American Soul
* Souled American: IV (5.0 mb) | Souled_American_MP3 (96.0 mb) | Souled_American_Flac (350.5 mb)
From Live At The Catalyst : July 20th, 1989 : Santa Cruz, CA
For the longest time, Souled American seemed like a myth. I’d heard about this band that played a woozy, boozy, broken hearted, avant-garde style of Americana that was the total antithesis to the Uncle Tupelo styled insurgent country that was gaining popularity at the time. They seemed totally up my alley, except I couldn’t find a single one of their albums. Long out of print by the time I’d heard about Souled American, it seemed like I’d never get the chance to hear these guys. Luckily, their first four albums were reissued by the fine folks at tUMULt Records and I was finally able to hear what the fuss was about. And they didn’t disappoint me one bit.
Ostensibly a rock band, their sound continually shifted and twisted. The first two albums are a ramshackle conglomeration of warm muted guitars, strangled harmonies, and dubby, slippery underwater bass. Foot stomping backwoods raveups and rickety bluesy crawls, stretching their sound into muted swamp blues, languid and syrupy. Their third album is a drowsy and drawling, skeletal country, that hints at the murk and mire to come, less sound and more space. And their last Rough Trade album, “Sonny”, is truly the pure distillate of their vision; a tarpit of old creaking country 78’s and mosquito-buzzing back porch ballads. A record of mostly covers, that would fit as nicely between your Low and Labradford records as it would between your Hank Williams and John Prine. (tUMULt Records)
I kept listening to their albums, thinking that they’d long since broken up and were onto other things. And then, to my great surprise and joy, I got the chance to see them play not too long ago. And what a doozy of a show it was. Pared down to just Chris Grigoroff (guitar, voice) and Joe Adducci (guitar, bass, voice), the band was as amazing as I thought they’d be.
This show is pretty early on in their career, when they were still a four piece and not quite as languid as they’d become. But it’s still a kick-ass performance. The one caveat is that the first song (II) has the left channel missing for about the first minute and 45 seconds. Otherwise, this is an amazing show and everyone should be listening.
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howard said,
June 18, 2008 @ 3:15 pm
love the shows and bands you post.
thank you.
Mike said,
June 25, 2008 @ 5:27 pm
Wow! Thanks for the post and for unearthing “new” old Souled American. I saw them open for Camper Van Beethoven in 1989… and at the time I was into the tight, clever sound Camper represented (way back then, when Irony still ruled the day), so when Souled American started playing I was aghast, floored, stirred… I loved them, hated them, couldn’t stop staring (and couldn’t stop listening to them for the next 15 years)… The music sounds so perfect to me now, each note placed lackadaisically where it belongs, but at the time is seemed so slack and ramshackle and, strangely confrontational…
Anyway, thanks for the post!
ps. Is there any more where this came from?!?!
cb said,
June 27, 2008 @ 12:19 pm
Howard - I’m glad you’re diggin’ the bands and the posts
Mike - Yeah, the first time I heard Souled American, I couldn’t stop listening. I’m definitely glad I got to see them live. Unfortunately, I don’t have any access/or know of other Souled American shows. I wish I did…
-cb
Mike said,
June 29, 2008 @ 10:17 pm
(Almost complete) set list:
1 Intro
2 Feel Better
3 Goin’ Home
4 Full Picture
5 Soldier’s Joy
6 Six Feet of Snow
7 Zillion
8 Cupa Cowfee
9 Everybody (John Prine)
10 ????
11 Field and Stream
12 True Swamp Too
13 Mar’boro Man
14 Heywire
15 New Morning (Bob Dylan)
cb said,
June 30, 2008 @ 5:30 pm
Oh, cool! I was just thinking I should clarify the setlist…but now it’s done. awesome!