Austin Lucas and The Bold Party @ Union Hall 8.23.11

Almost shit the bed on this one. Were it not for a heads up from Rut, I would have totally stayed on the phone talking to someone who has since proven somewhat shitty and not made it over the bridge to bucolic Park Slope for this show. As it was, I ended up missing Marcellus Hall open owing to social matters, which again in retrospect was a bummer. I enjoyed Railroad Jerk and White Hassle a good bit back in that day and was wondering what he'd been doing. I assume that he's moved out of the LES, as I've not seen him around in a dog's age, but really have to check out what he's bringing to the table with The Hostages.

A couple drinks and an ominous harbinger later, I posted up frontside for good sightlines and some digitization. I like the new record ok, but if anything it was a little lacking in focus. The songs were there, but while a lot of his stronger material is acoustic, apparently Austin wants to meld his rock and song-driven sides a little more, so this time he's got a trio of Bloomington heavies backing him, including one Braddlesnake from his last tour through town. Listening back to the recording, I like the band more in retrospect. The Bold Party seems more a bunch of solid players about Bloomington touring behind Austin than a tight band, but the set was solid. A pretty good selection from the new record in the rock end of things, closing with a solo Go West in the crowd. Thanks to the guy who pointed out that I was in record ready three songs in. If you want a copy of the recording, hit me up via the e-mail.

R

Austin Lucas - A New Home In The Old World

Austin Lucas has been a perennial at JS-NYC since he first came on the radar by way of his stellar 2009 release Somebody Loves You. Ceaseless touring has taken place since then, with a singles collection, a live record and some tour demos in its wake. Now, on the heels of the first single Austin flowed our way, we have the release of A New Home In The Old World, courtesy of your new best friends at Last Chance Records.

While some of the songs have more fleshed out arrangements ala first single Thunder Rail and The Grain with its rocked-up guitars, but long time fans can rest assured that there is still a healthy acoustic bluegrass influence. There are also healthy doses of female vocals in evidence, assumably from sister Chloe Manor.

Unlike many of his contemporaries, Austin Lucas has a distinct voice, one that deserves much more notice than he is receiving currently. With songs as good as the ones on A New Home In The Old World, getting notice shouldn't be too much of an issue. Sleep Well and Feast look to be high points of future live shows and lucky for us, Austin is perpetually on tour. This spring will be on a higher than usual profile when he plays the Willie Nelson Country Throwdown Tour in May, part of a mostly-decent lineup that features Jamey Johnson. Click here for the tour dates and get A New Home In The Old World here for Last Chance in all the popular formats.

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Austin Lucas preorder

Kids:

It's a pleasure to report that there is now a pre-order available for the new Austin Lucas record A New Home In The Old World. It's out on April 4th via your friends at Last Chance Records. Pre-order it and get it digitally on release day while you're waiting. There's a new single over there, as well as a live record I'm excited to hear, so why not step lively over to the Last Chance web presence and get yourself a big piece of A New Home In The Old World. Here's a link.

R

New Austin Lucas single!

It may be freezing-ass cold in Gotham, but one can take small consolation in the fact that Spring isn't so far off. Another glimmer of hope is the impending new Austin Lucas record coming via Last Chance Records. Austin reached out and wanted to let the JS-NYC massive (i.e. David) that he was releasing a new single from A New Home In The Old World. It's called Thunder Rail and you should march your ass over to your favorite digital retailer and get it pronto. It's a little more of a big rock sound, with some harmonized Thin Lizzy-ness in the guitars that makes me smile whenever I hear it. Keep an eye out for Austin at SXSW with the Drag The River dudes and dates out East once A New Home In The Old World drops.

R

Austin Lucas - Collection

You can't swing a dead cat around JS-NYC without running into an accolade for Austin Lucas. Since the good folk of Southern Lovin' dropped Somebody Loves You in the lap of JS-NYC, the proud son of Bloomington, IN has received the volume of spins commensurate with a man who has perhaps the best tenor in contemporary country music. While that may be a little much, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone this side of Ricky Skaggs who brings more to the table in the Top 40 country era. I'm sure there is probably a bluegrasser out there who might top AL, but know that competition is slim.

Collection compiles the import At War With Freak Folk 10" with a handful of split and comp tracks. At War is demo versions of material that would eventually be released on Somebody Loves You. Not radically different from the later versions, but well worth the listen. The comp stuff is from the Takers and Tim Barry splits, along with the Dolly Parton cover and an unreleased track. And it's like $9, so why not high thee thither with the quickness and put an end to the hyperbole. Here's a a link.

