The Gringo Pistoleros – The Rise and…Subsequent Fall of the Texas Alien
The delicacy of this Austin-based band is their strength on the earthy “I’ll Walk the Line (For Your Hootchie Cootchie).” It’s a honky-tonk marzipan. Takes the words “easy-listening” to another level. The melody is sticky as taffy & the instruments spread their notes like rich creamy butter across a well-toasted piece of Wonder Bread. The double-entendre is delectably innocent & the vocals, are wonderfully adept. Perfectly suited in a Barenaked Ladies & Squirrel Nut Zippers way.
These 10 pistolero musical bullets on The Rise and…Subsequent Fall of the Texas Alien (Drops May 31/Independent/37:00) – produced by Patrick Herzfeld & Larry Wilson (guitar).
The first song “That’s How I Got To Memphis” was recorded with a vintage touch & the approach is similar to the wonderful Aztec Two-Step tune “Tonight I Wish I Was In Texas.” In the second “One Step Further” they add some vocal treatment & maintain the melodic pedal steel which is a nice contrast. These boys don’t use their effects for effect but just as nuances to make it all the more attractive.
Some spots seem like a 4-cylinder engine climbing a steep hill on a hot summer day but that hardly suggests the tunes are poor. Some songs are slower but composed with care. Some songs, as common as they may sound, have a vibrancy emanating from a generous mix of C&W tradition mixed with a newer country emulsion. Everything seems designed to bring a smile to the most determined cantankerous face & succeeds.
The traditional “Crawdad Song” is humorous but not silly. While it could be applied to a Hee-Haw country show it possesses a Hank Williams quality. And that makes all the difference. The playing & singing are emblematic of enjoying the music. The lead vocal while not commanding, has character & that’s all that’s needed to get tales like these across with discernable sweetness & sincerity. Fortunately, many subjects strung along in these topical songs are quite creative & ingenious.
“The Cat Came Back,” is plucked from a Cab Calloway musical garden. Cool stuff.
Highlights – “That’s How I Got To Memphis,” “One Step Further,” “I’ll Walk the Line (For Your Hootchie Cootchie),” “High Mileage Heart,” “Crawdad Song” & “The Cat Came Back.”
Musicians – Bee Roberts (drums), Cory Grinder (vocals/guitar/piano/fiddle), Lazarus Nichols (vocals/guitar), Alexander Buchanan (bass), Stephen Karney (pedal steel guitar) featuring Michael O’Connor (guitar/mandolin), Joe Faulhaber (guitar) & Austin Stambaugh (guitar) & Oliver Steck (trumpet).
B&W images courtesy of their website. CD @ https://thegringopistoleros.com/
Video Premiere: https://americanahighways.org/2024/05/14/video-premiere-gringo-pistoleros-one-step-further/
