At one time, it was almost possible to know what you were getting from singer-songwriter Denny Smith from the get-go. If he’d written a bunch of songs with alternative rock leanings, then chances are they’d be released by his rock band fORMER; if the music took a more retro/acoustic groove, it would go onto the pile designated for The Great Affairs. Obviously, things weren’t quite as simple as that, but there was always a clear divide between projects and styles. After The Great Affairs released their ‘Happy Ender’ EP and Smith considered resting that band, things got more complicated: fORMER released a selection of unheard material (‘The Kids Deserve Cable’) and The Great Affairs were reborn. On the ‘4’ EP, The Great Affairs mixed up styles more than ever – alongside the Tom Petty/Black Crowes styled tunes, new drummer Kenny Wright (formerly of Bonepony and various other acts) penned ‘Fists and Guitars’, a thunderous rock ‘n’ roller fairly far removed from the quieter shades of most Great Affairs material. With fORMER dead and the revitalised Great Affairs tackling whatever came naturally, it seemed the gloves were off.
Tag Archives: americana
THE LAPPES – Lappe It Up EP
Formed at the beginning of 2013 New Jersey quartet The Lappes seemingly wasted no time in applying themselves to the creation of fine tunage. In under a year, they perfected their signature sound – a fine, fine blend of roots rock, folk and a touch of country – and entered the studio; the resulting debut EP, ‘Lappe It Up’, sounding like the work of seasoned pros.
THE NAKED SUN – Space, Place & Time EP
The Naked Sun are a four piece Americana/roots rock band based in Philadelphia. Their debut studio EP ‘Space, Place & Time’ offers four very high quality songs – the standard of which you’d swear came from a band far more established within the music world; the sound heavily influenced by many old style country rock themes.
KING WASHINGTON – The Overload
King Washington’s debut album [‘The Gears’, released in the summer of 2012] was a special record indeed. The previously unknown band really made an impression with their blend of retro roots rock and slightly more 90s attitude. Just over a year later, their musical journey continues in a different manner, with KW keen to both expand their range of sounds on ‘The Overload’ and to shift outside of their comfort zone.
NATHAN EDWARDS – The Music of Stephen Foster
In 2011, DIY singer-songwriter Nathan Edwards released his full-length album ‘New Season’. While not always perfect, it featured music delivered straight from the soul, its pastel shades often gently uplifting. For his second release, Nathan explores a few songs from the catalogue of Stephen Foster, a man credited as being the “Father of American music”. Foster’s catalogue of songs is centuries old – and the weariness of age and the heartfelt nature of some of his lyrics are both well suited to Nathan’s own sense of warmth.