Edge Of The West

Ending spring and moving into summer, let’s start things off with the self-titled CD from Edge Of The West, out of Santa Cruz, California. The band has considerable cred right out the chute – this is guitarist Jim Lewin’s project, and Lewin knows how to put a song together, how to present it, and how to play the stuffing out of it. He also knows how to put a band together that can do his material justice; Lewin’s take-no-prisoners style on a guitar neck is a perfect railroad crossing between old-school country (Fenders for miles!) and the exuberant delights of alt-country that the New Riders Of The Purple Sage have exemplified for nearly fifty years. Wailing slide, a honky-tonk piano from Jen Gunderman, and a solid rhythm section are just what the doctor ordered.

Of the dozen songs on Edge Of The West, ten are Lewin originals. There’s an edge to some of them, an urgency, that remind the listener we’re living in dangerous times: “Victimless Crimes” is a sharp condemnation of what Big Money gets away with, “Pleiadian” is a plea for someone to beam him up and away before the missiles start falling, and he doesn’t pull his punches. The songs, however, never commit the sin of taking themselves too seriously, and the more serious moments are leavened with some nice light ones. “I’ll Get You Yet” is cheerfully sexy, and the haunting, layered “Treasure” is a moment of Zen.

I saw these guys very recently, and I was delighted to find that bassist Bill Laymon had signed on to the touring lineup, joining live band regulars David Tucker and Jon Dryden. If Edge Of The West is playing anywhere near you, go spend an evening enjoying yourself. Believe me, you will.

For a list of outlets where Edge Of The West (Inscrutable Records) is available, check out the band’s merch page on their website, at http://www.edgeofthewest.band/#!merch/rl4n9