Nick 13 – Nick 13

This week was good show week, in town beginning on Friday we had Hank 3, City and Colour, Bright Eyes and Nick 13 with Brett Detar. I must say it was an fantastic week of shows. I'd like to say I saw them all but alas I really have no extra money this week, so I opted for the Nick 13 and Brett Detar show.
Let me just say, I am happy with my decision. Nick 13 and Brett Detar rocked my country/folk socks right off. At the show I picked up both the new Nick 13 album as well as the Brett Detar release. Both of which I will be signing the praises of in review form. Here is my review for Nick 13's self titled debut.

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I am writing this review one day removed for seeing the Tiger Army crooner Nick 13 live in Dallas. For the last four years he has been hard at work on a solo album. For people who listen to Tiger Army it is very reminiscent of "Outlaw Heart" from Tiger Army's first, self-titled album. I've always love Nick 13's voice and have been (in)patiently awaiting to hear something new.  Finally this album has released and man is it awesome.

The first stand out track on this album is the song "Carry My Body Down". I love songs I can identify with. Nick 13 writes in a very cryptic way. His song can mean something different to almost anyone that listens. Two people may not make the same conclusion to what he is writing about. He is really the the only one who knows exactly what it is about. To me this song is about reflecting on the past and what happens when you die. Musically this song has an old country feel and sound(not that new bullshit country i.e Taylor Swift that people seem to like).

"How long can this journey go on? Will I find the place I'm meant to go?
Will dreams fall down around us, just like the weathered stone?
Another year has come and gone. Will my coat hold for one year more?
I think of how far I have come, and what's been left behind.

When will they carry my body down? When will they carry my body down?
Will they take it from the river after I've jumped right in and drowned?
Will they find it on the battlefield, on the spot I stood my ground?

I walk alone, I walk apart. Someday, I'll wander no more.
I search to find what I have lost and that which I've never known.
And when I find that I have gone across that river I know,
I'll take only my memories, and things that might have been.

When will they carry my body down? When will they carry my body down?
Will they cut it from a hangman's noose after the sentence has come down?
Will anyone be there to morn a villain's passing to the ground?

When will they carry my body down? When will they carry my body down?

When will they carry my body down?"


The fourth track on the album, "All Alone" is another one of my favorites. Nick 13's croons are accompanied by the backing vocal of "all alone" by his backing band through out  the song. It adds a little something to a great song. The steel guitar and awesome stand up bass are prominent in this song to. Overall, it's a great song and written very well. This is another one of those track I identify with. The lyric "oh where o where is my little girl, It's too much for me I gotta move along, It's too much for me I cannot stay I'm gone....All Alone in this world" really sums it up.

Also on this record, Nick 13 reminds us where he started. He does two "re-envisioned" Tiger Army songs. "In The Orchard" and "Cupids Victim". Both songs are great and do the original Tiger Army tracks more than justice. On "In The Orchard" Nick 13 slows things down and adds a bit of piano and we get a nice honkytonk version of "Cupids Victim".

You know I always find it funny when people say they like all music....except for country. To those people who say that, I think they just haven't heard the right kind of country. Stop listening to the radio and open your ears to the underground. Nick 13 gives us an amazing Americana/Country/Rock album. It is sure to be a favorite for psychobilly, punk and country fans alike. Good music makes everyone happy and this album sure does make me happy....and I'm usually known for being angry...ask anyone who knows me.

Nick 13 goes good with: Tiger Army, Old 97s, City and Colour, Brett Detar, Hank 3 (1 and 2), Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Townes Van Zandt, Willie Nelson

-Cicatriz

Brent Hinds Presents: West End Motel

 . . .Continued From Fiend Without A Face

With grave concern quickly taking up all of my conscious thoughts, I gently spurred my horse into a slow trot.  We made our way down the wide, dirt packed street towards our ultimate destination, the West End Motel.  It was there that The Fiend had retired after quitting the train, and it was there I would confront him (or her for that matter).  During my approach to the Motel I watched the main entrance carefully to ensure that no unknown persons left the premises.  My heart skipped a few beats when a man stumbled out the door, but thankfully I was able to quickly identify him as the town drunk; a.k.a. not the person I was hunting.

When I arrived in front of the Motel I dismounted from my horse and tied his reins to the nearest hitching post.  Being a creature of habit I took out my pistol to make sure that it was loaded and that the firing mechanism was clean of debris.  With that done I holstered my weapon, realigned my badge to foster maximum visibility, and took a couple of deep, drawn out breaths to steady my nerves.  A few moments later I was as calm as I could be prior to a confrontation, and I strode through the Motel entrance with a look of grim determination on my face.

The entrance immediately gave way to a spacious lobby which was fairly crowded with guests.  Idle chatter noticeably died down after my presence became known, and the regulars shot nervous glances my way.  Hoping to still have some element of surprise on my side I strode over to the stairway at the back of the lobby, climbed up a few steps, and rapped the butt of my pistol against the banister to call attention to myself.  With all eyes on me and the closest thing to silence anyone could ask for, I got down to business.

