ROUTES & BRANCHES
October 13, 2012
Scott  Foley

From Vermont via Boston, Bow Thayer plays his brand of "mountain soul" with 20 years of experience under his belt.  His new retrospective, Hindsight: 1995-2012 catches us up with the bands and sidemen with whom he's played during his tenure.  In addition to more recent cuts from his present band, Perfect Trainwreck, Hindsight reaches way back to tracks from earlier acts such as Elbow, Jethro and Benders.  The constant throughout is Bow Thayer's gruff but soulful voice, alternately carrying blues, rock, country and americana with soul to spare.  Especially revelatory are Thayer's earlier works, which are largely unheard even by fans, as well as a recent song recorded with Levon Helm (see below for further connection). 

As luck would have it, Bow Thayer sent the following answers to the Departures questions, giving us a glimpse at the inspiration behind Thayer's own inspiring music. 

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DEPARTURES
*
Bow Thayer
Hindsight

Hometown: Hingham Massachusetts. A small coastal town between Cape Cod and Boston.

Favorite music as a youngster: Stones, Zep, Dead, Beatles, the Band…. not very original but thats what I liked! Did not  dig all the 80's stuff.

Your 5 favorite albums:
Miles Davis, Tribute to Jack Johnson
Marvin Pontiac, Legendary Marvin Pontiac
Frank Zappa, Apostrophe
Blitzen Trapper, Furr
Bob Dylan, Desire

Lyric you wish you had written:  "I come from an abundance of inherited sadness"  - Ryan Adams

Best concert you've seen:  Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble, of which I was lucky enough to open for 6 of 'em.  The one that sticks out the most is when Levon sang "The Weight" for the first time in almost 20 years.  Not a dry eye in the place!
  
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Be sure to catch Sat 10/20's Episode of Routes & Branches.  Ronnie Fauss will drop by during the 4:00 hour to chat about his fine new album.  
   

* Cahalen Morrison & Eli West, "Our Lady of the Tall Trees"  Our Lady of the Tall Trees  (Self, 12)
*  Greensky Bluegrass, "Handguns"  Handguns  (Big Blue Zoo, 11)
*  John Hiatt, "It All Comes Back Someday"  Mystic Pinball  (New West, 12)
*  Carolyn Mark, "Flaming Star"  Queen of Vancouver Island  (Mint, 12)
^  Bow Thayer, "Silvertone"  Hindsight  (Tweed River, 12)
*  Broken Spoke, "High Water Mark"  Before There Were Easy Riders  (Self, 11)
*  Old 97s, "Holy Cross"  Too Far To Care (Reissue)  (New West, 12)
*  Ronnie Fauss, "Pretty Nice Night For Houston"  I Am the Man You Know I'm Not  (Normaltown, 12)
*  Lindi Ortega, "Use Me"  Cigarettes & Truckstops  (Last Gang, 12)
*  Gasoline Lollipops, "White Trash"  Dawn  (Self, 12)
*  Ryan Adams, "Kiss Before I Go"  Jacksonville City Nights  (Lost Highway, 05)
*  Dwight Yoakam, "Long Way To Go"  3 Pears  (Reprise, 12)
*  Coles Whalen, "Can't Treat Me Bad"  Whiskey Bruisin'  (Self, 12)
*  Buddy & Julie Miller, "One Part Two Part"  Written In Chalk  (New West, 11)
*  Nels Andrews, "Small Victories"  Scrimshaw  (Self, 12)
*  Rosie Flores, "Working Girl's Guitar"  Working Girl's Guitar  (Bloodshot, 12)
*  Rayland Baxter, "The Mtn Song"  Feathers & Fishhooks  (ATO, 12)  D
*  Jamey Johnson, "Everything But You"  Living For a Song  (Mercury, 12)  D
*  Amy LaVere, "This World Is Not My Home"  This World Is Not My Home  (Archer, 06)
*  Levon Helm, "Same Thing"  Midnight Ramble Sessions Vol 3  (Vanguard, 12)  D
*  Lilly Hiatt & Dropped Ponys, "3 Days"  Let Down  (Normaltown, 12)  D
*  Yawpers, "Replace Me"  Capon Crusade  (Self, 12)
*  Whitehorse, "Achille's Desire"  Fate of the World Depends On This Kiss  (Six Shooter, 12)
*  Spirit Family Reunion, "Put the Backseat Down"  No Separation  (Self, 12)
*  Iris Dement, "There's a Whole Lotta Heaven"  Sing the Delta  (Flariella, 12)