Ok so here’s a six-pack of my favorite twangy albums of 2012 ! Again the albums are not in any order!
1. Bryan Clark and the New Lyceum Players Southern Intermission.Clark is a native of Texas and now resides in Nashville. He is just your everyday singer,songwriter, guitarist, producer, who reads e.e. cummings and James Joyce and enjoys rewriting terse Elizabethan sonnets in his own words.(doesn’t everyone) “I like people who are really concise with language and can paint something that’s outside the margins.” With Southern Intermission Brian Clark is…
On a mission to prove southern culture in not an oxymoron, Bryan Clark’s simply a monster player, songwriter, singer, and a musical force of prodigious talent who deserves your immediate and complete attention. – Vintage Guitar Magazine
2. The Brother’s Comatose Respect the Van. I discovered the Brothers, Alex (banjo) and Ben Morrison (guitar and lead vocals) and their band in 2010. Their 2010 release Songs From the Stoop was a favorite that year! So when I saw that a new album was released in May it quickly went on the iPod and I’ve been enjoying it for a while now. The core of The Brothers Comatose is of course the aforementioned brothers Morrison other members of the band include their high school pal Gio Benedetti (bass), Philip Brezina (fiddle) and recent addition Ryan Avellone (mandolin). Here is a description of their music from their website:
On the new album, Respect The Van out May 22, their music is not a wavering mélange of assorted styles, but decided and strong bluegrass-influenced folk rock. With the addition of members Philip Brezina (fiddle) and Ryan Avellone (mandolin) the band aims “to offer a damn good time, with a no-bullshit style that we found in those original living room parties and our live shows,” says Ben. “We tracked everything for the album live in one big room – treating the studio like a stage,” he explains.
3. The Turnpike Troubadours Goodbye Normal Street. Goodbye Normal Street is the 3rd album from this band from Tahlequah, Oklahoma. I first discovered the Troubadours back in 2010 when I listened to their 2nd release Diamonds and Gasoline.
Ok so the other night I was pondering why I didn’t love the music of the Avett Brothers. What does their music lack? I still don’t know but I do know that it only took the first song “Gin, Smoke and Lies” to know that the Troubadours have it! And by the second song “Before the Devil Knows We’re Dead” I remembered why I liked the first album so much! Maybe it’s Evan Felker lead vocals that I like or Kyle Nix’s fiddle, or Ryan Engleman’s lead guitar or the occasional pedal steel guitar. But I think it’s the whole package rounded out with R.C. Edwards’ bass and Gabe Pearson’s drums. Unfortunately, it does not
appear that I will be able to compare a Turnpike Troubadours concert to an Avett Brothers performance unless I move to Texas , Oklahoma or Arkansas! So if you like music that is a combination of Folk, Country, Cajun, and Bluegrass with stories of longing, humor, tragedy, and general life in rural America then check out the Turnpike Troubadours and you’ll see that they have IT! At least for me and maybe you!
4. Possum Jenkins – Carolinacana
Possum Jenkins is a Roots Rock band from Boone, North Carolina. Their music is a mixture of country, gospel, Piedmont blues, folk and soul influences native to the Old North State and since their music doesn’t seem to fit into a specific genre they have dubbed it Carolinacana! I just call it damn good music!! The band is composed of Nathan Turner on guitar,drums and vocals, Brent Buckner on Harmonica and Jared Church on bass. David Brewer and David Willis both share the vocal, guitar and drumming duties. Turner, Brewer and Willis alternate lead vocals on the album. At times the vocals remind me of Chris Knight! Anyway there’s lots of good stuff on the album. The two songs that really stood out were “Know the Way” and an upbeat track “Mile Past Broke”!!
5. The Damn Quails – Down the Hatch from another Oklahoma band The Damn Quails. The Damn Quails are a combined effort between singer/songwriters Gabriel Marshall and Bryon White and the album was produced by veteran musicians/producers Mike McClure and Joe Hardy.I have enjoyed McClure since his days with The Great Divide and his producing/music credits include working with the likes of Cross Canadian Ragweed, Turnpike Troubadours, Stoney LaRue, Johnny Cooper, Jerry Jeff Walker, Gary P Nunn and Lloyd Maines!
6. The Deadfields –Dance in the Sun
The Deadfields are another band rooted in the pines of Carolina and the swamps of South Georgia,. The album is their first release titled Dance in the Sun. The 
five man band has been together since 2011 playing their infectious Americana/Folk-Rock. The band’s four of the members share the vocals and all have sung and written music in other bands! But they’ve come together in The Deadfields and the chemistry is obvious!
The band members include lead vocalist Geoff Reid (guitar, vocals, harmonica), Jeff Gardner (guitars, mandolin, vocals), Brandon Markert (percussion, vocals) ,Corey Chapman (pedal steel, dobro, banjo) and Chase Alger (bass, vocals). Their influences range from Motorhead, Pearl Jam, Willie Nelson and Rod Stewart to – The Spice Girls and Hanson? Here’s what some folks are saying about the band!
“…these guys are a tight, high energy fusion of rock imbued Americana with country flavor. I have worn out the songs on their FB page!” – Bridget Rigdon, Taste of the World Festival
So most of these bands haven’t made the big time yet, but they’re out there giving it their all and making some great music so give ‘um a listen!
Read more About:
Bryan Clark and the New Lyceum Player
The Brothers Comatose
Turnpike Troubadours
Possum Jenkins
The Damn Quails
The Deadfields