R

Christina Wagner - Goldentone demo

As you may have gleaned from a previous post, Ms. Wagner was both a tour and bandmate of Austin Lucas on his most recent batch of dates. She and Austin were selling a tour cd package with both of the demos on separate cd-rs for the econo price of $10, so I snapped one up. I had missed both of her opening slots on the AL dates, but was pretty impressed with her pipes and plucking with Brad and Austin. And of course, I had to have the new AL demos, so it was a win for Team Wagner from the jump.

It was good for me, too. Wagner hails from Orlando, but plies her trade in a early Patti Griffin/Nora O'Connor vein. She doesn't sound markedly like either of them, but I'd say there is a shared aesthetic sensibility and the closing Once In A While is a track a lot of people would like to have in their set. I'm not sure how much she gets out of FL, but these four songs would be enough to get me off the couch if she came back. See what you think via her web presence.

R

Austin Lucas - New Home demos

When Austin came through town a couple weeks ago, he had this tour cd-r that he was hawking. It's actually a double cd-r, lavishly packaged (see left) in a sandwich bag with tour/bandmate Christina Wagner's companion recent demos. It's iTunes priced, as a $1 a song, and worth one less drink if you see him. Austin is looking for a new label and if the five songs here aren't enough to find him one, a lot of people should be hanging it up, as our Mr. Lucas has them well outclassed. The five tracks find him in as good a voice as ever, with the typical bass/banjo/guitar sometimes with understated kit backing. If I had to pick a best track, I guess it would be the opening Sleep Well, but it's all pretty aces and for $10 for 2 cds, you can't really go wrong. Help the guy out on tour and pick the New Home demos up if you can. He starts a West Coast run in the next couple of days, irritatingly enough for this NYer with Cory Branan. See where you and Austin can cross paths here.

R

Jaded Scenester NYC Top Ten Singles of 2009

It was tough for me to come up with this list for a couple of reasons. One reason is that technology hates me. It's one of the many reasons that I'm happy to just be a dumb bass player. When I initially tried to figure out the tracks, it seemed prudent to just use the counter in my iTunes. Makes sense, right. In consulting said oracle I was surprised to find that there was one track that really was head and shoulders above any others playwise. I was most surprised to find said track was The Northside, The L&L, And Any Number Of Crappy Apartments by The Lawrence Arms. While that is a solid track, I can't see having played it 285 times, despite what the good folk of Apple might have me think. As a result, I'm going to throw empiricism to the wind. Additionally, I'm not going to limit this list to songs actually released in 2009. Mostly because I can. I bet a bunch of them are from 2009, but hey let's keep it interesting, shall we?

Ok, here we go.

Jaded Scenester NYC Top Ten Singles of 2009

1. Lifter Puller - Star Wars Hips (7" version)

from Slips Backwards

2. Kith n' Kin - Austin Lucas

from The Common Cold

3. Lonesome Dogtown Nights - Lucero

inexplicably not released on 1372 Overton Place

4. The Ballad Of Marvin Heemeyer - Shorebirds

from It's Gonna Get Ugly

5. Calloused Heart #2 - Drag The River

from Bad At Breaking Up

6. Darlin' - Austin Lucas

from Somebody Loves You

7. Jessica's Suicide - Jon Snodgrass

live with Joey Cape or Cory Branan

8. Geraldine - Glasvegas

from Glasvegas

9. Magazines - The Hold Steady

from Stay Positive

10. Sherman City - Lifter Puller

from Half Dead And Dynamite reissue

Jaded Scenester Top 10 Records of 2009

Ok Boy(s) and Girl(s):

Just because you clamored for it, here's the formal Top 10 Records of 2009 (full-length) as selected by your pals at Jaded Scenester NYC. Thanks to all of the people therein(on?) for all the sweet ear love that they provided in the wasteland that were the internets most lauded records of 2009. If I have to hear one more bad Fairport Convention (or more probably High Llamas) rip-off record reverbed out to infinity by some 20-something beardo or beardos, I'm going to go John Belushi on some motherfuckers. Don't even get me started on the hip-hop records. Criminy! Sell back that Dirty Projectors record and know, love and buy all the 10 releases below. If you are concerned, please rest assured that single tracks, EPs, reissues and live shows will all get their separate lists. Try and control yourselves. Do take note that we've got a Best of 2009 playlist available for your perusal. It's free, just drop JS-NYC HQ a line and we'll send you a download link out pronto.

