Influences from earlier times get modernized.
Guitarist/vocalist Tom Savage teams up with Tony Silvestri/key-p, Seamus Cowan/b and Bonz Bowering/dr for nine rootsy originals. His team feels like a barroom team a la Graham Parker and the Roomer on rockers such as “Forever” while dashes of Mark Knopfler and Dire Straits pop up on “Sad When You’re Not With Me” and “Mean to Me.” Some 70s rock boogie sizzles on “17 Years” and a stark sonata on the title track grabs your attention, while his inner troubadour comes out on “Cold But Free” and “Come Home.”
Petunia plays acoustic and electric guitar and sings like a side show barker on this mix of vaudeville, swing and country with Paul townsend/dr, Jack Garton/tp-acc-key, Joseph Lubinsky-Mast/b, Stephen Nidleva/g and Jimmy Roy/steelg. The leader goes carney cool on “Lonesome” and quirky during “I Don’t’ have to Go to High School” while Garton’s trumpet gives a Bob Wills pulse on the toe tapping “too Long,” and “An Anchor.” Nidleva’s guitar delivers dashes of Link Wray on the 50s boogie of “Urban Landscape.,” We Did Not See the Light of Day” and “”Jeanie Jeanie” while Roy delivers some prairie tones on “Heavy and Lonesome.” Gotta check them out in concert, they would have sold out the Palomino back in the 70s. WHEW!