featuring the very best of americana, alt.country and roots music
February 18, 2024
Scott Foley, purveyor of dust
Prison Book Club. Not a household name (unless you count R&B among your household), but a band we've mentioned at least a handful of times. Specifically, we've dropped the name in connection with reviews of albums by John R Miller and William Matheny, a pair of former members. Prison Book Club also included Adam Meisterhans (most recently busy with Slaughter Beach Dog) and Tucker Riggleman, the focus of this week's Episode. While the four members of PBC have moved forward with very different sounds, each is creating their own strain of superb, roots-adjacent music.
For his part, Tucker Riggleman & the Cheap Dates (his trio, alongside drummer M Tivis Clark and multi-instrumentalist Mason Fanning) are releasing their second full-length album, Restless Spirit on the mighty WarHen record label. It follows behind a phenomenal debut (2021's Alive and Dying Fast), both produced by Duane Lundy, trading in a stage-born expression of diy punk, country, and rock. Riggleman himself likens it to, Jason Molina, a twangier Lemonheads, The Cure if they wrote country songs, redneck Replacements ...
On the physical map, Riggleman places the pin most recently in an off-the-grid location near West Virginia's Monongahela National Forest, where he prepared most of Restless Spirits. The new sessions are more garage than front porch, decidedly aggressive rather than laid back. The tension erupts on "Telecaster", a number that first appeared on a 2020 EP: I can play 300 shows / Back to back in a fucking row / And it ain't gonna get me a deal, Riggleman drawls in his unadorned tone. With its prominent drums and Lee Carroll's supporting organ riffs, the song addresses one of the record's recurring themes in the artist's balance of artistic integrity with larger success: I just want my songs to stand / At least somewhat of a chance. "Paradise" speaks to the Molina influence, with its chunky guitar and a darker spirit: Spilled my guts in a million shitty bars.
The great appeal of Restless Spirit dwells in the trio's tipsy balance between the punk and roots elements of their mix, a blend that can be edgier than alt.country, but more organic than their garage rock peers. The riff-driven "Shotgun" recalls Country Westerns in its buzz and its touch of jangle. "Virtue" delivers a refreshing swagger alongside Clark's energetic drumming. I'm just working on my downfall, Riggleman spits, Like it's another tractor in my barn.
Cheap Dates lean more into their country side on this second long-player, even as they never abandon the tension and electricity that binds them. "Queen Of Diamonds" is a sad bastard stroll with an appropriate degree of self-deprecation: She's a blooming lily / And I'm just an old sticker bush. Riggleman's approach to country is as left-of-center as Stephen Malkmus or Paul Westerberg, but lands nearer the target than those earlier acts. "Familiar Bridge" adds a low-slung baritone guitar and a loose sway, while the loping "Educated" finds Riggleman weaving personal colors into his story: I was born in the backwoods / Tried to change the way I pronounce my words / A failed attempt to sound educated.
Tucker Riggleman and co. create a pleasing racket on Restless Spirit, with Lundy favoring a raw, in-studio electric guitar-and-drum approach that emphasizes the appeal of the band's trio vibe, even when the producer is adding the occasional organ fill from Lee Carroll. On the resigned ballad, "Silver Tongue", a mosquito guitar line carries throughout: What kind of shit you been reading / Made you think you'd be enough. "Bucket and the Boot" is an admirably sharp, simple rocker, like Alejandro Escovedo in his earlier incarnation: Half my life I drank to die. As a whole, the project is an expression of the both/and, but neither/nor artistry that fuels our oily machine at R&B, the hungry ghost / You don't dare to feed. While the results might frustrate purists, Riggleman & the Cheap Dates are just the thing for Restless Spirits like ours.
We track new and forthcoming releases on A Routes & Branches Guide To Feeding Your Monster. This week, that includes something called Wonder Women Of Country. Set for a March 15 street date, the EP posits the pairing of Kelly Willis, Melissa Carper, and Brennen Leigh (Bismeaux). Following a solo project and a holiday record from Julia, Angus & Julia Stone return as a duo. The Australian siblings have planned a May 10 due date for Cape Forestier (Nettwerk). That same date marks the next full-length for Pokey LaFarge. Rhumba Country (New West) promises to capture the sound of pure joy. May 17 marks the scheduled appearance of Tim Easton's forthcoming collection. Boasting an all-Canadian backing band, Find Your Way is presented by the Black Mesa label. Finally, we're buzzed to hear that Anna Tivel is preparing her next album. Living Thing will happen May 31 with some help from the fine folk at Fluff & Gravy.
ROUTES-cast February 18, 2024
- Blackberry Smoke, "Be So Lucky" Be Right Here (3 Legged, 24)
- Wonder Women of Country, "Another Broken Heart" Wonder Women of Country EP (Bismeaux, Mar 15) D
- Lostines, "Full Moon Night" Meet the Lostines (Gar Hole, Apr 26) D
- Charlie Parr, "Portland Avenue" Little Sun (Smithsonian, Mar 22)
- Pokey LaFarge, "Sister Andre" Rhumba Country (New West, May 10) D
- Cody Jinks, "Change the Game" Change the Game (Late August, Mar 22)
- Sierra Ferrell, "I Could Drive You Crazy" Trail of Flowers (Rounder, Mar 22)
- Dead South, "Place I Hardly Know" Chains & Stakes (Six Shooter, 24)
- Matthew Logan Vasquez, "Vivian" Frank's Full Moon Saloon (Vasquez, 24)
^ Tucker Riggleman & Cheap Dates, "Familiar Bridge" Restless Spirit (WarHen, 24)
- Elizabeth Moen, "What's the Rush (ft Squirrel Flower)" single (Moen, 24) D
- Secret Sisters, "All the Ways (ft Ray Lamontagne)" Mind Man Medicine (New West, Mar 29)
- Elliott BROOD, "Wind and Snow" Country (Six Shooter, Apr 12) D
- Kyle Kimbrell, "Holy Bombs" Easy Truths (Cornelius Chapel, Apr 5)
- Stephie James, "Party Doll" As Night Fades (James, Mar 1)
- Scott H Biram, "Inside a Bar" The One & Only (Bloodshot, Mar 29)
- Hermanos Gutierrez, "Sonido Cosmico" Sonido Cosmico (Easy Eye, Jun 14) D
- GospelbeacH, "Droupouts (Pt 1)" Wiggle Your Fingers (Curation, Apr 26)
- Britti, "Save Me" Hello I'm Britti (Easy Eye, 24)
- Six Parts Seven & Goodmorning Valentine, "Red Lights" Kissing Distance (Suicide Squeeze, 24)
- Son of the Velvet Rat, "Deeper Shade of Blue (ft Jolie Holland)" Ghost Ranch (Fluff & Gravy, Mar 22)
- David Nance, "Credit Line" & Mowed Sound (Third Man, 24)
- Slaughter Beach Dog, "I'm In Love" single (Lame-O, 24) D
- Itasca, "Tears On Sky Mountain" Imitation of War (Paradise of Bachelors, 24)
- Jessica Pratt, "Life Is" Here In the Pitch (Mexican Summer, May 3) D
- Frontier Ruckus, "Mercury Sable" On the Northline (Loose, 24)
- Waxahatchee, "Bored" Tigers Blood (Anti, Mar 22)
- Sam Evian, "Rollin' In" Plunge (Flying Cloud, Mar 22)
- Aaron Lee Tasjan, "Drugs Did Me" Stellar Evolution (Blue Elan, Apr 12)
- Lilly Hiatt, "Hidden Day" single (New West, 24) D
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