From the mining towns of 19th century Appalachia to the dimly-lit corner bars of Downriver Detroit come Rickett Pass – a 4-piece alcohol-fueled and slightly demented Bluegrass quartet. Led by the convincing grovely vocals and banjo strummin’ of Mason Damn Tinsley and the high-harmonies and mandolin of Joe Vega, Rickett Pass strum, yell, proclaim and complain their way through this DIY-CDR delivered from their merch-box to your hands in a brown paper lunch bag decorated with a black Sharpie.

There’s real flares of tradition here, but it’s the just-slightly cow-punk feel that sets this apart. At times they channel early Bad Livers, the grandfathers of bluegrass-punk, and at others they approach Steve Earle’s collaboration with the Del McCoury Band – The Mountain, but they keep it more raw and home-grown than both. The washtub bass thumps along as the Ricketts meander through 12 short tracks of heartache, defiance, cocaine and alcohol. They can pretty it up nicely when they want (“You’re Worth That Much”, ”One Way Road”), but they’re at their best when it gets dark and angry (“You Can’t Catch Me”, ”Troubles of my Own”).

This isn’t morning music and these aren’t songs for a sunny day. It’s iron stoves in shacks and ash trays in smoky bar-rooms. It’s missing teeth and chewing tobacco. It’s coming up a bit short when it’s time to pay your tab and waking up drunk with a long day at the factory ahead. It’s the hills of Kentucky shot into the arm of the once-vibrant Downriver Detroit music scene, providing a warm fix that’s been missing down there for years.

The title track from Jeremy Porter and the Tucos’ new release “Night on the Town” sounds like a throwback to the mid-90′s before bands like Puddle of Mudd ruined music. The song opens with a distorted guitar, soon followed by a snare setting the tempo, and then an ascending 3 note vocal melody.  Competent musicianship underlies the vocalizations of Jeremy Porter, whose style is somewhere between speaking and singing.  Porter has a limited range and the lyrics don’t fit comfortably in the first verse, but the chorus adds some momentum to the song, which is able to maintain its stability for the duration.

The second track, “Ain’t My House Anymore”, is the most unique cut on the album, but not overtly so.  There is a very good soloist seemingly improvising above the rhythm for most of the song, showing skillful playing and a timbre somewhere between guitar and banjo.  The concept behind the song is at the same time kitschy and clever: a man seemingly missing his house more than the family inside it.  The tone of the music is charming so it seems strangely suited to the subject matter.  It’s almost as if the character in the song happened to pass this house after a night of drinking, and vaguely remembered once living there.  He quips about having once been involved with the people inside, but doesn’t seem too broken up about it.

If “Ain’t My House Anymore” is about a man missing his house, then “Galveston” (the bonus third track) is about a man missing his town.  Porter shows a little more vocal range on this song, belting out a high note around 1:30.  Once again the lead guitar stands out above the other elements, reminiscent of some slower Eagles tune, and fades with the song.

As an album “Night on the Town” is more function than form.  Jeremy Porter and the Tucos aren’t breaking any new ground within their genre, but they’ll do if you’re looking for music to play as you clean, read, or just want a pleasant listening experience.

Reviewed by Jason Revoir

The Sights celebrate their twelfth anniversary tonight at The Magic Stick with the release of Twelve in the Bar, a new LP of unreleased material dating from 1999-2010, twelve songs in total. (I’m sensing a theme here.)

While most bands at a similar stage in their careers would take the opportunity to rest on their narcissistic laurels and put out a Greatest Hits album, The Sights never have been boring or predictable. Twelve in the Bar is a collection of rarities: demos, studio outtakes, live recordings, and radio sessions. It features a well-balanced selection of material from all the various Sights “eras,” from Are You Green? to Most of What Follows is True.

Those who have never heard The Sights before need not be turned off by the collector’s appeal of the album. The songs are good enough to stand on their own, even without a longstanding affinity for the band. Opening the album is a gem of a tune, with all the bubbles and bite as a Jack & Coke. It’s sure to win over anyone with a respectable taste in music, and with a title like “I Wanna Fuck Your Sister,” what’s not to love? “How Does It Feel?,” an outtake from 1999, and “Sorry,” a live 2001 version of a song recorded on The Sight’s first record (and later revamped on their second), may come off rather inaccessible for new listeners, but the raw material is definitely there.

The real knockouts are the live acoustic takes; with minimal percussion in place of the usual rampant drumming found on The Sights’ studio albums, familiar Sights songs are transformed, full of space and soul. On “Jealous Night,” recorded live in 2005, the brooding restlessness of Eddie Baranek’s vocals perfectly interlocks with a darkly glowing piano accompaniment by Bobby Emmett. It’s enough blue-eyed soul to make Van Morrison green with envy. The 2002 live version of “Got What I Want,” a song originally recorded as a raucously cocky number for The Sights’ sophomore release, Got What We Want, has a similar effect. Stripped of percussion, and slowed to a mellow tempo, it’s striking and quite beautiful, once you get past the—ahem—“deeper” meaning of the lyrics.

It’s the longtime fans who will truly appreciate Twelve in the Bar, because while none of the tracks have been previously released, there’s a hazy sense of familiarity around them. Don’t look at the liner notes before listening to the album for the first time—it’s fun just to listen to them and to try to guess when they were recorded, with which lineup. Surprises abound, from repurposed lyrics to unsuspecting haphazard cover tunes.

