Yellowbelly and the Red and White Sandwiches
Start All Over
Self-Released
By David Pilot
 Hoo boy, somebody's
been bustin' out the Bryan (Ryan?) Adams records left and right.
Both influences are stamped with glee all over Start All
Over. Oddly, the result highlights just how not-so-different
Bryan and Ryan are/were, and I'll stand on Ryan's snarling little
face in my cowboy boots and say so after I get done pounding
him for the cussin' he'll be dealing if he reads this.
What emerges when you mix "Summer of '69" with "The
Battle"? Something deeply appealing yet somehow . . .
off-putting. Take this lyric snippet, cut from the tail end
of "Feeling Back" and hitting your ears roughly 3:30
into your first attempt at the record:
I said that you would ride with me
And I took your hand in mine
But youth is wasted on the young
I turned my back to you
Leaving me with memories,
And nothing else to lose
Ringing and fulfillingly distorted guitar riffs drive those
words, evoking summer's promise, while a haunting "Johnny
99" style harmonica attempts to add pathos to the sadly
clichéd premise. The result? An extremely listenable
piece of ear candy that sounds for all the world like it wants
to grow up. By the time "Down the Line" and "Carry
the Flame" roll by it seems clear that the youthful angst
is gonna be par for the disc. Upon closer inspection, however,
one wonders if maybe the production here isn't contributing a
bit particularly on the latter track noted above. A tinny
sound and a distinct separation between instruments begins to
stand out in relief against and detract from what could easily
be a meaty cut just right for the patio at the River Road Icehouse
on a sweaty Guadalupe night. Apparently somebody else noticed,
because with the exception of a pounding drum line on "Dumb
But Slow" the music and the vocals mesh superbly in the
sawdust memories of another honky tonk love gone wrong. Really,
really wrong.
I asked you why I smelled cologne
When I don't wear no smellin' sauce
And you said 'cause he likes Stetson cologne
I must admit I was a little lost
So when Junior called the poolboy Daddy
It made my heart turn blue
Better take the boy to Old Sawbones
That kinda eyesight just won't do
Dumb, but slow. Yeah. And this might be the track that
pulls you into the world where Yellowbelly and the Red and White
Sandwiches live. If you like your country mixed with influences
ranging from those mentioned here initially through newcomers
like Gary Stier and any number of '80s guitar gods you're going
to find a lot to like in this smorgasbord.
Some relevant, even meaningful songwriting makes an appearance
occasionally; that's always a plus. Much of it gets lost or
overshadowed as a result of the production flaws, but the biggest
sin the man on the board committed is the easiest to identify:
the disparate sounds emphasize competent playing abilities
all the way around the mic. They destroy, however, any shot
at cohesiveness and a unified feel that could take the band somewhere.
May not be a dealbreaker, though; turns out the band produced
the record themselves. They get themselves a producer and revisit
this territory they may be onto something. With repeated listens
a Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash feel begins to bubble at the seams
(the title track's a great example) and it's clear there's promise.
If that promise is realized, there's more than enough here
to pay the bills. It doesn't take a great songwriter to make
it in this business - - Bryan and Ryan both proved that. And
Steve Hahn's still young, so he's got plenty of time to grow
as his band continues to hone their craft. "Dumb But Slow,"
"Carry the Flame" and "Memory," in particular,
offer an enticing invitation to what in time could be but is
not yet. The buzz around this band of Dallas boys who've made
their way to central Texas says their live show is not to be
missed. Hints of the fervor that would support that claim abound
through Start All Over. For now, though, the in the
flesh performance is the deal. Here's hoping they can catch
the sparks for the next record; Yellowbelly and the Red and White
Sandwiches are worth the effort.
www.yellowbellytexas.com
Contact David Pilot at: editor-at-rockzilla.net
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