Jaded Scenester NYC Top 10 Records of 2009

1. Jon Snodgrass - Visitor's Band

2. Drag The River - Bad At Breaking Up

3. Austin Lucas - Somebody Loves You

4. Lucero - 1372 Overton Park

5. Glasvegas - Glasvegas

5. The Dopamines - Soap and Lampshades

6. The Hold Steady - A Positive Rage

7. Banner Pilot - Collapser

8. The Riot Before - Fists Buried In Pockets

9. Dear Landlord - Dream Homes

10. House Boat - Delaware Octopus

Free Record From Suburban Home!

In honor of their 14 years as a label, the men and women of America's Finest Label, that being Suburban Home Records, is giving away one free record of your choosing from their exceedingly awesome catalog. I opted for the Josh Small record, but know that there are delights from the mighty Two Cow Garage, Austin Lucas, Drag The River and a host of other awesome releases for your enjoyment. You'll have to pony up your e-mail address, but trust me, it's well worth your while.

Here's a link

R

PS: Office Space still sucks.

The Takers - Taker Easy

The Takers hail from Gainesville but don't make the kind of No Idea friendly punk rock you have come to expect from bands from that town. Sharing some members with local twangsters Whiskey & Co, they have embraced a little more of the outlaw country vibe. The common denominator seems to be alcohol and The Takers do not seem like to strangers to it's consumption or the repercussions that often follow in its wake. The Takers are another band that's been snapped up by America's Finest Roots Label, Suburban Home, joining a roster of great bands like Drag The River and Ninja Gun in making some pretty great twang to lift a beer to. While The Takers are undoubtably good, I'd say they have a little growing to do before they finally turn into a great band. They sound a little young, like they got their perspective drinking their way though a Haggard box set rather than actually living their tales, but still manage to muster up a good head of steam on tracks like Social Smoker and North Side Of Me. The split they recently recorded with the great Austin Lucas is also well worth checking out. It's a good collaboration and hopefully his influence will rub off on the gents. The Takers sound like a decent band in the making that needs to get out of town and actually live the tales they tell.

You can keep tabs on The Takers here. Were you of a mind, you can purchase Taker Easy from the good folk of Suburban Home here.

Live: Jon Snodgrass, Austin Lucas and Two Cow Garage @ Mercury Lounge 8.16.9

I had been waiting for this day for a long time. Save for the Copyrights / Unlovables / Dear Landlord show earlier this year, there are few shows that even come close to comparing to this Suburban Home curated tour.

Through the good graces of Tony Weinbender and Mr. Jon Snodgrass, I arrived to find my name on the list, along with a partially filled room. Two Cow Garage started the proceedings soon after the arrival of the Bros. Johnson, sometime around the 8:30 hour. The band was touring in their four-piece incarnation with keys. Reports from the Albany shows at Valentines were that the boys weren't fucking around, but even I was surprised about how hard the Buckeyes were bringing it. Micah seems to have embraced an Against Me! fashion sense, but sartorial elan aside, there are few roots rockers that can bring that level of energy to a not-especially-full room. I'm not sure when Two Cow are going to catch on here in town, but it can't come soon enough. There are no bands that even come close in this burgh.

Two Cow left after 40 minutes or so, warning that they'd be back later on in the set. Austin and Jon took the stage in short order, swapping songs back and forth for about an hour. Snodgrass had flown in straight from a wedding, but was his usual infatiguably pleasant self. The mutual admiration session was in full effect. If there is a more gracious, humble duo of drink-cadging singers, I've yet to see them. The vibe was infectious. I'm sure the free-flowing alcohol helped, but there was no shortage of smiles in the room after the set.

Two Cow returned after a short break to back up Austin for a couple songs. While I love both parties, I'm not sure it was the best musical combo. The Spartan Lucas arrangements need a little more subtlety from where I was drinking, but the combination was far from a bad one. We were treated to some classic Snodgrass heckling, as well. Jon joined the crew soon enough and bashed out a handful of tunes. Bizarrely, the cover of The Schemers classic Remember My Name that Two Cow and Jon recorded for Visitor's Band did not make an appearance, but it was the first night the bands were together, so I guess people in parts North and West will be the only ones that get that pleasure. While the omission was a mild disappointment, you couldn't have gotten the smile off my face with a crowbar afterward. Kudos to Suburban Home for supporting great bands like Two Cow Garage as well as Austin Lucas and Jon Snodgrass. The rest of the dates are below. Frankly (Mr./Ms. Shankly) you would be an idiot if you missed them.

