Graham Lindsey

Graham Lindsey�s debut record entitled "Famous Anonymous Wilderness" was released in September of 2003. To this day it remains one of my favorite debut records from any artist or genre over the last five years. The stunning, stark songs found on "Famous Anonymous Wilderness" ( released on Nashville-based indie label Catamount Records) sound like a cross between the poetry Bob Dylan�s "A Hard Rain�s a Gonna Fall" and the gothic country-folk of Gillian Welch�s "My Morphine". The album�s eleven songs were born out of a self-imposed creative isolation in a Nebraska farmhouse and they each sound every bit as lonesome and haunting as the Mid-Western plains themselves. Now almost exactly three years later the Wisconsin singer songwriter is back with his follow-up record entitled "Hell Under the Skullbones" (Spacebar Recordings), which just hit stores in the U.S. on August 15^th. This week on "A One Hoarse Town" we explore the latest musical offering from Graham Lindsey.

Any time an artist seems to come out of nowhere with an amazing debut record there�s always a moment of trepidation when the next album comes along. Was the first time out a fluke? Will the artist be able to tap into that same creative energy without repeating that which has already been said? Will the expectations be greater than the work itself? Graham Lindsey has not only answered any doubts about his talent on this new album, he may have actually raised the bar another notch.

"Hell Under the Skullbones" is every bit as good as "Wilderness" from the standpoint of Graham�s song writing. His images are both vivid and haunting and his ability to turn a phrase ala Dylan is at times uncanny. But unlike his first album, which was an almost an entirely acoustic affair, "Skullbones" features grinding electric guitar licks, plenty of stellar pedal steel guitar throughout which provides a deeper country tone, and when things do go acoustic, Graham and his band attack them with such a raw spirit that they sound as if they were recorded in a time when Hank Williams and Woody Guthrie were the giants of the day. Steve Deutsch, who also produced Graham�s first record, is once again at the producer�s helm, and the guest artists on "Skullbones" is a pretty impressive list: Greg Leisz on pedal steel, mandolin, and dobro, ex-Captain Beefheart band member Moris Tepper on electric guitar, and Larry Taylor on bass whose credits include Canned Heat, John Mayall, and Tom Waits. These guys can flat out play, and together they keep the sessions tightly wound and concise; the album�s ten songs check in at just over thirty-two minutes. And what about those ten songs??? Well…

They�re brilliant! With his first two albums Lindsey has established himself in my book as one of those artists that belongs on the "Watch out for these guys!" list. Highlights are plenty depending on what you�re searching for in a song. Country death songs or lovers lost? Then check out the dobro driven stomp of "Elly Bly" or the old-school country shuffles of "Hole in the Ground" and "Burn Me Down. A good drinkin� song? Move ahead to the album�s closer "Ain�t Enough Liquor". But the real stand out numbers come midway through. No good country record would be complete without a train song and "Slow Train Stomp" and "Brakeman�s Ballad" both fits the bill nicely. On "Slow Train Stomp", with Nick Vincent on drums and Steve Deutsch on bass pounding out the rhythm, Morris Tepper just plain slaps nasty guitar riffs all over the place as Graham pleads and wails over the mayhem to "slow the train down slow her down". It�s a song that sits squarely at the crossroads of blues and country. That�s followed by the dark beauty of "Brakeman�s Ballad", a song that highlights both Graham�s lonely vocals and the musicianship of Greg Leisz on pedal steel. This slow dirge on love lost had me hitting the repeat button time and time again. It�s a song, like so many in the Graham Lindsey catalog, that is both new and original, yet seems to have sprung from a well that is without a time or an age. And therein lies the real genius.

Graham Lindsey is an artist who is just beginning to establish himself as an important voice on the rise. "Hell Under the Skullbones" is an album for those late night road trips through the heart of the country where the curves are numerous, the lights are few, and the ghosts of song writers past, present, and future smile dimly through the speakers. I�ll leave you with these words from "Matchbook Song" which kicks off Graham�s new album. Enjoy.

"So here�s your posies and here�s my train / Well I hope that we live long enough to see a better day / But this ain�t forever there�s no such thing / This ain�t no frantic rag-a-waving for attention to my dreams / This ain�t political masturbation masquerading as a theme / Ain�t no psychology blow job for a scream / It could be you or it could be me / But it�s just a song"