Demolition String Band
Pulling Up Atlantis
Okra Tone Records 4964

by William Michael Smith

Believe it or not, my fellow Tejanos, there is a honky tonk scene in New York City, New York. And it doesn't just exist in the recesses of Kinky Friedman's Cuban cigar smoke-filled imagination.

One of the key ingredients in the NYC honky tonk scene is the Demolition String Band. Fronted by songwriter/singer Elena Skye and guitarist Boo Reiners, the band has evolved from an acoustic bluegrassy approach on their previous record (One Dog Town) to a harder-edged, electrified honky tonk sound on their latest album, Pulling Up Atlantis.

The key to the Demolition sound is Reiners' Telecaster. Raised in North Carolina, Reiners is grounded in bluegrass and Appalachian country, but has spent considerable time in rock bands before teaming with Skye. On Pulling Up Atlantis, he is the centerpiece of the twang-veneered beer joint sound that jumps out of the speakers on Skye's "Garden of Love" and other rocking "big loud sound" twangers. Reiner's guitar jumps straight to the inner ear with a "Honky Tonk Women" Rolling Stones gone-country lick on "Garden of Love." Suffice it to say Reiners is ready for Texas. He can play.

Ms. Skye wrote most of the songs, several in partnership with her former rock band guitarist, Caren Belle. Skye writes great hardcore honky tonk material ("Dress of Roses," "A Career of Loving You," "Gone So Long") but also dabbles in more poetic pieces with broader imagery outside the realm of honky tonk ("Pulling Up Atlantis," "One Shot"). Some of the material also crosses the line into alt-country. It is all well composed, and Skye leans hard into her vocals, infusing them with more than average passion and intensity.

Lyrically, Pulling Up Atlantis is a strong suite of songs. "Dress of Roses" has a Lynn Anderson feel, but it is the classic type of lyric Nashville's legendary divas like Loretta Lynn or Tammy Wynette could turn into instant hits. It's an old tale, one of a woman who discovers that she'll never be able to overcome the memory of the woman before her, symbolized by a dress of roses that belonged to the previous woman but is still hanging in the closet.

While you're holding me you still hold onto her
And the memory of what you shared
Is still hanging there
The rising sun brings a rude awakening
You sleep soundly while I toss and turn
I find my bag and steal one look back
And leave you with that dress of roses

Most of Demolition String Band's music is on the rocking roadhouse side of country, but "A Career of Loving You" recalls Ernest Tubb's band with its slow deliberateness and is more aligned with the unblinking sincerity of Patsy Cline than Wynette's overly dramatic and simplistic "Stand By Your Man." The tune is presented as duet, with Reiner singing the wonderfully blue-collar lines, "Jobs aren't easy to hold/When you have trouble doing what you're told." Skye replies, "there's nothing you have to say when you've had a hard day/I just take you in my arms, make love to you/I can't offer you much but can't you tell by my touch/That I would do overtime?" Now that's country. Ah, Billy Byrd now.

Reiners and steel guitarist John Graboff give a West Coast honky tonk vibe on "Gone So Long" that is quite similar to the sound of the West Coast Pinups. The harmonies between Skye and Reiners illustrate the strength of their backgrounds in bluegrass. They make a beautiful Conway-and-Loretta sound together.

"Pulling Up Atlantis" lets the band expand outside the limitations of country. This is a trippy musical statement that is closer to free-form twang than to any other classification. Reiners has layered guitars (acoustic, electric, and lap steel) to give an ethereal feel to the mythological analogies of Skye's lyric. This is music for the head, not the dancehall.

The record closes with an a capella stunner, "Elegant Wind." With Skye on the lead vocal backed by Reiners, Tim Beattie and Rick Schmitz, the four-part harmonies on the choruses are exquisite. The singing is as good as any barbershop quartet, but devoid of the schmaltz and campiness. This performance is closer to bluegrass gospel without instruments.

As seems to be his particular specialty, producer Eric "Roscoe" Ambel (Steve Earle, Yayhoos, Joan Jett) has again succeeded in getting a broad, powerful sound out of the players. This record really comes across loud and clear, entirely without clutter, fluff or superfluous prettiness.

Demolition String Band is one to watch out for. They've got the chops, they've got the songs, and they've got the attitude. Now if they just had a van that could make it to Texas.

* Check out Demolition String Band's website, www.demolitionstringband.com for one of the best homepage graphics on the web. While you're there, check out their sound clips.


Contact William Michael Smith at: wms-at-rockzilla.net

 
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