Eclectic Vibes

by Andrew Frey

Reviews From: Rockabilly
Underculture - Underculture

Underculture - Underculture

Underculture
Underculture
Label: Undercultured Records

From the crusty garage rock ‘n’ roll underbelly of Madison comes this punk-a-billy trio. They flippantly flaunt their scruffy, old-age flourishes while resting on pumped up beats and mental quagmires.


Volbeat - Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood

Volbeat - Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood

Volbeat
Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood
Label: Mascot Records

A Danish group that has refined their Misfits meets Pantera musical style to include a stronger punk-a-billy attitude with more gang vocals while still maintaining their hep cat swagger and stance. Slick, resourceful and fun.

Volbeat WebsiteVolbeat Wiki

Water Street Bridge - Hard Times

Water Street Bridge - Hard Times

Water Street Bridge
Hard Times
Label:

A mischievous ensemble of cleverly kicked up traditional and original Celtic folky ditties peppered and pizzazzed with violin, mandolin, ukulele, washboard, bodhran and more!  The song ‘Shack of Sit’ is symantic ear candy plus ya gotta love the revamp of ‘I Want Candy’ as ‘I Want Guiness.’ Makes me thirsty just writing about it. Catch their show at Lyons Pub in Watertown, WI on Thurs 3/17 for an early evening St Patty’s Day show.

Water Street Bridge WebsiteWater Street Bridge Facebook

Bones Jugs - Don’t Waste A Drop

Bones Jugs - Don’t Waste A Drop

Bones Jugs
Don’t Waste A Drop
Label: Bones Jugs

BONES JUGS
Don’t Waste a Drop
(Bones Jugs)
I didn’t know this was an option! Is this Looney Tunes on acid or a 21st century jug band? Horns, honkers, kazoos, banjos, and incredible xylophone are paired with stand up bass, fiddle, guitar, and drums to create an awesome, quirky and unsuspectingly unique combination of dixieland, jugband, ragtime and farcical imagination.

Bones Jugs WebsiteBones Jugs Facebook

Bones Jugs - Don’t Waste A Drop

Bones Jugs - Don’t Waste A Drop

Bones Jugs
Don’t Waste A Drop
Label: Bones Jugs

I didn’t know this was an option! Is this Looney Tunes on acid or a 21st century jug band? Horns, honkers, kazoos, banjos, and incredible xylophone are paired with stand up bass, fiddle, guitar, and drums to create an awesome, quirky and unsuspectingly unique combination of dixieland, jugband, ragtime and farcical imagination.

Bones Jugs WebsiteBones Jugs Facebook

Art Paul Schlosser and Friends - Duet Right

Art Paul Schlosser and Friends - Duet Right

Art Paul Schlosser and Friends
Duet Right
Label: Art Paul Schlosser

What could be better than a new Art Paul Schlosser record? An Art Paul record with 26 songs harnessing more than that many of his friends!  Recorded in various studios at various times, with wildly varying degrees of production, this long time Madison musician, often seen playing on street corners with his acoustic guitar and kazoo, shows off many of his tried and true “hits” here including Cookie, Bubbles, Purple Bananas on the Moon, Pink Pants and I Want To Hold Your Toe. Always eclectic, off the wall and never boring!

Art Paul Schlosser and Friends WebsiteArt Paul Schlosser and Friends FacebookArt Paul Schlosser and Friends Wiki

Beefus - Busted Teeth Fandango

Beefus - Busted Teeth Fandango

Beefus
Busted Teeth Fandango
Label: Wavelength Productions

Beefus is a musical collective from Madison, known for their quirks, strangeness and unique perspective. This time around there is more steel, grass and twang (and perhaps inbreeding?) than before, but the lyrical content is still twisted, kitschy and head scratching enough to make even Captain Beefheart proud. Remember, the moon always shines when it’s moonshine!

Beefus WebsiteBeefus Facebook

Dirtwire - Road Goes All Night

Dirtwire - Road Goes All Night

Dirtwire
Road Goes All Night
Label: Beats Antique Records

Sometimes instruments plays a big roll in what a recording sounds like and there are few releases that have more a unique sound than this. I saw them last fall at Shangri La Festival and they were quite enthralling thanks in part to Mark Reveley’s Whamola bass and Greek tanbur as well as Even Fraser’s Kamole ngoli and bass ngoli plus David Satori’s bowed banjo and guitarjo. Throw in a harmonica, and smear on some southwestern grit and the folktronica that this trio of talented multi-instrumentalists produce will excite and captivate!

Dirtwire WebsiteDirtwire Facebook