R

8/18/2009 Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe w/ Two Cow Garage and Austin Lucas Buy Tickets
8/19/2009 Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Place w/ Two Cow Garage and Austin Lucas
8/20/2009 Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom (Small) w/ Two Cow Garage and Austin Lucas Buy Tickets
8/21/2009 Fort Wayne, IN @ The Brass Rail w/ Two Cow Garage and Austin Lucas
8/22/2009 Lansing, MI @ Mac’s Bar (Bermuda Mohawk Festival) w/ Two Cow Garage and Austin Lucas
8/23/2009 Chicago, IL @ Schubas Tavern w/ Two Cow Garage and Austin Lucas Buy Tickets
8/24/2009 Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club w/ Two Cow Garage and Austin Lucas Buy Tickets
8/25/2009 Madison, WI @ High Noon w/ Two Cow Garage and Austin Lucas Buy Tickets

Suburban Home Tour @ Mercury Lounge: This Sunday 8.16

I am as giddy as a schoolgirl to remind you all that what I'm calling the Monsters Of Suburban Home (MOSH!) tour is coming through town on Sunday. Featuring Two Cow Garage and Jon Snodgrass, along with the mighty Austin Lucas, I haven't been this excited for a show in a long time. I guess I should point out to the uninitiated that there should be no moshing whatsoever, even if the kids today are idiots that will shove their partners around to Celine Dion. The focus of the proceedings on Sunday should be songs, and damn good ones. My fantasy is that Two Cow will be backing Jon and Austin, but regardless of my stats pro leanings, this should be a hell of a great night. While I loathe the movie it references, I truly celebrate the entire Suburban Home catalog. See you front and center on Sunday!

R

Austin Lucas and Takers split 7" widget

How about these widgets, huh? Tony and the Suburban Home kids have a new one that will allow you to enjoy the new split 7" with Austin Lucas and The Takers. Have your way with it below.

xo
R

New Austin Lucas/Takers split 7"

Vinyl/Digital Download Aficianados:

Please be informed that Suburban Home is dropping a new split 7" with Austin Lucas and FL's The Takers. Of course, you should buy it immediately, but if you want to try it before you buy it, avail yourself of the player at this handy link.

R

Austin Lucas review at PopMatters

Hey Kids:

The JS-NYC love affair with Austin Lucas continues.

Peep the review of Somebody Loves You here.

Thanks to Sarah Zupko at PopMatters

R

Live: Tim Barry, Austin Lucas and Josh Small @ The Knitting Factory 4.23.9

If you've been around JS-NYC in recent weeks, you are probably aware of my newfound obsession with all things Austin Lucas. Tony from Southern Lovin sent me Somebody Loves You a month or so ago and I promptly went bananas over it. As luck would have it, a bunch of places were looking for someone to write about it and Austin was coming through town with Tim Barry and Josh Small. Tony got Austin put me on the list and in the interim, I came to find out that Rut's lady Jamie knew him from Bloomington. Suffice to say, I was pretty stoked.

Josh Small opened up the night with a short set and a big rack of instruments, I only caught the last five or six songs of his set, but he's got a record out called Tall By Josh Small that I definitely want to hear. He's been playing a lot with Tim Barry and was the jack of all trades on last Summer's revival tour with Ben from Lucero and Chuck Ragan (Hot Water Music). Check out Josh here and get Tall here from Suburban Home.  

Austin came out and played on Josh's last song and Small repaid the favor by sticking around for the first song of way too short a set. I was pleased to find that Austin sings as well live as you would expect him to. The set was far too short, but feature most of the high points of Somebody Loves You, save for Shoulders. I would have like to have heard Kith and Kin, but the only disappointment in the set was that it passed far too quickly. Check out Austin here and buy a copy of Somebody Loves You here immediately.

Tim Barry was next up. He took the stage like a panther and immediately launched into Dog Bumped, a take of a man who has to deal with his sister's abusive husband. The crowd went pretty apeshit and for the life of me I can't see why. I have a ton of respect for what Tim has accomplished with Avail. He's worked damn hard at plying this folky troubadour route and seems totally sincere about it. Sadly, from where I'm sitting (read: far away from his wrath) it's pretty contrived and not especially good. He was playing in the crowd two songs into the set (and pretty excited to tell everyone how he was going there) to much adulation, but after three more songs, I bailed to the front bar. I have all the respect for the Coe and Paycheck set of populist, working man's music, but the problem lies in the genre being co-opted by the Toby Keiths of the industry. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to hear Lefty crap by punk bands (or Steve Earle) either. Something about Tim's solo songs and his crowd just don't resonate with me, especially after seeing Austin Lucas. Still, if you're into that sort of thing, you can get Tim's most recent record Manchester here from Suburban Home and keep tabs on his whereabouts here.