If there’s one thing consistent about The Sights’ legacy, (because it isn’t their lineup) it’s frontman Eddie Baranek’s exquisite craft of songwriting. Though each of the band’s albums produced different drummers, bassists, and keyboard players accompanying Baranek, the ear-pleasing quality of the songs has never faltered. And while some former bandmates surely have held grudges in the past, it’s evident that the proverbial hatchet has been buried: members from every past incarnation of the Sights will reunite on stage tonight, playing songs that haven’t been performed live in years—and likely won’t ever be again.

So dig out your flared jeans, studded belt, disposable camera, and fake ID, because tonight’s show is sure to revive the wonder years of your concert-going youth. You may even be tempted to write about it in your LiveJournal.

The Sights’ record release is tonight at The Magic Stick w/ The Sin-Bads and The Wrong Numbers. Doors at 9:00.

Download a free track off Twelve in the Bar at thesights.bandcamp.com

Greensky Bluegrass, the bluegrass-hybrid quintet from Kalamazoo, will be performing both this Friday and Saturday at the Majestic Theater. Their New Year’s celebration/ album release party will be in support of their newest release, Handguns.

A pre-release EP of Handguns, including five of the album’s upcoming songs, was made available online in October. The finished album has nine additional tracks, and has more fun than the EP leads to believe.

In addition to performing at large-scale music festivals such as Bonnaroo, Bumbershoot, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass and Electric Forest – Greensky has played 160 shows every year, for the past six years.

This group has transcended boundaries set by listeners, artists and genres by experimenting with traditional means to create contemporary sounds. Handguns was recorded in between Greensky’s winter tours using straight-to-tape recording consoles, vintage microphones and a wide variety of unique instruments – including a dobro, horns and an upright bass.

Anders Beck (dobro), Michael Arlen Bont (banjo), Dave Bruzza (guitar), Mike Devol (upright bass) and Paul Hoffman (mandolin) make up an act with a mature sense of instrumentation and modern know-how, and the group’s collective vocals are smoothly harmonized over what sounds like the finger picking Olympics. Handguns is the culmination of timeless themes and the true spirit of the Great Lakes.

Paul Hoffman, Greensky’s vocal master, wrote 10 out of the 14 tracks. He gathers truth from his own personal struggles, and weaves a lyrical story that can be enjoyed by all music listeners. This album enjoys a broad series of messages, but focuses on strife, perseverance and inner strength.

Handguns by Greensky Bluegrass

The opening track titled, “Don’t Lie”, introduces the members of the band, and demonstrates the group’s finger picking prowess. Hoffman’s lyrics are accompanied by a great picking solo, and plenty of country/western vibes.

The title track, Handguns, is a dynamic piece that features plenty of honky-tonk sounding slides and dobro solos. The blend of swaying voices and twang creates an undeniably American sound, and an album favorite.

“I’d Probably Kill You”, introduces an interesting aspect to a traditionally stringed genre – a horn section. The subtle use of brass accents ties the piece together. This is not your standard folk jam. The softened horns are an indication of Greensky’s ability to master music well – even while being true to traditional recording techniques.

One of the album’s last tracks, “Hot Dogs (On Parade)”, is a whimsical showcase of instrumentation – including an unforgettable kazoo accompaniment, a drunken guitar part and a clumsy horn section. This track, which is not seen on the pre-released EP, is just more than two minutes, but would be perfect for a parade of bluegrass loving hotdogs.

Handguns is a must have for contemporary bluegrass lovers. Even for listeners with a limited ear for folk melodies, this album is simply full of great music. Hoffman’s lyrics, and the band’s perfect blend of stringed components, make for a completely unique listen. Greensky Bluegrass has once again created an appeal that stretches numerous genres, and several generations.

Ethan Milner

Chris Bathgate “Salt Year”
The Weeknd “House of Balloons”
Wilco “The Whole Love”
James Blake – “S/T”
Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor “Spectra Spirit”
Real Estate “Days”
Phantasmagoria “Spirit”
Curren$y “Weekend At Burnie’s”
The War on Drugs “Slave Ambient”

Jeremy Porter

1. Glen Campbell “Ghost On The Canvas”
2. Tom Waits “Bad As Me”
3. Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit “Here We Rest”
4. Sloan “The Double Cross”
5. Steve Earle “I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive”
6. Tommy Stinson “One Man Mutiny”
7. Drive-By Truckers “Go-Go Boots”
8. Wanda Jackson “The Party Ain’t Over”
9. Emmylou Harris “Hard Bargain”
10. Bottle Rockets “Not So Loud: An Acoustic Evening with the Bottle Rockets”

Jason Revoir

1. Kurt Vile “Smoke Ring For My Halo”
2. Eleanor Friedberger “Last Summer”
3. M83 “Hurry Up We’re Dreaming”
4. Neon Indian “Era Extraña”
5. Tycho “Dive”
6. Active Child “You Are All I See”
7. Fleet Foxes “Helplessness Blues”
8. Death Cab For Cutie “Codes and Keys”
9. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah “Hysterical”
10. New Villager “New Villager”

Steve Barman

1. Beirut “The Rip Tide”
2. Wild Flag “Wild Flag”
3. Washed Out “Within And Without”
4. Tom Waits “Bad As Me”
5. The Drums “Portamento”
6. Cults “Cults”
7. Neon Indian “Era Extraña”
8. St. Vincent “Strange Mercy”
9. Charlie Slick “A Farout Indian”
10. Smoking Popes “This Is Only A Test”