinventing heartfelt music with riffs, musicianship and decent production. The opening ‘Old Hope Chest’ sounds for all the world like an out-take from ‘Wake of the Flood’, the album the Grateful Dead delivered when keyboard player Keith Godchaux brought his penchant for modal jazz to the table – and then at around 2 and a half minutes in, there’s an unexpected and utterly exquisite guitar solo that’ll curl your toes and set your hair on fire.Ĭlassic Rock is a much maligned term, and Roots Rock even more deservedly so. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I adore this track. ‘Dawson Lane’ is simply majestic after an introductory sung-storyline a soaring guitar solo explodes like a mescaline-crazed buffalo let loose in a house of ill-repute. ‘Kitty Clyde’s Sister’ reminds me of the Daddy Longlegs album which might not be quite such a recommendation, but it’s a gem for all that. Some of my favourite groups of all time, particularly British ones, have been compared to the Band. ‘Valley Bottom Fever’ is clearly inspired if not influenced by the Band, and is none the worse for all that. Utterly brilliant I’ve never heard anything quite like it since ‘Music to Eat’. The stand-out track is undoubtedly the brilliant ‘Species Blues’, which starts out sounding like the Doobie Brothers colliding head on with Little Feat and then dives off into the kind of jazz-flecked guitar, bass and percussive jam that the Hampton Grease Band once made all their own. No surprise then that we’re literally as well as metaphorically drooling over it. I’m fairly sure there’s not one band represented that we haven’t featured in one way or another down the years: mainstays include Nick Mitchell Maiato from Chalaque alongside James Jackson Toth from Wooden Wand, plus keyboard player Hans Chew (from Endless Boogie and Hiss Golden Messenger), bassist Dan Brown from Royal Trux and Ryan Jewell (from Ryley Walker's band) on drums and percussion. As usual, we won’t be using a set list so anything goes.The line-up on One Eleven Heavy’s debut album reads like a Terrascope supergroup. On tour, we‘ll be playing songs from all of our albums as well as surely premiering some new ones. DBT will begin playing out in late July with a full-on tour beginning in August that will take us across the USA and our long delayed UK/European Tour next spring.ĭBT will also begin work on our 14th studio album one that should take us in some new directions. I have solo dates, Cooley and I are going out to play some Dimmer Twin dates including three shows in NYC and an appearance at the Newport Folk Festival. With the lockdown ending and shows starting up again, DBT is excited to reactivate in a big way. It got stellar reviews and ended up in UNCUT Magazine’s Top 5 at the end of the year. It included the title cut single (which had a very moving video centered on the Portland protests) and the song “Tough To Let Go” which displayed a poppier side of the band than is usually mentioned. Its nine songs picked up where The Unraveling had left off, continuing the themes of an unraveling country, but also breaking away on a more personal front. We combined them with some tracks we had already recorded in Memphis and released The New OK. I wrote two new songs inspired by the BLM protests occurring around the country and the federal occupation of my adopted hometown of Portland, OR. Jay Gonzalez released his third excellent solo album Back to the Hive. Matt Patton built up his already successful studio (Dial Back Sound in Water Valley, MS) and album productions including acclaimed records from Bette Smith and Jimbo Mathus. Cooley, Jay and I played numerous virtual shows from our respective homes. Unfortunately, the pandemic happened and we only completed one three-week leg of what was supposed to be a 15-month tour. The album earned excellent reviews (including later being named “Album of the Year” by Rolling Stone in France) and we set out on the road playing shows up the east coast including NYC, Boston and DC. The Unraveling was mostly recorded in Memphis at Sam Phillips Recording Service – nine new songs detailing the horrific state of MAGA America in songs that addressed white supremacy, school shootings and the opioid crisis. The band had just released its 12th studio album in January 2020. Just in time to celebrate our 25th birthday. DBT is finally back on the road after the year and half pandemic lockdown.
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