Side projects have a way of taking on a life of their own, and that seems to be happening with the Rockhouse Ramblers, a St. Louis group that started out as a “let’s play some country classics” get-together among some of the city’s alt.country types. The brainchild of Kip Loui (Belle Starr) and John Horton (Mike Ireland & Holler), the outfit now includes Wagon drummer/vocalist Danny Kathriner, bassist Dade Farrar and multi-instrumentalist Gary Hunt, and what started out as a modest set of demos has turned into a full-fledged album — a pretty durn good one, too.
Defying the band’s origins, all of the cuts here but one (Charlie Feathers’ “One Hand Loose”) are originals, with Farrar, Loui and Hunt contributing four each. It’s drearily common to hear that newly minted songs are cut from the same cloth as the classics, but that’s not much of a stretch here. The traditional mold of the songs themselves is greatly enhanced by the impeccable, deeply rooted instrumental work. Horton and Hunt have thoroughly integrated the stylings of countless country (and a few rockabilly) musicians into their own approaches, and their lead and backup playing, as well as the solid work of the rhythm section, reflects not only a mastery of the licks but a deeper understanding that in this kind of setting, inspired and creative execution counts for more than innovation.
While higher-profile acts skim off the “this is real country” foolishness of some critics, the Rockhouse Ramblers actually get the job done. That makes Bar Time an unqualified success, adding a bit of water back to the country music well and making it taste just fine.