Jim Stafford - ST(1974)

I have been listening to alot of new releases lately, trying to find ones to present to you, the reader. After exhausting my recent additions I was left with a quandry, I had a desire to write yet another review this month...and and several new but rather mundane albums left untouched to choose from. Unfortunately, as much good music that comes out there is tenfold that are just plain awful. Thanks for that goes to the corporate music industry and its MTV friendly ideology.

After a couple of days relistening to the new additions, it finally occurred to me, why not go back into my vast catalogue of music and pick out a "couple" to give some proper credit and light to? I had made a list of about 20 or so to choose from, dating back to 1965 to about 1986. As the list was weeded out, 1 album kept registering to me as a definite keeper, 1974's Jim Stafford self titled LP.

That's right, LP. Some of you readers have probably never even held a real on in your hands. My how the times have changed.

Jim Stafford is the very definition of originality. No one has ever looked at life or music in the same way, except for maybe Frank Zappa, and that from me says alot to his favor.

His debut album is a testament to his surreal musical nature I am speaking of. Blending comedy, blues, jazz, country, rock, funk, doo wop, 1930's crooner and even early elements of hard rock all into one big melting pot of kick ass. This album must have been a godsend to the music fans of that era who probably spent alot of time trying to figure out how to drown out "Billy Don't Be A Hero" and "Seasons In The Sun".

Hailing from southern Florida, Stafford pioneered the genre of swamp rock, like I said, blending so many different elements of ALL music into one. His hilarious take on the Mississippi Delta Blues, "16 Little red Noses And A Horse That Sweats", is both bizarre and progressive all at once. Who else but Jim Stafford could play the blues with such proficiency....on a banjo?

Only Jim, that's who. Who else would write such lyrics to go along with it like, "My wife ran off with the garbage man — I don’t miss that woman, but somebody gotta empty my can.". While he is ranting about infidelity, garbage men, dippity doo, miniature horses that sweat and nudists you tend to lose the reality that he is really laying down some solid blues riffing.....ON A BANJO.Absolutely revolutionary and it paved the way for artists like Bela Fleck and even Weird Al to follow along in his footsteps.



Stafford liked to make us laugh but he also wants us to think. “The Last Chant.”, with it's dark distorted guitar driven harmonies, Jim is showing us all his dislike for the land developers who came in and destroyed his family's and the swamp cultures way of life by putting up amusement parks and old stodgy retirement communities.

“You just keep dragging my swamp water down,move to florida! We'll build you a town.”
Jim doesn't need to say another word for us all to really see how he feels. I always thought this song would make an awesome cover for a metal band...maybe even a death metal track.

Every song on this album is a standout which is why I brought this out of semi-obscurity.“Nifty Fifties Blues” he rocks right in the same groove as Fats Domino or Little Richard. “I Ain’t Sharin’ Sharon” sees him singing as if he was a 30's crooner.

"Swamp Witch"shows he can tell a story as does his rendition of the classic "Mr. Bojangles". Both tracks are outstanding.

The modern scene lacks the humor and intelligence of a man like Jim Stafford, and that's a shame. In the glitz and glamour of the modern music scene albums and artists come and go in the blink of an eye and most are truly forgettable. Sadder still is the fact that classic albums like this one fade into obscurity and are lost in the abyss of tide and time as a result.

Get this album. Go out and buy it. If you're ever in Branson, Missouri, he has a theatre. Catch a show. It's worth it.



Artist: Jim Stafford
Album: self titled(1974)
genre: blues, rock, jazz, country, comedy, experimental
download: here
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

By Bez

The Steeldrivers - Self Titled

A couple months back my friend and cohort Chris messaged me and started raving about this new band he had heard called The Steeldrivers. Him not being one usually to go on a tangent about a group, it peaked my interest, especially when I was informed that they were a bluegrass driven band he likened to one of my current favorites, Old Crow Medicine Show. In my younger days I would have cringed and fled simply at the label country, let alone bluegrass, but over the last 20 years or so I have come to the realization that the label country just sucks. The bands that are lumped into that category are just as diverse as the one in the heavy metal genre. I tend to think of artists like OCMS, The Steeldrivers, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and even Bob Dylan and Neil Young to be more of what should be referred to as American Folk music...not lumped in with the inane yeehawing of Toby Keith and the plethora of other atrocities that fill up the CMT lineup on a daily basis.



For those of you that are not familiar with The Steeldrivers, they are among some of the ELITE among Nashville's session musicians. The group is comprised of Michael Henderson on mandolin, Tammy Rogers on fiddle and vocals, Richard Bailey on Banjo, Chris Stapleton on guitar and vocals with Mike Fleming holding down the bottom end and contributing on vocals. Each one of them seperately has had a Grammy nod in the past and well deserved I must say.

For “The Steeldrivers” project, Michael Henderson and lead vocalist Chris Stapleton teamed up to write eight of the 11 tracks and Stapleton had a hand in co-writing the remaining three tracks. The songwriting is superb throughout the CD. Henderson has never been one to pander to the Nashville establishment in hopes of finding commercial success and his songwriting here with Stapleton continues to mine that same vein of integrity…music for only music’s sake.

It’s something new, different and exciting for bluegrass. It’s continually shifting gears, musically speaking, without ever losing continuity from song to song.The influences on the album are varied, fresh and full of energy and run the gamut from traditional bluegrass, blues, country, soul and rock. Be forewarned that this isn’t a straight-up traditional album, though it has enough songs in that vein that should appease all but the staunchest die-hard traditionalists. It’s also not a “newgrass” album by any stretch of the imagination.



Vocally speaking, Chris Stapleton sings right up there with the best in the business on the traditional sounding songs. Stapleton ups the ante on a couple of the more genre bending numbers, singing like a man possessed - oozing pure unadulterated, raw, uncontrolled emotion and intensity.

Tammy Rogers and Mike Fleming’s harmony vocals on the record make for some of the most exciting and expressive backup vocals I’ve heard in a while. On some songs, they’re in such sync with Stapleton, matching him nuance for nuance.

Rogers’ fiddle work, featured throughout the record, demonstrates why she’s such an in-demand session player in Nashville. While she has a firm grasp on the bluegrass bag of tricks, she also has plenty of other influences to draw upon and manages to inject some new sounds and direction to the fiddle and it’s role in the genre’s standard instrumentation.


Live vid of the band doing, "Blue Side Of The Mountain"

Richard Bailey’s banjo playing on the album is a lesson any aspiring banjo player should take note of. Bailey knows how to pick his spots, often playing the role of the great minimalist in support of the groove and the song. No need for a flurry of notes when three or four will get the job done to greater effect.

To try and point out standout tracks on this album is a hard thing to do as a result of every song being "The song". But if I had to be cornered on it, I would say "Blue Side Of The Mountain", "Heaven Sent", "Midnight Train To Memphis", "If It hadn't Been for love", "Hear The Willow Cry" and my personal favorite, the heart wrenching "Sticks That Made Thunder".

The common theme through out “The Steeldrivers” album is “The Song.” It’s as simple as: Write a great song. Arrange the instrumentation to put the song front and center. Add some stellar musicians who understand how to stay out of the song’s way. Add some influences not usually found in the genre. Record it live. Sit back and enjoy the magic.


Artist: The Steeldrivers
Album: Self Titled
Genre: American Folk/Bluegrass
Website:www.steeldrivers.net
Rating: 5 stars
Download:Here

By Bez