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June 24, 2006 Mazz Musikas
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Mazz Musikas -
Issue #43 Het lijkt alsof het pas gisteren was, maar bij nazicht stellen we vast dat alweer ruim een jaar geleden de debuutplaat van De Soto Rust op onze deurmat belandde. Ik herinner me al te goed welke indruk die toen maakte en ik vermoed dat die overweldigende indruk niet zal verminderen, nu de opvolger er is. Natuurlijk, intussen kennen we de klank van dit viertal en zijn we al een beetje gewend geraakt aan hun meerstemmige samenzang en hun mix van rock, pop, country en roots, maar toch, ook op deze nieuwe valt alweer meer dan een klein beetje te genieten. Een dozijn songs, netjes verdeeld tussen schrijvers Ray Hunter, Mike Simmons en David Otwell, een solide ritmesectie onder leiding van Dave Reeve, een paar gastmuzikanten om ‘U’ tegen te zeggen, zoals Gretchen Schultz (Pine Dogs) en Christine Havrilla (GarageBand), plus pedalsteelgod Dave Van Allen, u bekend van Last Train Home…alle ingrediënten zijn aanwezig om van deze plaat een topper te maken en dat is ze ook. Variatie troef (wat normaal is met drie songwriters), vocalen om Byrds, CSNY en Jayhawks jaloers te maken, instrumentatie en productie op bijzonder hoog niveau. U merkt het al: het zal niet uit onze mond zijn, dat u negatieve kritiek moet verwachten. Een paar favorieten: Headin’ Down To Georgia, Backyard en Easytown. Laat deze opsomming u er echter vooral niet van weerhouden ook de rest van de plaat tot u te nemen. Ze is namelijk simpelweg beestig goed en dus dringend te ontdekken! (DH) It appears as if it just yesterday was, but by nazicht put we fast that again more than a year ago the debut plate of De Soto Rest on our deurmat ended up.,. I remind me already too well which impression that then made and I suspected that that overwhelming impression will not decrease, now the successor there is. Natural, nevertheless know we the sound of this four and are we already a little bit turned hit at their meerstemmige samenzang and their mix of rock, doll, country and roots, but really, also on these new falls again more than a small bit to enjoy. A dozen songs, nicely divided between writers Ray Hunter, Loaf Simmons and David Otwell, a solid rhythm section among leadership of Dave Reeve, a few guest musicians ‘YOU' against to say, want to be as Gretchen Schultz (Pin Mastiffs) and Christine Havrilla (garage tie), plus pedalsteelgod Dave Van All, you known of Burden Home…all ingredients present of this plate a topper to make and is that she also. Varition trump to make (what normal is with three songwriters), vocalen round Byrds, CSNY and Jayhawks jealously, instrumentatie and production on particularly high level. You notice the already: it will not be from our mouth, that you expect must negative criticism. A few favorites: Headin' Down To Georgia, Backyard and Easytown. Do not let this enumeration you it however especially of hold back to take also the rest of the plate till you. She is namely simply beestig good and thus urgently to discover! (Dani Heyvaert)
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June 1, 2006
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3rd Coast Music
- #113/202 June 2006 Reviewing their eponymous debut (#103/192), I remarked that the Philadelphia-based roots rockers (this album’s title, incidentally, is a reference to William Penn’s vision for the City of Brotherly Love) sounded, at their best, like The Band, and, like The Band, while none of them, Mike Simmons (bass), Dave Reeves (drums), Ray Hunter (rhythm guitar) and David Otwell (lead guitar), is a really outstanding singer, there’s a gritty rightness to the vocals that transcends any lack of polish. On the first album, the songs were credited to individual band members, which made it pretty easy to figure out who was singing what, this time all twelve originals are credited simply to DeSoto Rust, so it’s anybody’s guess, but swapping the material around the four different voices, with some harmonies by Christine Havrilla and Gretchen Schultz, creates more than enough texture to give the album listening traction. Where the debut set out to give the flavor of the fledgling band’s live show, this one showcases a group that’s developing its own identity, neither The Band nor, in another critic’s words, “a cross between Creedence and Steve Earle” being particularly useful comparisons anymore. Superbly produced by Simmons, I can see the opening Day Like No Other Day and Easytown getting the most airplay, but this is a solid piece of work by a band with real potential. - John Conquest
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May 7, 2006
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Home of Rock (Das Rockmagazin) Greene Country Towne Es ist natürlich nicht so einfach, sich im
sogenannten Americana-Fach ein höchsteigenes Profil zu verschaffen.
