JIMBO MATHUS & THE TRI-STATE COALITION
''WHITE BUFFALO''
JANUARY 22 2013
32:56
1. In the Garden/2:56
2. (I Wanna be Your) Satellite/2:39
3. Tennessee Walker Mare/4:53
4. White Buffalo/3:11
5. Hatchie Bottoms/3:26
6. Fake Hex/2:21
7. Poor Lost Souls/3:42
8. Self?/2:09
9. Run Devil Run/4:02
10. Useless Heart/3:37
All Tracks By Mathus
REVIEW
By Chris Martin
With a strum of the mandolin, Jimbo Mathus kicks off his latest collection of tunes with the epic “In The Garden”, touching on the ever burning battle between good and evil Mathus’ welcomes listeners to the White Buffalo. This latest record with his Tri State Coalition delivers a diverse batch of songs with enough rock, blues, country and folk to keep everyone enthralled. Loaded with Southern imagery the songs on this record are a testament to Mathus’ writing abilities as he vocalizes about what he knows best.
Like all the albums before this, Mathus refuses to stick to a set template with his song writing. While the songs traverse all over the musical landscape, one thing for sure is they will all be good. White Buffalo takes the listener from song to song introducing 10 individual tunes that stand on their own, but when you listen to them as a whole it becomes one damn fine piece of work. American and roots music are nothing new to Mathus and when you listen to “Tennessee Walker Mare” or “Useless Heart”. The rocking “Fake Hex” would fit nicely in Chuck Berry’s catalog of tunes and “Poor Lost Souls” could pass as classic Appalachia. The brooding “Run Devil Run” takes the album into a darker direction with swampy blues licks and chunky rhythms; this track gets better with each listen. The tune “Hatchie Bottoms” is a testament to what Mathus does best. Heavy on piano, he paints a detailed mental picture about family and life in the South. Full of keyboard and jangly guitars, “(I Wanna Be Your) Satellite” is a demonstration of true Southern soul. The gem of the record is the title track, “White Buffalo”. An all out auditory assault, this psychedelic gem is some of the heaviest music to come from Mr. Mathus. Blistering guitars from Matt Pierce lead the way as Jimbo wails about the White Buffalo, “he ain’t dead, but he’s layin’ mighty low”.
This latest addition to the vast Jimbo Mathus musical library may be his finest. While his lyrical output continues to amaze, his band the Tri State Coalition is what takes this record to the next level. Pierce’s guitar playing is rivaled by few; Eric Carlton provides the soul on keyboards and the occasional accordion, while the rhythms of Ryan Rogers (drums) and Terrance Bishop (bass) are the backbone. Mathus has assembled a band that effortlessly swings through multiple musical styles. It is as if they know what he is thinking and then take the music there before Jimbo can tell them to do so. Their cohesiveness is a rare thing. Yes I know 2013 has just begun, but White Buffalo should find its way onto many “Best Of” lists at the end of the year. I highly recommend adding this record to your music collection.
BIOGRAPHY
by Heather Phares
Along with his work in the Squirrel Nut Zippers, singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Jim Mathus pursued projects outside of the group (often under slightly different names, including James Mathus, Jas Mathus, Jimbo "Hambone" Mathus, and Jimbo Mathus), appearing on collaborator Andrew Bird's albums Thrills and Bowl of Fire. In 1997, Mathus, Zippers bassist Stu Cole, producer Mike Napolitano, and pianist Greg Bell formed the Knockdown Society and released Play Songs for Rosetta, a collection of bluesman Charley Patton's songs that benefited his daughter Rosetta and her family. His music took another turn in late 2001 with the release of National Antiseptic, this time offering tribute to the electric juke joint swamp rock of the Deep South. Mathus followed up with the similarly bluesy and eclectic Stop and Let the Devil Ride in 2003, and two years later Knockdown South was issued. Mathus decided to return to the acoustic roots of Mississippi blues and country with Old Scool Hot Wings, which came out in 2006. Also appearing in 2006, this time under the name Jimbo Mathus, was the album Jimmy the Kid, released by Artemis Records. Mathus stuck with the Jimbo moniker for his 2011 full-length Confederate Buddha. Blue Light, a six-song solo vinyl EP arrived in 2012, followed by the full-length White Buffalo in 2013.
