|
The Slant 6 Cowboys are unique! They are an Alt Country band with a sound that is all their own. Take the glint in the eye of Clint Eastwood in the Good, Bad, and the Ugly, the snickering sneer and precision of Yul Brenner in Westworld, and the knowing attitude of Jack Palance as he takes one more swig of whiskey--put them to music in an Alt Country style and you have Slant 6 Cowboys. As the Slant 6 Cowboys strap on their 6 and 4 strings, choose their sticks, and grab the microphone for one more sound check, you know something amazing is just ahead. Movie analogies aside the Slant 6 Cowboys are a great listen. The band is based out of New England and regularly play in the area. Their convention of consistent performance schedule shines through in their recordings. The CD features an even dozen tracks. The CD opens with "Badlands". The opening riff could easily fit as a spaghetti western soundtrack. As the song progresses you are treated with lyrics that contain a fragile mix of paradoxical images and desperate reality. A smoking lead solo by Peter sets the stage for the rest of the CD. "Driftin'" opens with some beautiful slide guitar. Drummer Brian Lowe starts at a rapid rolling drum pace and never stops. Bassist Ben Butterworth thumbs out a backbone with his Ampeg Baby Bass. Don Whitcher plays Dobro, provides the lead solo and a gritty blues vocal. Guitarist Peter Coonradt adds acoustic slide. It rocks from the start and never stops! |
|
"Tennessee Love" is a bluegrass influenced bluesy country ballad [could I fit any more genres in the description?]. A nice interplay between Peter on mandolin and Don on guitar makes the song all come together. April Hobart singing back up augments and softens Don's vocals. The blues driven "Hearts Break" rocks the listener with it's backbeat, slide guitar, and thumping bass line. "Whiskey Breathin" is one of those infectious songs that grows on you with each listen. Don tells |
|
the story of a man with relationship problems and a whiskey breathin' anger that just won't leave him alone. A beautiful acoustic solo adds a warmer touch to the tone of the lyrics. The bouncy "Your Man" has a solid bass line and drum backbeat that set the stage for countrified bluesy guitars. The slippery guitar solo shows the versatility of Peter's instrumental expertise. He slips from straight country rock to rapid rocking guitar chops. "Out Of Time" opens with a Peter Green sounding guitar overlay. The mournful tale of despair is augmented with reverb drenched grungy guitar. Drums and bass drive the tune home. Slant 6 Cowboys will keep you enjoying long past the initial listen. The S6C band has changed a little since this recording--a new bassist and drummer have joined the team. Drop by their web site for a look around and an opportunity to sample some Slant 6 Cowboys firsthand. I am sure you will want to add them to your collection of CD's soon! ~ steve ekblad - audiogrid.com |
|
Click to get the Slant 6 Cowboys CD |
|
Don Witcher |
|
Don Witcher & Peter Coonradt |