Viele Künstler und Bands dieses Genres kleben zu stark an den Vorbildern
der frühen Neunziger Jahre (THE
JAYHAWKS,
UNCLE TUPELO, GO TO BLAZES,
GEAR DADDIES,
BOTTLE ROCKETS, BLUE MOUNTAIN)
oder auch der ausgehenden Sechziger, als die Ursaat in Gestalt von
FLYING BURRITO BROTHERS,
THE BAND,
THE BYRDS und Kalibern wie
Gram Parsons und Konsorten langsam zu keimen begann. DeSOTO RUST aus Philadelphia sind auch eine dieser vielen
Nachlassverwalter, die sich etwas schwer damit tun, eine eigene,
kreative und unverwechselbare Linie zu entwickeln. Dies liesse sich
jetzt sehr leicht als Vorwurf identifizieren, soll aber nicht als
schnöde Anklage verstanden werden. Solange der Output einer Band so
unterhaltsam, so kurzweilig, so abwechslungsreich wie der von DeSOTO
RUST daherkommt, braucht man sich um den Fortbestand der
Frühneunziger-No-Depression-Ära keine ernsthaften Sorgen machen. DeSOTO RUST besitzen den Vorteil, auf die selten genug vorkommende Bandbreite von drei Sängern und drei Songschreibern zurückgreifen zu können. Mike Simmons, Ray Hunter und Dave Reeve teilen sich die Songwriter- und Lead-Vocal-Credits jeweils in abwechselnder Form, wobei mir persönlich der Gitarrist Ray Hunter gesanglich den stärksten Eindruck hinterlässt und Bassist Simmons den schwächsten. Doch dies mag natürlich jeder anders empfinden und letztlich scheint es ohne Zweifel, dass DeSOTO RUSTs zweites Album nach dem 2004-er Debut, ein gelungene Blaupause der guten, alten Americana-Portfolios verkörpert. Am trefflichsten gelingt es den Jungs z.B. bei Ray Hunters Headin' down to Georgia, wo sie selbstbewußt und kompromisslos drauflosrocken und ein wenig wie eine Mischung aus GO TO BLAZES und GIN BLOSSOMS klingen. Das lässt man sich doch gerne gefallen... Frank Ipach, (Impressum, Artikelliste), 07.05.2006
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August 1, 2005
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3rd Coast Music
- #103/192 August 2005 Very disarmingly, these Philadelphia-based roots rockers don't dream of world domination, they're perfectly happy to share the Delaware Valley. "American roots music is making a strong comeback," says lead guitarist David Otwell, "and we want to be one of the bands making it happen in this area." However, with a distinctive sound and three members who can sing and write strong songs, Otwell (one), rhythm guitarist Ray Hunter (seven) and bass player Mike Simmons (four), with drummer Dave Reeve staying in the background, they deserve to be more ambitious. Simmons, who also produced and mixed, wrote the standouts, 100 Year Flood and For What It's Worth, but the material, all original except for Red Simpson's Close Up The Honky Tonks, hits a very high standard for a band that's barely a year old but which can sound like The Band at its best. - John Conquest
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| August 1, 2005 |
Big Rock Joke Doll # 3 Aug 1, 2005 Big Rock Joke Doll #3-by Steve Fritz ...just a romantic idealist dumbfuck try'n to waste as much time as i can... before i die.... -rat at rat r/Amer$ide TITLE: DESOTO RUST SUBTITLE: THE AWFUL TRUTH ABOUT PHILADELPHIA Philadelphia is the fifth-sixth largest city in the U.S. According to the Census it sports over 6 million denizens. It's also one of the least known towns for rock'n roll in the universe (and don't count all the Dick Clark payoff/American Bandstand/Cameo-Parkway garbage). For that, children, it's time to look back a few centuries. Located in a valley smack dab between two rivers, the Delaware and the Schuykill, if I remember my topography correctly, it's a good thing that Southern New Jersey is between Philly and the Atlantic Ocean. Most of the city is actually below sea level. If global warming continues for a little longer, Philadelphia will become the new Atlantis. It was primarily swamp the first century after Columbus went looking for India; and also a breeding ground of typhus, cholera and other diseases. Even the Native Americans in the area didn't actually set up their villages there. They moved to the 'burbs. Contrary to myths now popularized in your high school history texts, The City of Brotherly Love wasn't founded by William Penn. True, the land was seeded to ol' Bill by King Charles II (and Willie boy forgot some major debts the king owed him), but that was years after the Dutch and Swedes had already settled it in the late 17th Century. Now let's give Penn his props. Before he moved to Philly, he knew the area needed a major makeover. The Swedes and Dutch didn't build houses or any other form of decent domiciles. They dug huge holes in the ground and set up camp that way. If the water table got too high, they'd move a few feet and dig another. Penn figured a little marketing probably wouldn't hurt. He came up with the name Philadelphia. He brought in other smart people and they designed an exceedingly modern metropolis with wide streets and easy access to both enter, and more importantly, leave. The problem was you're dealing with people who couldn't get their heads above sea level even if they stood on the roofs of