''WHITE BUFFALO''
JANUARY 22 2013
32:56
1. In the Garden/2:56
2. (I Wanna be Your) Satellite/2:39
3. Tennessee Walker Mare/4:53
4. White Buffalo/3:11
5. Hatchie Bottoms/3:26
6. Fake Hex/2:21
7. Poor Lost Souls/3:42
8. Self?/2:09
9. Run Devil Run/4:02
10. Useless Heart/3:37
All Tracks By Mathus
REVIEW
By Chris Martin
With a strum of the mandolin, Jimbo Mathus kicks off his latest collection of tunes with the epic “In The Garden”, touching on the ever burning battle between good and evil Mathus’ welcomes listeners to the White Buffalo. This latest record with his Tri State Coalition delivers a diverse batch of songs with enough rock, blues, country and folk to keep everyone enthralled. Loaded with Southern imagery the songs on this record are a testament to Mathus’ writing abilities as he vocalizes about what he knows best.
Like all the albums before this, Mathus refuses to stick to a set template with his song writing. While the songs traverse all over the musical landscape, one thing for sure is they will all be good. White Buffalo takes the listener from song to song introducing 10 individual tunes that stand on their own, but when you listen to them as a whole it becomes one damn fine piece of work. American and roots music are nothing new to Mathus and when you listen to “Tennessee Walker Mare” or “Useless Heart”. The rocking “Fake Hex” would fit nicely in Chuck Berry’s catalog of tunes and “Poor Lost Souls” could pass as classic Appalachia. The brooding “Run Devil Run” takes the album into a darker direction with swampy blues licks and chunky rhythms; this track gets better with each listen. The tune “Hatchie Bottoms” is a testament to what Mathus does best. Heavy on piano, he paints a detailed mental picture about family and life in the South. Full of keyboard and jangly guitars, “(I Wanna Be Your) Satellite” is a demonstration of true Southern soul. The gem of the record is the title track, “White Buffalo”. An all out auditory assault, this psychedelic gem is some of the heaviest music to come from Mr. Mathus. Blistering guitars from Matt Pierce lead the way as Jimbo wails about the White Buffalo, “he ain’t dead, but he’s layin’ mighty low”.
This latest addition to the vast Jimbo Mathus musical library may be his finest. While his lyrical output continues to amaze, his band the Tri State Coalition is what takes this record to the next level. Pierce’s guitar playing is rivaled by few; Eric Carlton provides the soul on keyboards and the occasional accordion, while the rhythms of Ryan Rogers (drums) and Terrance Bishop (bass) are the backbone. Mathus has assembled a band that effortlessly swings through multiple musical styles. It is as if they know what he is thinking and then take the music there before Jimbo can tell them to do so. Their cohesiveness is a rare thing. Yes I know 2013 has just begun, but White Buffalo should find its way onto many “Best Of” lists at the end of the year. I highly recommend adding this record to your music collection.
BIOGRAPHY
by Heather Phares
Along with his work in the Squirrel Nut Zippers, singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Jim Mathus pursued projects outside of the group (often under slightly different names, including James Mathus, Jas Mathus, Jimbo "Hambone" Mathus, and Jimbo Mathus), appearing on collaborator Andrew Bird's albums Thrills and Bowl of Fire. In 1997, Mathus, Zippers bassist Stu Cole, producer Mike Napolitano, and pianist Greg Bell formed the Knockdown Society and released Play Songs for Rosetta, a collection of bluesman Charley Patton's songs that benefited his daughter Rosetta and her family. His music took another turn in late 2001 with the release of National Antiseptic, this time offering tribute to the electric juke joint swamp rock of the Deep South. Mathus followed up with the similarly bluesy and eclectic Stop and Let the Devil Ride in 2003, and two years later Knockdown South was issued. Mathus decided to return to the acoustic roots of Mississippi blues and country with Old Scool Hot Wings, which came out in 2006. Also appearing in 2006, this time under the name Jimbo Mathus, was the album Jimmy the Kid, released by Artemis Records. Mathus stuck with the Jimbo moniker for his 2011 full-length Confederate Buddha. Blue Light, a six-song solo vinyl EP arrived in 2012, followed by the full-length White Buffalo in 2013.
