Band of Heathens – “L.A. County Blues”
Posted on | October 7, 2009 | 2 Comments
1. The impressive thing about the Band of Heathens is the way they are able to assimilate influences and turn it into something else. When “L.A. County Blues”, the first track from their new record One Foot in the Ether first ripped out of my speakers, I did a double-take to make sure I hadn’t slipped in Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere. The stomping rhythm and twangy guitar riff sounded familiar, but when I got to Ed Jurdi’s soulful rasp, it felt different — and comfortably new. I must admit that I am somewhat of a purist — I tend to get skeptical when I hear genres like “country-blues-soul-gospel-rock”. I would much rather a band be excellent at one of these than just decent at a mixture of all of them. However, on this track the Heathens reach beyond the sum of their influences and create something that stands on its own.
2. The lyrics, which pay tribute to “gonzo by the 7th grade” legend Hunter S. Thompson, speak of an outcast, struggling to find his fit in the world — from his arrest in Louisville as an accessory to robbery and his fictional alter ego Raoul Duke, “blinded by a quart of rum and a dose of mescaline”. Jurdi manages to sum up Thompson’s blissfully irreverent life with a sound just as freewheeling and distinctly American. I hear a lot of different voices in this track — Richard Manuel, Patterson Hood, Gram Parsons — but none of these outshine the Heathens themselves.
3. The Heathens are first and foremost a live band, and the production on this song actually showcases their chops better than their two previous live albums. Formed as the Good Time Supper Club from the simultaneous sets of the three singers and writers, things congeal for them on “L.A. County Blues” to the point where they create something better than the sum of three good singer-songwriters — a loose, organic feel with a great mix that shows off all the best things about them: Colin Brooks’ nasal, Lowell George-breathed slide, Gordy Quist’s ace high harmony, and Jurdi’s husky tenor. Genres can be analyzed and categorized, and hidden meaning can be found everywhere, but when something works, it works. The simple, well-told story of an American iconoclast,”L.A. County Blues” feels good, and that is sufficient for me.
Band of Heathens – L.A. County Blues
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2 Responses to “Band of Heathens – “L.A. County Blues””
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October 23rd, 2009 @ 3:30 pm
It’s really simple…no complexities…just great, great rock and roll!
No other way to put it
January 5th, 2010 @ 2:52 pm
Ed Jurdi is the genuine article. You can call the music what you wish, but Jurdi sings from that deepest part of his soul. There are no gimmicks with The Band of Heathens. Jurdi, Quist and Brooks are a powerhouse of musical genius. How fortunate we are to witness the arrival of this great talent!