their underground abodes. This causes an extreme case of short-sightedness where Rocky Balboa, Frank Rizzo and Dave Schultz are revered as gods. Heck, even Dick Clark got the hell out of Dodge as soon as he was assured Bandstand was a national show. Problem is, most other Philadelphians can't grasp this. Now when you have over 6 million people within your greater metropolitan area, there MUST be some talent there. The jazz/R&B/hip-hop side of Philly proves this in deuces. It's roll call include John Coltrane, Gamble &Huff, Hall &Oates, Will Smith, even Pink( editor's note: Pink??????) among many, many others. This side of the music industry realizes the only way they get known is, like Clark, to leave. For some reason the rockers just don't get it. The last act from Philadelphia to have any impact were the Dead Milkmen. They did it by getting a van and doing it the old-fashioned way of touring,touring and more touring, using whatever their product was to help them get more tour dates. The previous band to do this was the one hit wonders, the Soul Survivors, who did Expressway To Your Heart (oddly enough produced by Gamble &Huff). Don't give me the bit that Todd Rundgren. He actually comes from the nearby township of Upper Darby and he didn't make it until he split from his legendary act The Nazz to move to Woodstock, NY. Now let me repeat myself. It's not because Philadelphia doesn't have talent. It has tons. When I "lived" there, I saw many a great band, from Mandrake Memorial to Good God, Baby Grand to Ken Kweder, The Stickmen, Bunnydrums, King of Siam, Ruin, the Little Gentlemen (wait...they were from Ardmore), Scram! and a bunch more. The problem with all these bands were, like the Swedes and Dutch, they were all collectively incapable of getting their heads above sea level. They couldn't realize the town was actually designed to be left behind. Nearby cities like New York, D.C., even Wilkes-Barre might as well been other planets. That might be changing though. The reason that might happen is named DeSoto Rust. Formed by four guys who'd been around the Philadelphia area since the 80's,DeSoto Rust aligned itself with the American Roots (they call it "twang") rock movement. Their first, self-released, CD (simply entitled DeSoto Rust) harkens to John Forgerty's CCR, The Band and the Blasters (w/Dave Alvin on lead guitar). Formed only last year, the band already has established itself as a hard-working road outfit. They've played everywhere from arty bar establishments as New Hope, Pennsylvania's institution Jon &Peters to holes in the walls west of their home base. I believe they've even crossed the state line into New Jersey and Delaware. More important their debut CD is starting to track nationally. It's #11 on the Freeform American Roots chart, even as far as the Euro-Americana chart. One listen and you can see why. DeSoto Rust has a strong penchant for whiskey. Kentucky single malt, Tennessee sour mash, Canadian, what have you. One of the tracks on the CD is even called "Jim Beam." A stunt the band likes to pull when they play live is to have the bartender give each member of this quartet a minimum double shot of something strong and neat. From there, the bartender makes his money back in spades as the band encourages the audience to have at least one (preferably more) shots with them. But this isn't a band who's material is primarily comprised of songs to cry in one's boilermakers. "100 Year Flood" is the type of song a member of The Band would have been proud to have penned. "Runaround" is a ballsy mid-tempo rocker that stomps with confidence. The topper is "5 on 7," a country-tinged two-step that segues wonderfully with Credence's "Lodi," both in spirit and content. Not that we should expect to see DeSoto Rust doing O Brother Where Art Thou Mach 2 any time soon. Lead guitarist David Otwell has a bit of legendary guitarist/music historian Bob Quine in his solos. Bass player Mike Simmons can write wonderfully compelling pop songs. Vocalist Ray Hunter matches his gravelly outings with solid songwriting on his own. This leaves drummer Dave Reeve, who does a good job of holding it all together while keeping a steady pattern. In other words, make no mistake, this is a rock band. Still, I'd probably love it if T-Bone Burnett would take some time to put these guys in his studio. I'd bet the record would be epic. In the meantime, the band is going to be cutting the number of gigs they're doing to start recording their second CD. All their road work has made them super tight, but the band is now brimming with new ideas to try out. From there, don't be surprised if DeSoto Rust starts looking beyond the greater Delaware Valley to true artistic triumph. In the meantime, if you like your music the way I like my Jack Daniels, go to DeSoto Rust's website (www.desotorust.com) and order their CD. Like a good pull from the bottle, you'll find it goes down smooth and then kicks like a mule when you start to move. Who knows? When they come home they can then teach the rest of the talent in Philadelphia what the rest of the world is like.
