Much has been said about social networking, both pro and con. I would like to illuminate the pro for just a bit here.
As many know, I am a lover of music, and social network sites such as Facebook (the current most popular) and in this case, right here on No Depression, have allowed me to discover otherwise undiscoverable performers. They have made the world a little smaller and easier to search.
One of my latest finds was a band out of Portland, Oregon called Truckstop Darlin’. As pedal steel guitar player for the band, Michael Winter describes, “We’re countrified rock!”
That they are.
They could easily be compared to bands like The Drive-By Truckers, but have distinguished themselves by incorporating a heavy emphasis on Mr. Winter’s talent on the pedal steel. John Phelan’s vocals are absolutely incredible and I just couldn’t picture too many more singers from this genre who could match his talent, but you cannot help but compare him, to some degree, to Old ’97’s Rhett Miller. The rest of the band is made up of Nick Foltz on bass and vocals, and Eric Kotila on drums.
Their skill with songwriting is near perfect, making each composition very much Truckstop Darlin’s. Their inaugural, self titled recording, contains 12 original songs, each one absolutely first-rate. That is a rarity by today’s standards, giving me cause to sit up and take notice.
Yes, you can compare them to others, but you can say that about virtually ever band in existence, past or present. The point here is that there is a new kid on the block, and bands like the fore mentioned Drive-By Truckers, and Old ’97’s need to move over and make room for Truckstop Darlin’.
I believe they are definitely here to stay.
