More Music
I made it out last night to catch Reckless Kelly and Micky and the Motorcars at a packed Firehouse.
It was kind of an odd show. I used to be an RK fanatic, but I haven't seen a show of theirs since a
lackluster performance in December 2001. And I've never seen MMC, which has a couple of younger Braun brothers in it and recently relocated to Austin. So I've gone from someone who used to have bootlegs of all the new stuff months before it eventually came out on a CD to not really knowing what they're doing new these days.
Overall, I thought Micky and the Motorcars had a pretty nice sounding band. I hear some 60s influence. They sound original, and that's good. I just wish there was a little more depth to the songs. The fans on the RK message board just rave about this band and its songwriting, but few (if any) of the original songs they played departed from one of two themes: loving/leaving/heartbreak and getting high/drunk. Then again, they're youngish, obviously talented musically, and will probably write better songs with some life experience.
RK, on the other hand, has been together long enough to have quite a catalog of quality songs to choose from, so depth isn't a problem. And neither is their sound, which is tight and hard. These guys sound like veterans.
They just don't sound like the band I used to obsess over -- an alt-country outfit with sweet harmonies boosted by an array of fiddle/mandolin/harmonica/guitar. Those old sweet harmonies are gone, along with the bass player who supplied the high parts of those sweet harmonies, Chris "Shifty" Schelske (his departure from the band still seems to be a taboo topic well over a year later, even though his picture is still featured on their recently redesigned website. Go figure). Live RK, circa January 2003, instead consists of Willie Braun screaming most songs with a definite alt-rock verve, and sharing some harmony vocals with brother Cody Braun (who still brandishes a fiddle and mandolin). That's not to say they don't sound good, but they definitely have a harder rock edge to them these days, much harder than their old, self-described "hick-rock" sound of Millican (which was, whatever might be said, more country than rock, and still their best effort IMO).
It will be interesting to see if this edgy, rocking sound is what comes through on their upcoming Sugar Hill CD release, or if this is just how RK sounds live these days. Personally, I'm hoping for a little more of a country sound -- but that's obviously the sort of stuff I'm enjoying these days as a listener.
[Posted at 17:23 CST on 01/12/03] [Link]
