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The Copperheads
This Train is Gainin'
Battered Soul Records
By Al Kunz
 When
former Rockzillaworld resident Dave Pilot reviewed The Copperheads
first disc, Country
& Blues Revue , he got it mostly right, but I thought
he missed the mark twice. (What, you thought we agreed on everything?
Read the fine print at the bottom of the page.) In addition to
thinking the disc was self-titled (Country and Blues Revue
only shows on the spine, not the front of the disc) Dave gave
lukewarm marks to "Letter From Houston," the song I
thought was clearly the standout track. I rarely disagreed with
Dave's assessments and, in my mind at least, the explanation
for this miscue was clear. "Letter From Houston" was
so unlike the country-blues on the other ten tracks that it seemed
out of place and therefore something felt wrong with it. When
heard outside of the context of the rest of the disc, as happened
frequently on several Twin Cities radio stations, the verdict
was much different.
Last summer Copperheads front-man and primary songwriter Ray
Barnard and I discussed the direction he was taking with this
new disc. He described it as country-soul, an updated version
of Arthur Alexander sound or, for those not familiar with Alexander,
Charlie Rich's best non-Rockabilly sides. Via email Barnard told
me that feedback from tastemakers such as Twin Cities radio personality
Jack K. Sparks (www.othersideofcountry.com) had suggested that
"we were on stronger footing when we played our countrified
[less bluesy] material our voices, mine in particular, were better
suited to, and more credible with, a prettier sound." Sparks
and the others were right. Building on the direction suggested
by "Letter From Houston," a prettier, more countrified
song (but, to my ears, not the Brad Paisley meets Chicago sound
that Dave Pilot heard) and upping the soul quotient, The Copperheads
have hit on their ideal aural formula. This direction combines
the sounds of Barnard's favorite musical heroes - the country
of Willie, Waylon, and Sammi Smith with Rich, Alexander and the
southern soul of Joe Tex, Aretha, and Clarence Carter. Another
obvious influence is Elvis, whose version of the traditional
gospel tune "So High" is one of two covers on This
Train is Gainin'.
The other cover is the Eurythmics "Here Comes the Rain
Again." This song translates surprisingly well to the Copperheads
new sound with a few minor changes. Barnard explains the choice
this way. "I liked it when I heard it back in high school
(before I started drifting retro) and always thought it was a
good song. I discovered if you removed one chord, it made a perfectly
good roots song. (It's quite similar to Del Shannon's "Runaway,"
which I bet was its inspiration, consciously or not). My voice
works well on songs originally done by women, too. To me, my
voice sounds as much like Sammi Smith's as anyone else, though
not as world-weary." Barnard continues, explaining that
The Copperheads used to play it like a straight country song,
but he thought they should change that approach when they got
into the studio, adding pedal steel through a Leslie speaker
(for what he calls a "cool, moody sound) and changing the
harmony vocals into a call-and-response. Barnard said he thought
the result "sounded really remarkable, the first time I
really felt that way about a track that I've sung or produced."
Another significant change from Country and Blues Revue
was less reliance on Barnard's songwriting. Although he contributed
on a majority of the songs (writing or co-writing half the originals)
the other band members doubled their songwriting contributions
this time around. Barnard explains it as having a band full of
Beatles fans who argued for "having a variety of voices."
He continues with the comment "I think this record has much
more of Beatles approach to a record than any other roots act
I've heard. We went with the strongest songs that we had at the
time, with different singers, writers, rhythms, vibes, and subjects."
Although Dave Pilot tried unsuccessfully to uncover a history
of the various members of the Copperheads it turns out that they've
all been playing in various bands for some time. Barnard says
that "we're a fairly introverted bunch and don't do much
moonlighting with other bands, which translates into less notoriety,
but a tighter sound." Prior to the Copperheads Barnard and
keyboard/percussionist Thomas Larson "did a coffee-shop
act called Vince & the Renegades." Steel player Jim
Nee was in several bands in Orlando, FL including the Jim Connor
Band with Dwight Yoakum's bassist J.D. Foster and also did some
studio work. Lead guitarist Michael "Otis" Oachs was
in a band called the Skydogs and bassist Bill Davis was in the
pop band Jon Ken Po. In the 80s drummer Marc Johnson's pop band,
the Moe Factor, cut some tracks with Butch Vig, producer of Nirvana's
Nevermind disc and founder of rock band Garbage (also
power pop expert Bill Swan's college roommate for those who care).
Johnson has also done some studio work with ex-Replacement Chris
Mars.