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June 20, 2005
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DeSoto Rust drives their music home on this CD. This band has everything necessary to place a major dent into the Roots Rock music genre with the release of this album. This is cool ass Roots Rock music with a distinctive sound that will turn heads anywhere this album is heard. DeSoto Rust release a high-spirited album that presents a sound only DeSoto Rust can deliver and this is what every band looks for in a new release. |
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June 15, 2005 |
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April 1, 2005
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Desoto Rust
uit Philadelphia speelt op hun debuutalbum prachtige American roots
music. Zelf beschouwen ze
hun als een "twang band", een band met een missie. Zoals Steve Earle,
Allison Krauss , Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch en bands als Old Crow
Medicine Show en Nickle Creek geloven ook dit viertal bestaande uit Ray
Hunter (vocals, gitaar), David Otwell (lead gitaar, vocals), Dave Reeve
(drums) en Mike Simmons (bass, vocals) dat ze de roots-rock muziek terug
moeten brengen in hun ommiddelijke omgeving, zijnde Philadelphia. En dat
schijnt hun ook te lukken op hun titelloze cd, die dertien staaltjes
melodierijke countryrock met zonnige pop- en frisse Americanatonen laat
horen of combinaties van roots-muziekstijlen. Dit bandje klinkt op tijd
stevig, heeft country in de genen en gevoel voor melodie en talent. Het
geluid dat ik erbij dacht is countryrock en daar wil ik jaarlijks best
een paar staaltjes van horen, mits scherp en vlammend gespeeld. En dat
doen Desoto Rust op grote delen van hun debuut. De opener "Morgan Rhule",
is zo'n hard rockende trein song waarin de band me meteen laat denken
aan een mix van Creedence en Steve Earle, zeer mooi gezongen en met met
knallende gitaren op de achtergrond. Veel van de volgende songs liggen
meestal in dezelfde lijn waarin we verhalen over dronkaards, trucks en
sterke verhalen met een goed einde terugvinden. Soms klinkt de band
poppy dan weer komt country in zicht, en één enkele keer kiezen ze als
zijnde een rustpauze voor de ingetogen weg, hetgeen we horen in het
nummer "For What It’s Worth", met backing vocals van Christine Havrilla,
en daarbuiten is op dit nummer waarin twee exlovers terugblikken over
hun passionele relatie nog prachtig vioolspel te horen van Hollis payer.
Uit deze dertien zelf geschreven nummers is "100 Year Flood" wel de
grootste uitschieter aangaande storytelling. Een verhaal over de gevaren
om dicht bij een grote rivier te wonen, de Mississippi waarschijnlijk,
en zo op een dag uw heel levenswerk zien weg te spoelen. Deze
avontuurlijk plaat is aan te raden voor liefhebbers van, je raadt het
al, de countryrockband van weleer, The Band, die hier herrijst in de
vorm van loepzuivere meerstemmige zangpartijen. Mooie
plaat. ["Nice record"]
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| March 7,
2005
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Philly Band
Try to Keep the Twang Torch Burning.
Here’s a find,
sneaking out as a self released album sold by the band, DeSoto Rust
describe themselves as a "twang band” with a mission to bring back
roots-rock music in their area (Philadelphia, if you ask). And by any
yardstick they generally succeed with an assured sound and songwriting
that is way above what one generally expects from a band with no label
backing. The album jumps out of the starting gate with “Morgan Rhule”, a
hard rockin’ train song with the singer “Cursin’ and a drinkin’, sweatin’
and a bleedin” while shovelling coal on a train with the eponymous hero.
Immediately the band sound like a cross between Creedence and Steve
Earle with powerful drawled vocals and a killer riff. Several other
songs continue in this vein with stories of hard drinking men, hard luck
stories and trucks, with great riffs and roaring vocals. Standouts are
“Can’t Sleep at Night” where the bass guitar propels the tune as if it’s
barreling down the highway and “Austin Lights” where lyrics such as “And
they try to push that kodachrome, Shootin’ blanks and changin’ robes,
It’s black and white to me” are enigmatic and evocative at the same
time. Many bands would be content to fill their album with such fare but
DeSoto Rush can tap into a more reflective and laid back style also and
these songs are the icing on the cake here. “For What It’s Worth”, with
female harmonies by Christine Havrilla, is a jaunty lament by two
ex-lovers looking back on a relationship with excellent country fiddle
playing as the pair duet like some rhinestone sparkled couple. Best of
all is “100 Year Flood”, a story about the perils of living by a river
(The Mississippi?) and having to watch the water level, knowing that one
day your life’s work could be washed away. Here they sound almost like
The Band in their heyday. The album finishes with the one cover, a nice
bar band rendition of “Close Up the Honky Tonks”, exit, heads held high.
With two vocalists to add light and shade and some very assured playing
the band sound confident and deserve to be heard. For a self released
album this is mighty impressive and deserves to find a wider audience
than the lucky ones attending their concerts. © 2005 Americana UK
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| Sunday, February 27,
2005 South Jersey Courier-Post
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 © 2005 Courier-Post/Gannett Newspapers |
