When twentysomething Californians find country music, it’s generally through identifiable local heroes such as the Byrds and Gram Parsons and the Flying Burrito Brothers. That must have seemed like the long way to get to the country for the Weary Boys, who preferred to draw a straight line to Hank Williams and Bill Monroe and then find everyone else from there. It’s an effective approach on their eponymous self-released debut.
Relocating from Humboldt County in California to Austin, Texas, has given the Weary Boys a new perspective on their chosen genre, but it has also forced them to work hard in order to gain notice in a scene that turns out country bands like Detroit rolls out cars. The Weary Boys have their traditional influences well in hand, as evidenced by a flock of well-translated covers, including Monroe’s “Dark As The Night”, Hank Williams’ “Ramblin’ Man”, and Jimmy Reed’s “Runnin’ Hidin'”.
The Weary Boys’ original work turns latter-day directions such as Rank and File and the Reverend Horton Heat toward unplugged hillbilly mode. Mario Matteoli offers up an impossibly worn lead vocal for someone so young, complete with authentic yodeling hiccup for good measure. Matteoli also provides some of the album’s most indelible original songs, particularly the shuffling breakdown of “Lose One More Baby” and the mournful “Struggle”.