The Picketts – Grungetown grass grows grangy on the Picketts side of the fence

Country was the unifying factor. “That was the one music that all of us agreed on,” McWilson says. Mixing country with rock was a tradition that goes at least as far back as Elvis. “And there was that crossover thing in the ’70s with Emmylou Harris and Gram Parsons. For me, that was the main roots from which we sprang,” McWilson adds.

If you have been fortunate enough to have seen the Picketts, you likely live in the Northwest or their adopted second home of Austin, Texas. Except for a smattering of shows in California, they haven’t gotten out much. You might have stumbled upon their various vinyl/CD output (a 7-inch cover of the Clash’s “Should I Stay Or Should I Go” on Popllama; Paper Doll, a full-length CD on Popllama; and “The Picketts Pick It”, an instrumental 7-inch on Cruddy) at your local indie record store. But the pressing runs and marketing were limited for those releases. It was time to step up to the the next level.

A 10-song tape attracted the attention of Rounder Records, which last month released the band’s new 13-song disc, The Wicked Picketts. “Things really happened when they played the Jimmie Dale Gilmore party as part of the unofficial [1994] SXSW doings,” recalls Ed Beeson, the band’s manager. “This was really the stamp of coolness for the band. They played three other shows during the conference, again unofficial, but after their Liberty Lunch show, Ken Irwin (of Rounder) came up to me and said, ‘We’ll follow up on this.’ ” And this was no idle threat — not just an off-handed way of saying he wasn’t interested. He was sold.”

Six months later came the actual commitment; then it was six weeks of contract negotiations. In January of ’95 the CD master was sent to Rounder, which was followed by months of knob-twiddling and fine-tuning. It was a long wait, but McWilson says it was ultimately worth it for the degree of control the band was able to keep.

“A lot of the alternative people, we stick to our guns,” she explains. “It’s like, the producer says, ‘We’ll take you on if you get rid of that drummer, if we use one of these songs.’ I’m not into that. Rounder liked us the way we were. They trusted our instincts and we haven’t lost creative control. …. Our personal run in with the powers that be illuminated why (country music) makes such an issue of control. Control by the producers and people who have the money [over] what song, who plays, how it’s done, how much money is put into it and how big the push is.”

Sleep adds that in country music, “it’s such an ‘artist’ thing, and the band comes next.” Sangster ends, “And it’s that rock background which has the band rather than the artist emphasis.”

When you put the results of all this effort, The Wicked Picketts, on the disc player, your ears are immediately pricked to the solid chuggin’ bass and rat-a-tat drums of the opener, “Boat Song.” McWilson’s crystalline vocals cut through the fog. It’s a loaded freight train heading for the crossing. The dual guitars sound a warning, but the train won’t stop, so you’d better get off the tracks.

What are mostly original tunes have the stamp of timeless country. McWilson sings “Can’t Take it With You” as if she were Loretta Lynn fronting the Texas Playboys. “Just Because You Ain’t Got” has Buck Owens’ lyrical simplicity without the corn pone. And to throw you for a loop, they rendered it a slow burning twister. The instrumental “Sukiyaki” could have been included in any Ennio Moriconne movie soundtrack. The sour steel slide and echoey guitar set a quirky, haunting scene. The Picketts have even turned Yoko Ono’s disco song “Walkin’ on Thin Ice” into a plaintive country wail.

Judging from the response to a mailing of advance CDs, The Wicked Picketts is a freight train on its way from Santa Fe to Chicago. “We’re getting a real positive response from radio for this record,” Beeson says. “A radio programmer from Atlanta, Georgia, called me up and said, ‘Where’ve you guys been? When’ll you come out this way? I’m putting this on my list of top records for the year.’ ”

To keep up this momentum, the Picketts expect to do mini-tours of three to four weeks come January, hitting where and when the album is getting a hot response. McWilson says they’ll be back in the studio in the spring, with a second Rounder release tentatively set for October ’96. Most of the songs are ready to go and they’re wrangling for Nick Lowe to produce. Problem is, he doesn’t know he’s being offered the job yet. So if you see him, let him know there’s this really great band from Seattle. They’re a little bit honky tonk, a little bit rock ‘n’ roll, a whole lotta country. Just don’t call ’em young.