Time for more Sound Citizen Radio! Once again we’ve outdone ourselves with not three, but FOUR great songs from FOUR great bands (at the bottom of this post.)
We’ve had a great couple of weeks here, including a trip down to Memphis for the Beale St. Music Festival. You can read about Memphis in May right here.
This week a few of us are headed to see a new favorite in Local Natives and an old soul in Clem Snide. You can hear Clem Snide on Sound Citizen Radio 9.
Thanks for listening and if you like what you hear, go ahead and share it with your Facebook friends by clicking the thumbs up at top left. As always, please send any suggestions, thoughts or music for an upcoming episode to soundcitizenmike@gmail.com.
This week’s lineup:
Besnard Lakes, Montreal, Canada. “Albatross”
Pritzker Pavillion, Millenium Park, Chicago (FREE), May 24
Dexateens, Tuscaloosa, Alabama. “Down Low”
Schubas, Chicago, May 20
Love of Everything, Chicago. “It Feels So Good to Be Alive”
Empty Bottle, Chicago, CORRECTION: May 18
Morning Benders (playing with Broken Bells), San Francisco/New York. “Excuses”
The Vic, Chicago, May 31
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
(Video included) The Dexateens breezed into Chicago on Wednesday night for the first time ever, on the heels of the release of a new record, Singlewide. They played second in a night that led of with Those Darlins (whom we’ve covered before) in what turned out to be a night of country-inspired, good old American rock. It all took place at Schuba’s, a fine place to see a show, and the Chicago launching pad of many successful artists.
This band, from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, might not be familiar yet with Chicago or the midwest, “But we’re long-time fans of WGN. We get WGN everywhere on Earth. I don’t know if you know that,” tongue-in-cheek, almost hamming up the southern boy naïveté to go along with a pronounced southern drawl.
Anyway – this is not your standard southern rock. And that was apparent from the moment the first chord rang out. Perhaps guitarist Lee Bains III’s AC/DC shirt and Gibson SG should have tipped me off. There are times when the Dexateens jam a hard rock sound, you can even hear some metal in there, but with a decidedly hillbilly heart – and I mean that in a great way. You can hear bluegrass in both the vocals and rhythms of every song and you get the feeling that it just comes out that way. It feels so deep-rooted in their sound that I don’t imagine they could play any other way even if they tried. At times I heard just hints of Neil Young, The Black Crowes and even some Kid Rock, believe it or not, but those are just my own music biases creeping in – the Dexateens have a sound all their own. And I dig it. They can slow it down too, like “Grandaddy’s Mouth.” (check out the partial video below.)
The Dexateens may have made their first Chicago stop this week, but it won’t be their last. I feel good about the staying power with this one. And so do the people at Austin City Limits, where they will be making an appearance.
Check out the videos below from the show, and head over to their MySpace to hear some more great stuff.
“Settle Down”
“Grandaddy’s Mouth” (partial)
“Makers Mound” (partial)
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The Parlour w/ the Features & Those Darlins | Newport, Kentucky | ||
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The Dame w/ the Features & Those Darlins | Lexington, Kentucky | ||
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Ear X-tacy in-store — 1:00 P.M. | Louisville, Kentucky | ||
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Barley’s w/ the Features & Those Darlins | Knoxville, Tennessee | ||
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The Basement | Nashville, Tennessee | ||
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Old Town Tavern | Quad Cities, Alabama | ||
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Riverbend Festival | Chattanooga, Tennessee | ||
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Austin City Limits Festival | Austin, Texas |
The Dexateens formed in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, somewhere around 1998. And with today’s release of Singlewide, they look to move “out of the garage and onto the porch.”
Listening to Singlewide makes you feel like kicking up your boots, sipping a cold brew and hanging with three or four of your closest friends on the front porch, while the sun etches lines in your face and you taste the dust in the wind. And like any good southern band, The Dexateens make you want to hit the road.
It’s an honest, southern sound with all the right chords and guitar stylings to match. The vocals are a perfect down-home twang and song lyrics that you’d swear sounds no different than if two Tuscaloosa pals were simply shooting the breeze. Kind of like “My Daddy’s name is Elton, My Momma’s name is Jean, my car’s a Chevy Nova and my woman’s 17, she moved into my place ’cause her parents intervened.”
The Dexateens have received support from fellow Alabama native and Drive-By Truckers member Patterson Hood.
Can You Whoop It (hit play, or right click to save the free download) features David Berman of Silver Jews fame, in one his last recordings before officially retiring from the music scene.
Below is The Dexateens’ “Down Low” from Singlewild. And below that are their upcoming tour dates, including an appearance at Austin City Limits.
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The Milestone w/ the Features & Those Darlins | Charlotte, North Carolina | ||
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Rock and Roll Hotel w/ the Features & Those Darlins | Washington DC | ||
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IS Venue w/ the Features & Those Darlins | Charlottesville, Virginia | ||
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Pianos w/ the Features | New York, New York | ||
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TT The Bears w/ the Features | Cambridge, Massachusetts | ||
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Khyber w/ the Features | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | ||
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Union Hall w/ the Features | Brooklyn, New York | ||
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Grog Shop w/ the Features & Those Darlins | Cleveland, Ohio | ||
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Schuba’s Tavern w/ the Features & Those Darlins | Chicago, Illinois | ||
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The Parlour w/ the Features & Those Darlins | Newport, Kentucky | ||
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The Dame w/ the Features & Those Darlins | Lexington, Kentucky | ||
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Ear X-tacy in-store — 1:00 P.M. | Louisville, Kentucky | ||
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Barley’s w/ the Features & Those Darlins | Knoxville, Tennessee | ||
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The Basement | Nashville, Tennessee | ||
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Old Town Tavern | Quad Cities, Alabama | ||
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Riverbend Festival | Chattanooga, Tennessee | ||
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Austin City Limits Festival | Austin, Texas |
