Who says that all guitar gods are rockers? That
hillbilly twang can be played by some phenomenal axe-slingers, and the
Twangbangers are a perfect example of that. With the formidable combination of
Bill Kirchen, Redd Volkaert, Dallas Wayne on the Mighty Telecasters and Joe
Goldmark
manning the pedal steel, backed by strong rhythm section Jack O'Dell on drums
and Johnny Castle on bass, the Twangbangers come on strong with some mighty good
just plain ol' country music in their disc, "26 Days on the Road."
Most of the disc was mostly recorded live over the
course of the Twangbangers' tour, September - October 2001, interspersed with a
few studio cuts. Most of the tracks were recorded at the Springfield, Missouri,
show; but it doesn't matter where these songs were recorded, or where these
awesome men played... this is one damned good country music album.
Pulling out into high gear with a good ol' truckin'
song,
"Truck-Drivin' Man," the 'Bangers demonstrate with consummate skill that no
group needs just one front man. Proving that rockabilly lives with a vengeance,
they tear it up with "Rocket in my Pocket" and "Rockabilly Funeral." The voice
changes from track to track, but the excellence continues unmitigated
throughout the entire disc. Each of these monumental country guitar gods digs
into his own HighTone catalog to present some incredible work from their own
repertoires, although never once forgetting they're joined together here as a
band. Their performances together are tight and crisp and amazing, no matter
which man is up front; from rumbling Volkaert to powerful baritone of Wayne to
the comfortable warmth of Kirchen's "Commander Cody" vocals.
More than anything else, though, this is a fun, fun
collection of songs. These gents know how to entertain. Their rough-and-ready
styles are eminently well-suited to style of country music they play, that real
good stuff the mainstream scorns. Their rockabilly sounds can swing to the
poignant beer-drinkin' sorrow of "In Memory of a Memory," or "The Stuff Inside,"
the lighthearted swing of "I Gotta Get Drunk," the foot-stompin' "How Mountain
Girls Can Love," humor in "Rock Bottom," and the sheer fun of Kirchen's good ol'
favorite "Hot Rod Lincoln," as he charges through the signature licks of a
couple dozen music greats, from Johnny Cash to Jimi Hendrix, incidentally using
it to introduce the band as he goes.
In researching this album for this review, I've seen
some
accusations of "over-production" and "Nashville slickness," but to be flat
honest, I don't hear any of that junk here. The live tracks are energetic and
as gritty as one could wish; the studio tracks are well-produced, certainly, but
hardly over-produced. These men are honest, powerful pickers, demonstrating
little else than their sheer talent and love of
their music - music that is honest, powerful, and, even with the rocker salutes,
real country.
Kathy Coleman
Take Country Back January 2003
