Down By the Old Mainstream

Amazon.com Made by a sloppy bunch of midwesterners with names like Jarret Decatur, Raymond Virginia, and Leonardson Saratoga (better known to us as the Jayhawks' Gary Louris and Mark Perlman, Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, Soul Asylum's Dan Murphy, and a couple of their friends), Down by the Old Mainstream is like a piece of pecan pie, both literally and figuratively. Literally because, well, the CD design looks like a pecan pie. Figuratively because more than a dozen slices of wholesome goodness are packed inside--a little messy and syrupy at times, but altogether filled with the comforts of home. It's best not to question why guys from successful rock bands--roots, country, and mainstream--would get together ad hoc, apparently to make a record none could make in their main gigs, and then fill it with the same kind of roots, country, and mainstream rock songs we've heard from them all along. Sure enough, Golden Smog sounds a lot like the Jayhawks on Louris's "V," like Wilco on Tweedy's "Walk Where He Walked," and like Soul Asylum on Murphy's "Red Headed Stepchild." Still, there's a joy, looseness, and conviviality that comes across in songs like "He's a Dick" and "Pecan Pie" that only Down By's brand of stress-free anonymity and lack of purpose could produce. What Golden Smog misses in factory polish, it makes up for in homemade warmth--just like the goodies Grandma used to make. --Roni Sarig From the Label The Smog, an alternative roots-rock “supergroup” (if you will), consists of six talented musicians from the American heartland known to each other (but not their moms) as Jarrett Decatur, David Spear, Raymond Virginia, Michael Macklyn, Scott Summit and Leonardson Saratoga. While the names might not be familiar, one listen to Golden Smog will erase any doubt about their pedigrees. In fact, if you’ve followed American rock music in the past ten years, you already know and love the members of Golden Smog. With this new album, their first full-length release, the band has crafted a collection of instant roots-rock classics. Since they were last heard from (on 1992’s ON GOLDEN SMOG covers EP), original Smog drummer Eddie Garfield tragically disappeared (as do all great drummers). The band “regrouped” in 1994 with the addition of drummer Saratoga and singer-songwriter-guitarist-bassist Summit, and Golden Smog Mark XIX set out to record their greatest work yet. DOWN BY THE OLD MAINSTREAM is a goldmine of original material reflecting the members’ diverse backgrounds (and, for that matter, their day jobs), as well as two covers. Recorded at Pachyderm Studios in the woods of Minnesota (a home base for many of the Smog members), the album’s striking performances resonate with a loose, back-porch feel captured by longtime Smog associates, producers Clive Mills and Derek Vista (at least that’s what they told us to call them). We’d like to tell you more, but our lawyers won’t let us. For the moment, you’ll just have to take our word for it. Or ask those music biz insiders who were lucky enough to squeeze into the band’s showcase at the last South by Southwest Music Conference, which turned out to be one of the most buzzed about performances of the convention, and was captured for posterity by MTV News.
ASIN: B0000009PS
VSKU: DBV.B0000009PS.G
Condition: Good
Author/Artist:Golden Smog
Binding: Audio CD
Note: Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.
Condition Notes: Individually inspected: Guaranteed to play perfectly or your money back. Case may show wear and may be in library packaging. Ships Fast!