Thanks to Tony Weinbender at Southern Lovin for the hook-up, Austin for putting me on the list (good luck in Mexico!) and Rut and Jamie for the company.

R

Austin Lucas with Josh Small and Tim Barry TONIGHT @ The Old Knit

The great Austin Lucas is playing the old Knit (you know, the one in Manhattan) tonight with Josh Small and Tim Barry. I am beside myself with excitement.



If you have ears, you should probably come down and listen.

R

Austin Lucas - Somebody Loves You

Wow. That's pretty much all I can say about Somebody Loves You. Virgil from Suburban Home had mentioned that he was trying to put out a record for him, but I didn't go out of my way to check him out. There are so (perhaps too) many ex-hardcore dudes that think they are Johnny Cash in this day and age and I really can't say I was dying to hear another one.

Well, it looks like I owe Virgil a drink, as Somebody Loves You is one of the best records I've heard so far this year. I would have expected it to pop up on Bloodshot before Suburban Home, but Dickerson and the rest of the kids out Denver way are rapidly becoming one of the best all-around indie labels around today. They've got a solid roster in the roots and punk spectrums. It's been great record after great record recently, and as I find it hard to shut about it, let me reiterate another time that I couldn't be more excited that Suburban Home is releasing the new Yesterday's Ring record.

Austin is an Indiana boy, a former child vocal prodigy that did serious time in Indiana University Children's Choir, before veering off into a word of hardcore and grind for a number of years. Trust me, this is not a man unfamiliar with a basement show. He's from a musical family, with a Dad that has written for a gang of bluegrass groups including Alison Kraus. Said Lucas family patriarch (call him Bob) also recorded the songs that comprise Somebody Loves You at the family seat in Ohio. Much of the family guests as well. It's a spartan record, but it sounds wonderful. You don't need much more than his voice. Austin can sing like an angel, sounding like a young bluegrass Richard Buckner against the keening fiddles and sweet harmonies that dapple these song. Life I've Got and Precious Little Heart are particularly good, but there really isn't a bad song on Somebody Loves You. I couldn't recommend it more.

Oddly enough, Lucas splits his time between the Czech Republic and Indiana. I think that's what we call a dichotomy, but it gives him ample opportunities to tour on a couple continents. He'll be here in town a couple of weeks from now with Tim Barry for one of the last shows at the Manhattan incarnation of The Knitting Factory. Keep track of Austin's whereabouts here and buy two copies of Somebody Loves You from Suburban Home via this handy link. Might I point out that it's $8.99?!! All props due to Suburban Home for consistently putting out some of the best records you'll hear today.

R

Free Suburban Home Fest Comp!

So, here marks another year that I sit in NYC when I could be shouting my lungs out in Gainesville to all of the good bands that currently exist. The Fest is a magical thing, and goddammit, come hell or high water, I'm going there and seeing fucking Tiltwheel next year.

That bile somewhat purged, Virgil Dickerson and the good folk of Suburban Home will be in attendance this year, as will a good part of their spectacular roster. Virgil has been really putting in work. In addition to tirelessly blogging, hawking vinyl and going out on the road with his bands, he's managed to build a roster with some of the best up-and-coming bands out there.  Come on, he's dropped amazing records like the amazing Ninja Gun (oo-wee-ooo) and Two Cow Garage records, as well as the new Useless ID and Lagrecia discs. And for once, I'm not being stubborn about calling them records. If you look at the graphic, it says Vinyl Collective. VC has released a gang of new and old stuff on the old licorice pizza. If you still follow the format, you owe yourself to check it out.

So if I can make a vague attempt at making any of this cohesive; about the free shit and The Fest, Virgil's got a free sampler to commemorate the Suburban Home bands' presence in Gainesville. You can buy it on vinyl (ooh, a third strand woven!) here or download it for free here. It's got stuff from Joey Cape, Two Cow, Austin Lucas and a gang of others. And it's fucking free. Not a bad deal from a great label and great people. Snag the sampler and buy some full-lengths afterward. I'm not sure how long the download is going to be up, so you should probably step lively. Virgil may be at The Fest taking all comers in the competitive PBR shotgunning, but he's going to come to his senses sometime.

R