Shane Smith and the Saints – Norther
Even the hardest working musicians could use a hand up, and one Texas band caught the mother of all breaks in late 2021. Yellowstone creator and recurring actor Taylor Sheridan cued up some “Shane Smith & The fuckin’ Saints” as he and his crew (including a heartbroken Jimmy) rolled out of the Dutton Ranch. This led to the band’s appearance on the show the next season, plus Google searches like, “Is Shane Smith & The Saints a real band?” Yes – the band from Austin had formed over a decade ago, released three albums, and shaped themselves into one of the best live bands working today (their incendiary performance opening for Lucero at a still-reduced capacity Red Rocks in spring of 2021 was a game-changer for me – probably for them, too). Now, Smith & Co. are releasing their first post-Yellowstone record, betting that the cinematic sounds of Norther will hook the fans who gained a taste for the band on those Montana-set Sunday nights.
Shane Smith doesn’t generally do small (and, with his deep baritone, why would he?). Norther begins pensively, with Dustin Schaefer’s guitar and Bennett Brown’s fiddle probing out the beginning of “Book of Joe” before launching into their signature big, gothic sound, with Smith singing of a family holding itself together in the wake of their patriarch’s death – “Cause momma spoke Czech, and she couldn’t read or write/So we worked the farm and played dances on the side.” The song climaxes in a typically fiery solo from Brown, the Carhartt overall-bedecked fiddler who’s a must-watch during shows (and who has inspired…questionable audience fashion choices at Saints shows).
Like “Book of Joe,” many of Smith’s songs hearken back to earlier times, often to eras that predate the band. “Field of Heather,” guided by a good, thick bassline from Chase Satterwhite, deals in the horrors of war, circa WWII – “I tore a few pages from the book of life/And never told a soul.” The tune also features a fierce fidde/acoustic guitar trade-off between Brown and the record’s co-producer, Beau Bedford. Elsewhere, modern-day life gives us the oft-told tale of a struggling young band – “You take the wheel while I take a piss/There’s no chance that our mothers/Though we’d end up like this” – with a rather fresh take on the pros and cons of the road life – “Free with our hands tied/Alone but too caught up to feel.” With an embrace of their quintet’s adventure – “We’ve lived more life than any five good sailors we’ve found” – it’s actually one of the better band-on-the-road songs I’ve heard in some time.
If you’re here just for Yellowstone, The Saints have included the bigger-than-Big-Sky “Fire in the Ocean” that they played on the show (seriously – the Dutton Ranch knows how to book a damn festival!). But for something a little different, check out “All The Way.” Smith’s voice on the simple, pretty piano ballad might just have you recalling some of Johnny Cash’s more tender moments as he makes an eternal promise to a loved one – “When age like poison steals your prime/I’ll be there to hold the line/With every wrinkle, shade of grey/I’ll be with you all the way.” Delivered with zero polish – you can hear Smith creaking back and forth in his seat – it’s a hint that big and bold is not all that Shane Smith & The Saints do well.
Song I Can’t Wait to Hear Live: “Hummingbird” – A BIG country ballad with a nice, fat guitar solo, it’s the type of song that might just make a few good ol’ boys cry on the band’s next trip to Red Rocks.
Norther was produced by Beau Bedford and Shane Smith, recorded by Bedford and Scott Graham, engineered by Joel Raiff, Matt Mel, Adrian Quesada, and Ben O’Neill, mixed by O’Neil and mastered by Kevin Butler. All songs written by Smith, with co-writes going to Lauren Smith, Bo Merrell and Jonathan Terrell. Shane Smith & The Saints are Smith (primary vocals, guitar), Bennett Brown (fiddle, harmony vocals), Chase Satterwhite (bass, harmony vocals), Dustin Schaefer (lead guitar, electric guitar, slide guitar, 12-string guitar, harmony vocals) and Zach Stover (drums, percussion). Bedford played piano, acoustic guitar, baritone guitar and background vocals.
Go here to order Norther (out March 1): https://shanesmithmusic.myshopify.com/
Check out tour dates here: https://www.shanesmithmusic.com/tour/
Enjoy our previous coverage here: Key to the Highway: Shane Smith