FOUNDERS’ KEEPERS: Jeff Plankenhorn, John P. Strohm, Luluc, and More

The goal of these Founders’ Keepers columns, for me anyway, is fairly personal. The half-dozen “keepers” I highlight every couple of months aren’t intended as any sort of comprehensive Americana overview; rather, they’re simply a few records that have connected with me lately. More often than not, it’s lesser-known stuff. While I reserve the right to include the occasional Willie Nelson record, mostly I’m putting some spotlight on artists just below the surface who deserve the attention.

Luluc – Diamonds

From a self-released 2009 debut through a couple of albums on Sub Pop and 2020’s independent Dreamboat, Luluc — the Australian duo of Zoe Randell and Steve Hassett — has cast mesmerizing spells with songs that often draw their power from hushed minimalism. Diamonds follows suit but also branches out, keeping the focus on Randell’s enchanting voice and evocative lyrics while incorporating increasingly fuller arrangements. Deft touches of drums (J.T. Bates), horns (Stuart Bogie), and strings (Richard Vaudrey) pop up here and there, enhancing songs such as “The Shore” and “Hooked” without overtaking the calm at Luluc’s core. Highlights include the folkish early single “Come On Spring” and the percussive title track, which references a Doug Sahm tune Luluc performed at a 2015 tribute concert. Randell and Hassett have become well known for one-off covers of songs by Nick Drake, Townes Van Zandt, The Flatlanders, and others, but they’d never included a non-original on their albums until now, with a lovely rendition of the Rolling Stones classic “As Tears Go By” that underscores the song’s bittersweet regret.

John P. Strohm – Something To Look Forward To (out 9/29)

It seemed too good to be true when John Strohm was named president of Rounder Records a few years ago. He was “one of us” — a key player with 1980s-’90s alt-rock bands such as Blake Babies, Antenna, and Lemonheads who eventually got a law degree and became what we might call a Benevolent Suit. The Rounder gig lasted a few years, but when Strohm left in 2022, he decided to release some of his own music again. He’d begun working on Something To Look Forward To before the 2019 death of his close friend Ed Ackerson, a renowned producer/engineer who worked on all three of Strohm’s previous solo albums. Ackerson played on several of these songs, working with Strohm and producer Gregory Lattimer to help create a sound that draws on both Strohm’s indie-rock roots and the songwriting-centric environs of his current Nashville home. Toward the latter end, he enlisted some ringers for harmony vocals, including Erin Rae and Courtney Marie Andrews. Known primarily as a guitarist and drummer, Strohm also plays bass, keyboards, and banjo here, with additional support from Phoebe Bridgers’ rhythm section (bassist Harrison Whitford and drummer Marshall Vore). We’ll miss his vision at Rounder, but it’s good to hear Strohm’s own music again.

Jeff Plankenhorn – Alone at Sea (out 9/29)

After two decades in Austin, multi-instrumentalist Jeff Plankenhorn moved with his wife to Canada’s picturesque Vancouver Island during the pandemic. Years of touring with Joe Ely, Ruthie Foster, Ray Wylie Hubbard, and others, as well as playing his own music regularly in Austin’s clubs, gave way to livestreams plus an increased focus on writing and recording. Now he’s back on the road to support his fourth solo album, which builds on the rootsy foundation that has long been his bread-and-butter. Plankenhorn can crank out upbeat blues-groovers such as “Juggling Sand” and (fittingly) “Do a Little Dancing” in his sleep, even as he digs deeper and darker on the acoustic opener “Bird Out on 9th.” The real revelations here, though, are the title track and “Bluer Skies,” which chime and ring with richly melodic guitars as they draw upon Plankenhorn’s natural charm as a singer. The latter song was written with Michael O’Connor, one of several writing partners on these tunes; others include Michael Fracasso, Scrappy Jud Newcomb, Gabriel Rhodes, and the album’s producer, Colin Linden.

Restos – Ain’t Dead Yet (out 9/29)

The 2022 implosion of Western Youth, a band that had gradually become the best Americana-based rock band in Austin, was as much of a drag as it was mystifying. Co-founder Taylor Williams’ departure was significant, but the presence of Graham Weber (who joined in 2017) meant that the newly christened Restos still had a talented and experienced songwriter to lead the way. Weber delivers some of his best songs to date on Ain’t Dead Yet, benefiting from a super-tight backing crew anchored by longtime members Sam Powell on keyboards and Brian Bowe on drums. A ringer is former Austinite Jaimee Harris, who’d been an honorary member of Western Youth. She contributes vocals on several songs, including the title track, which rides a catchy Tom Petty-esque groove as Weber and Harris match in magic harmony. Also of note is the anthemic opener “Wild Heart,” a fitting tribute to the band’s late musician friend Chris Porter.

Evan Charles – Between Two Worlds

With two albums that documented their cinematic alt-country-meets-spaghetti-western sound, Altamesa was one of Austin’s most promising new acts of the past decade. Now comes frontman Evan Charles’ solo debut, which is less of a departure from Altamesa’s sonic template than an extension of it. Between Two Worlds is more of a singer-songwriter affair, centered on Charles’ compelling storytelling. Working with instrumentalist/producer Scott Davis (Hayes Carll, Jamie Lin Wilson), Charles contributes piano and synth touches atop his acoustic guitar and harmonica foundation. Support comes from a few local/regional aces, including Tender Things’ Jesse Ebaugh on bass/pedal steel, Harvest Thieves’ Wes Cargal on drums, and Tulsa musician John Calvin Abney on keys. His influences show a little too clearly on “Heavy Rains Back Home,” which has a verse melody quite close to Townes Van Zandt’s “If I Had a Buckskin Stallion.” Mostly, though, these are engaging original tunes propelled by Charles’ compelling tenor voice.

Heavy MakeUp – Heavy MakeUp

With her kids now grown, singer Edie Brickell recently returned to making records with New Bohemians, the band of Dallas friends with whom she launched her career four decades ago. She’d pursued other projects over the years, including three solo albums plus side projects with Steve Martin, Steve Gadd, and others. Now comes this collaboration teaming Brickell with adventurous instrumentalists CJ Camerieri and Trever Hagen, an outgrowth of her one-song appearance on Camerieri’s 2022 album. Eleven tracks clock in at just under 30 minutes, and the brevity fits the concept well: These are lively improvisational sketches, balancing Camerieri and Hagen’s experimental-jazz blends of synths, beats, and horns against Brickell’s playfully rhythmic lyrics and sweetly seductive singing.