Phil Gammage – Motel Called Loneliness
Having moved to New York City in 1980, where he started his career, Phil Gammage (lead guitar/harmonica) was originally from Texas. He shaped a solid, interesting image of a rousing country Nick Cave, who drifts along the sidewalks of Chuck E. Weiss.
This self-produced album by Phil was created over the last 2 years in various studios in NYC to create the 8 tracks of Motel Called Loneliness (Dropped Oct. 24/PreFab International Ciné). It finds Phil’s brand of expressive dark country, with lipstick tattooed tissue blues, & bacon sizzle Americana that deals the cards on heartache, devotion & redemption. Phil throws in a few applicable cover tunes & it adds color to his beer-stained diary of musical pages.
The set begins with a jaunty cowboy western tune, “Yes It’s Me,” that has a Jim Reeves heft in style, though Phil doesn’t have Reeves’ warm baritone. The song cruises along close to the edge of corny country & western, but Phil expertly & cleverly maintains both hands on the wheel & delivers a wonderfully disciplined feel-good song. There’s an alt-country Rank & File atmosphere to the melody that has momentum. Followed by the title track — also country-based & fueled by a chug-a-lug beat, a patent mixture of cowpunk that grabs your tapping feet by the ankles & guides you to the dance floor where you’ll dance with anything with a pulse. Quite good.
“Heartache By Delivery” is soaked with a Dave & Phil Alvin-type countrypolitan mandolin scratching indulgence. Interesting haunting stuff. Is there anything called progressive country, because that’s what it sounds like. Just enough echo on Phil’s voice to give it presence. Part Del-Lords, part Beat Farmers & air cooled throughout the showcase.
A bit more Los Lobos, Tito & Tarantula in tradition is the slow burn “day of the dead” oriented posturing of “See How We Roll.” It’s slathered in deep, hot harmonica butter & snake-rattling guitars that drift over like thin mist in a bayou swamp. You want atmosphere…I give you Phil Gammage. Excellent.
Then, take some lounge music from a cocktail bar & add piano, a swish of brushes on the snare & a crooning country tone. You’d have the pudding & cream of “Speakeasy Blues.” Smoke rings, a short beer & feet up on the table music. “Ain’t Nothin’ To Me” is almost Johnny Horton in tone (“Battle of New Orleans”) as Phil chugs along with this barroom narrative. A bedtime story for a grown man. Creativity abounds in these grooves.
Highlights – “Yes It’s Me,” “Motel Called Loneliness,” “Heartache By Delivery,” “See How We Roll,” “Speakeasy Blues,” & “Ain’t Nothin’ To Me.”
Musicians – Shije Lynn (bgv), Seth Goldart (mandolin), David Fleming (harmonica), Brian Hack (guitar), Scott Dennis, Roger Stoltz & Michael Fox (drums), Johnny Young (piano/keyboards), & Jeff Gordon (bass).
Sepia Paris, France image courtesy of Phil’s website. CD @ Bandcamp & https://philgammagemusic.com/
Enjoy some of our previous coverage here: REVIEW: Phil Gammage “Redeemed”