“Good evening ladies and gentlemen.  For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Penfold.  I’m the sheriff of this town, and I’m here today on some very important business.”
Just as I finished my last sentence a sharply dressed, well-groomed man stood up from a table in the center of the lobby.  “Sheriff Penfold.  If I may interrupt, I believe that you are looking for me.”
“Really?  What would make you believe that sir?”
He chuckled slightly and casually lifted his right hand to obscure his lower face for a moment.  “Oh, just a hunch is all.”
“You know what, I think you’re right.”  I raised my voice, “Ladies and gentlemen.  I apologize for the inconvenience, but I’m going to need ya’ll to vacate the premises.  I need to speak with this man in private.”
A random guest seemed incredulous.  “Sheriff you can’t be serious?!?”
My only response was to cock my pistol.  That certainly got the message across, as everyone but my quarry hastily exited the Motel.

The man now holding my undivided attention began half-heartedly clapping.  “Bravo Sheriff!  Bravo.  Very well done, but don’t you think that was a bit excessive?”
“Not at all sir.  Or would you prefer that I call you ‘The Fiend’?”
“Gary will suffice.  Mind if I call you Pen?”
“Whatever floats your boat, Gary.”
“So what happens now Pen?”
“First you offer me some proof that you are in fact ‘The Fiend’.”
“Fair enough.  How about this?”  He took a small pouch out of his coat pocket and tossed it to me.  The pouch contained several gold coins of the variety that had been stolen by ‘The Fiend’ a month ago.  “Satisfied?”
“Yes indeed.  Now tell me what you’re doing in my town Gary.”
“Well Pen, the life of a highwayman is rather taxing.  I need a break from the routine.  I need a vacation.  You know…some time to kick my feet up and relax.  Luckily I found out about your town; a place on the outskirts of civilization that’s outside the reach of all those big city lawmen trying to track me down.”
“Aren’t you forgetting about small town sheriffs like me?”
“Not at all Pen.  I’ve been told that you are a reasonable man.  I propose that you just leave me be for the next month.  You have my assurance that I will cause no trouble in your town while I’m here.  At the end of the month, I’ll leave and you’ll never see me again.”
“Why should I consent to consciously harboring a known fugitive?”
“That pouch in your hand has more money in it than you’ll make in a year, maybe two.  If you let me stay here, all that money is yours.”
“Are you offering me a bribe Gary?”
He gave me a big smile.  “You could say that Pen.”
“I thought so.”  I tossed the pouch back to him.  Just when he made the catch, I shot him.  The Fiend fell backwards onto the floor, clutching his left shoulder where the bullet had entered his body.  Casually, I approached the fallen villain.  When I was standing over him I made eye contact.  “Two things Gary.  One: only my friends get to call me Pen.  And two: I hate bribery.  Besides, I’ll have money to burn once I collect the reward on your head.”

Hello there waveriders.  I’m oh so glad you could join me today.  If you were kind enough to stick around for the conclusion of this two-part review, thank you.  If that last sentence means nothing to you than do yourself a favor, go back and look up part one of this review covering Fiend Without A Face.  Not only will you discover some fantastically interesting tunes, but the storyline you just finished reading will actually make sense given the proper introduction.  Finished?  All right, let’s get on to the good stuff!

Have you ever sat down and thought about most established artist’s side projects?  Go ahead, take a moment.  I’ll wait.  I’m guessing that the more you thought about it, the more often you arrived at the same conclusion.  The side projects sound either very similar, or disturbingly identical to the artist’s main musical outlet.  If you like the artist you probably like the side project.  If you don’t like the primary band, odds are that the side project won’t do anything for you either.  But hold on!  Let’s retrace our steps.  Yes the majority of side projects tread a well established line, but there are others that don’t play it safe and really take a walk on the wild side.  West End Motel is definitely one of the wild ones, and I’m going to show you where the wild things are.

Brent Hinds plays guitar and sings in Mastodon.  You know…the widely successful heavy metal band that has put out some killer records over the past few years.  You might have heard of them.  Brent Hinds plays guitar and sings (backup outside of one song in which he sings lead) in West End Motel.  West End Motel is one of Brent Hinds’ side projects.  Now let me make something abundantly clear.  West End Motel – Is – Not – Mastodon!!  In fact, I’m one hundred percent positive that you would never connect the two without assistance.  Why is that you ask?  I’ll tell you.  Mastodon plays heavy metal.  West End Motel plays mid-to-down tempo country music with punk ethos.  That’s right…country music with foot-stomping attitude.  Didn’t see that one coming did ya?  I know I didn’t.

The musical proceedings get started with the flouncy strut of “…And We Are Here To Entertain You”.  Yes you are my good men.  Yes you are.  The listener is struck immediately by the earthiness of Tom Cheshire’s vocals.  He’s not aiming for the stratosphere folks.  He’s channeling the everyman and tapping into all the emotion that accompanies him.  No song disappoints, but a couple of the other tracks stand out to my ears.  The more rock-ish “I Like It A Lot” features melody lines that haunt my dreams, “She’s On Fire” has some truly fantastic guitar work from Mr. Hinds, and album closer “Highwaters” is utterly captivating in every way imaginable.  Vocals, guitar, rhythm section, hummable choruses; you name it, it’s here in spades.

I only have one real complaint with this album.  At twenty three and one half minutes it is too short to fulfill my demands.  After the album ends I’m left wanting every time.  I need more!  Some people might dispute this point and use my own argument against me, saying that the album is the perfect length because it produces insatiable desire for the band’s next release.  Touché my friends.  Touché.  To quote a famous person, “That means you’re wrong right?”  West End Motel.  Get it now!

--Penfold

Buy here: Fiend Without a Face & West End Motel
Buy here Mp3: Fiend Without A Face/West End Motel: Don't Shiver, You're A Winner