The inspiration for the opening track, "She Lives in
Dallas," was a lady Thomas Larsen met during training in
Dallas. If you've ever tried a long distance relationship you'll
understand completely. Barnard explains his approach to putting
the music to Larsen's lyrics as consciously "splitting the
middle between an O'Kanes song, 'Tell Me I was Dreaming,' and
a Shaver song called 'Comin On Strong,' then making it moodier,"
adding that the rhythm section gives it a groove that's unique
for an alt-country band.
Otis Oachs' now ex-wife Tami inspired two cuts. Barnard says
that on the first of these, "The Simple Truth Undone,"
Oachs' was aiming for a vintage British pop song. While grabbing
a quick, cheap lunch at a local convenience store Barnard heard
the Queen of Memphis Soul, Carla Thomas, singing "Gee Whiz,
It's Christmas" and was struck with a bit of inspiration.
He explains that "it sounded a lot like Arthur Alexander's
early stuff, which was where the Brit pop bands had gotten some
of their ideas, so I added piano to it (with Otis' blessing)
to make it closer to the original source." The difference
between British Pop and Country-Soul is less than you'd think.
While "The Simple Truth Undone" hints at the conflict
in the Oachs' marriage, "Sweet Azalea" highlights the
good.
So here I'll stay, nestled in the garden
Where our love, where our love has just begun
Sweet Azalea, reaching for the sky
Sweet Azalea, keep me satisfied
Sweet Azalea, so glad you're found
Sweet Azalea, bring me to the ground
The rhythm of one song, "My Heart's on Fire," grabbed
me immediately. I couldn't have explained why until Barnard explained
the evolution of the song. Originally written by Barnard and
frequent collaborator Bill Giese as an acoustic blues, Barnard
changed the arrangement, recasting it "as a twangier version
of Sam & Dave's "Knock on Wood." That's what had
captured my attention, a slower, laidback version of the rhythm
from "Knock on Wood."
The title track was written in response to a former girlfriend
asking him to write a train song. Barnard explains the story
behind the song: "I was working at a warehouse with a fellow
who was having brushes with the law and had to regularly see
a parole officer. He liked to cut too many corners so he was
always in trouble, but he'd always say, 'you can't keep a good
man down.' So I thought I'd paint him as a guy who had messed
up and nobody would let him redeem himself or forget his past.
Try to make a folk-hero out of him, I guess."
I paid my debt to the county
Been set free to resume my life
I worked hard to get back on the so called right track
So folks can see me run a race with sin and strife
This train is gaining on me
I hear that whistle wail a warning
That I can't escape the past
During my time in Minneapolis I formed an opinion of Ray Barnard
as a keen student of songwriting and musicianship. Whenever the
Copperheads opened for a national touring act or a band of note
was in town you'd see Ray wandering the club, totally focused
on what was happening on stage. You could almost see the wheels
turning in his head analyzing what worked in the performance
and lyrics, what didn't, and why. This Train is Gainin'
finishes with an interesting segue, that Barnard describes as
"two different versions of reaching Heaven." First
comes the traditional (the previously mentioned cover of Elvis'
"So High") then "Fireworks," another Barnard-Giese
co-write. "Fireworks" is one of those exercises that
you'd expect from someone who's a student of the craft working
at expanding his songwriting skills. Barnard explained his concept
to me this way. "I'd been trying for many years to write
a tune that had something to do with Jim Thompson's novella called,
'This World, Then the Fireworks.' I'm a sucker for good noir
fiction and movies (also Faulkner novels). The novella has an
amazingly debauched story, but it never feels like it's trying
to be sensational. It's also the most plot I've seen ever crammed
into 50 pages . . . I thought I'd set the scene in Hollywood
and figure out a suitably seamy story. A B-movie actor who sluts
around and is deathly bored with life felt right." Barnard
says the "lady backup singers" on this track (Gabrielle
Feivor, Rena Haus, and Phyllis Johnson) are his "'69 Elvis
hangup" coming out.
Life was like an early morning movie
I could see the twist from miles away
So I smiled when we met
As if born again that day
Laura said she loved all my pictures
So I did what leading men should do
Took her home
So she'd have a sweet memory or two
With This Train is Gainin' the Copperheads have found
their musical niche. One foot in Memphis, one foot in Nashville,
and (they must be mutant) another foot somewhere in Texas. By
sharing the spotlight with his diverse crew frontman Ray Barnard
is strengthening the band while continuing to exercise his vision
through arrangements (as on "Here Comes the Rain Again"
and "The Simple Truth Undone") to maintain a consistent
sound. If you haven't heard the Copperheads yet it's time to
get your copy of This Train is Gainin'. Visit www.thecopperheads.com for more about the
band and news about their next disc which Barnard says will maintain
their country-soul sound. This Train is Gainin' is available
from CD Baby or Miles of Music.
Contact Al Kunz at kunz-at-rockzilla.net
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