Dusty Rhodes and The River Band – First You Live

SideOneDummy doesn’t have a strict sound that they stick to. All their bands are different, from The Casualties to The Briggs and Go Betty Go to Bedouin Soundclash; there is never a unique style or signature characteristic that unites them all. This is a good and a bad thing. Good because it means you’re not getting forced fed the same predictable dribble with every new release and bad because you’re never quite sure what to expect. With their newest signing of Dusty Rhodes and The River Band, SideOneDumy continues that trend because they are far from being the same generic dribble being released these days and they are the last thing you’d expect to hear from a well established punk rock label.

First You Live is an eclectic conglomeration of sounds and styles bringing back the roots of rock from the 1960’s. A sextet armed to the teeth with keyboards, accordions, violins, harmonicas, sitars and even a banjo, Dusty Rhodes is an energetic merger of punk, folk, bluegrass and rock. The songs go from the eerie violin based Ghost Trail to the alcohol drench bar chant Dear Honey creating a spectrum of songs ranging from pure chaos to structured instrumentals. Hell, Keys To The Truck is a stripped down, clap-along song built on a steady stream of gang vocals that somehow brings up images of a group of church goers singing out praises during a particularly energetic Sunday service in the sixties.

It’s as if Murder By Death merged with Fake Problems and then traveled back in time to the thriving musical communities of the 1960s to sing alongside friends and families and forget all the troubles around them. Dear Honey is a rousing drinking song that sounds like Adam Turla stepped out in front of the microphone while the title track sounds like Lucero added a bit more bluegrass to their sound. Oh Iciclestarts off slowly but builds in momentum before breaking out into a foot tapping good time and Then You Pass sounds like Johnny Cash stepped back into the recording studio.

With four out of the six members lending their vocal talents to their songs, there is a constant vibe of unity and friendship; and while the vocal melodies aren’t as intricate as some may hope for, they more them make up for it through the sheer excitement and joy tumbling out of the songs. In fact, it is when they hold back that intensity that the album stumbles. Songs like Strike and Goodnight, Moonshine prove to be the weakest songs on the record as they are more controlled and softer than the others on the record, breaking the flow and sounding somewhat boring.

Nevertheless, Dusty Rhodes & The River Band have created one of the most inventive albums I’ve heard recently and have helped cement SideOneDummy Records as a label that will continually supply their fans with surprises; and while it may not be up everyone’s alley, it’s still a rather refreshing releases as they tip their hats to a style of music that has all but faded into obscurity now.