MORELAND & ARBUCKLE
''PROMISED LAND OR BUST''
MAY 6 2016
39:02
**********
01 - Take Me With You (When You Go) 04:08 (Dustin Arbuckle, Aaron Moreland, Kendall Newby)
02 - Mean And Evil 03:18 (Dustin Arbuckle, Aaron Moreland)
03 - Hannah 04:50 (Michael S. Hosty)
04 - When The Lights Are Burning Low 03:05 (Dustin Arbuckle, Aaron Moreland, Kendall Newby)
05 - Woman Down In Arkansas 04:13 (Lee McBee)
06 - Mount Comfort 04:14 (Dustin Arbuckle, Aaron Moreland)
07 - Long Did I Hide It 02:35 (Ryan Taylor)
08 - Waco Avenue 03:00 (Dustin Arbuckle, Aaron Moreland)
09 - I'm A King Bee 02:49 (Slim Harpo, James Moore)
10 - Long Way Home 03:09 (Dustin Arbuckle, Aaron Moreland)
11 - Why'd She Have To Go (And Let Me Down)_ 03:36 (Ryan Taylor)
**********
Aaron Moreland: Electric, Acoustic, and Cigar Box Guitars
Dustin Arbuckle: Lead Vocals, Harmonica
Kendall Newby: Drums, Percussion, Background Vocals
Guests:
Scott Williams: Keyboards On 1, 3, 4, 6, 9, 10, 11
Mark Foley: Bass On 1, 3, 5, 8, 10, 11
Matt Bayles: Keyboards On 8, Additional Guitar On 6
**********
REVIEW/AMG
Thom Jurek
Promised Land or Bust is Moreland & Arbuckle's Alligator Records debut. The Kansas bluesmen re-enlisted producer Matt Bayles (Mastodon, the Sword) -- who also helmed their brilliant 7 Cities in 2013. The Kansas bluesmen claim Alligator was a natural fit, since their first signing was Hound Dog Taylor & the Houserockers, an enormous influence on their sound. Guitarist Aaron Moreland, vocalist and harmonicist Dustin Arbuckle, and drummer Kendall Newby are supported on more than half these tracks by guests, with bassist Mark Foley and keyboardist Scott Williams, who add depth to their already considerable firepower. Here, roots inspirations of Mississippi Delta and Hill Country blues are re-examined and reaffirmed as central to their mix with electric roadhouse boogie and heartland hard rock. What really sets this band apart from virtually every modern blues act is that their energy, rawness, and virtuosic instrumental skill are matched by their songwriting. The juxtaposition of tunes on Promised Land or Bust highlight and exacerbate the tension between spiritual quandaries and sensual pleasures. Opener "Take Me with You When You Go," is a swampy, howling prayer for cosmic deliverance from earthly struggle. The emotional depth in Arbuckle's vocal is underscored by his haunted harmonica solo and Moreland's supercharged guitar break (that nods at George Harrison's in "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" in the conclusion). The squalling slide roar in "Mean & Evil" fuels a lyric notion that some people are so black-hearted that they're even unworthy of even hell. The grungy, gritty, allegorical murder ballad "Hannah" -- written by Mike Hosty -- finds the protagonist in a terminal state of regret after killing his lover. He claims madness -- à la Satan whispering in his head -- but reveals the real truth: the real demon behind his crime was rage, fueled by jealousy and feelings of inadequacy. Angels and spirits haunt the protagonist's loneliness and disconnection in the bluesy country-rock of "Mount Comfort." On the Delta-inspired gallop of "Long Did I Hide It" (one of two songs by Ryan Taylor), Arbuckle soulfully imparts the psychological and supernatural consequences of living with secrets. But the carnal rises up to claim its own. Check the belly swagger in "When the Lights Are Low," the riotous cover of Slim Harpo's "I'm a King Bee," and Lee McBee's smoking boogie, "Woman Down in Arkansas." (McBee, a fellow Kansan, was a legendary blues harmonica player who passed in 2014.) "Long Way Home" is a snarling tale of betrayal (by a bedeviled red-headed woman). It turns back on the protagonist, though, revealing his willing complicity in his circumstances as scorching slide guitars and taut snare rip through the center. The beauty on Promised Land or Bust is that M&A approach the spiritual and carnal as inseparable, bound together in their rowdy, soulful, infectious sound; it's all killer, no filler.
**********
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Steve Leggett
Caney Valley Blues
Guitarist Aaron Moreland and harpist/vocalist Dustin Arbuckle, have fashioned an old/new 21st century roots sound by merging several American musical strains, from blues, folk, and country to rock and soul, and when at their best, they do it all with a raw and energetic passion. Moreland and Arbuckle met at an open-mike session at a club in Wichita, Kansas, in 2001, and since both were exploring country blues, they began playing together, starting a quartet called the Kingsnakes. Personnel came and went in the band, including drummer Brad Horner, who joined the Kingsnakes in 2003 but didn't stick around long. Hanging on to a bassist proved to be a problem, but when Horner returned in 2006, Moreland and Arbuckle realized that they didn't really need a bassist, and the current trio took shape. Three self-produced albums quickly followed -- Caney Valley Blues in 2005, Floyd's Market in 2006, and 1861 in 2008. All three releases garnered critical attention and Moreland & Arbuckle signed with Telarc International, which released Flood in 2010. Issued in 2011, Just a Dream featured a guest spot from guitarist Steve Cropper. Horner left in 2012 and was replaced by Kendall Newby. The revamped trio emerged with 7 Cities in 2013, produced by Matt Bayles (Mastodon, The Sword).
Promised Land or Bust
The band toured almost non-stop for the next two years headlining their own club, small theater and festival dates across the United States, Canada, and Europe. During a break, they signed to Chicago's Alligator Records and entered Omaha, Nebraska's Arc Studios with Bayles to record their debut for the label. Promised Land or Bust was released in the spring of 2016, preceded by its single, "When The Lights Are Burning Low."
**********
WEBSITE
**********
TO THE TOP
**********
''PROMISED LAND OR BUST''
MAY 6 2016
39:02
**********
01 - Take Me With You (When You Go) 04:08 (Dustin Arbuckle, Aaron Moreland, Kendall Newby)
02 - Mean And Evil 03:18 (Dustin Arbuckle, Aaron Moreland)
03 - Hannah 04:50 (Michael S. Hosty)
04 - When The Lights Are Burning Low 03:05 (Dustin Arbuckle, Aaron Moreland, Kendall Newby)
05 - Woman Down In Arkansas 04:13 (Lee McBee)
06 - Mount Comfort 04:14 (Dustin Arbuckle, Aaron Moreland)
07 - Long Did I Hide It 02:35 (Ryan Taylor)
08 - Waco Avenue 03:00 (Dustin Arbuckle, Aaron Moreland)
09 - I'm A King Bee 02:49 (Slim Harpo, James Moore)
10 - Long Way Home 03:09 (Dustin Arbuckle, Aaron Moreland)
11 - Why'd She Have To Go (And Let Me Down)_ 03:36 (Ryan Taylor)
**********
Aaron Moreland: Electric, Acoustic, and Cigar Box Guitars
Dustin Arbuckle: Lead Vocals, Harmonica
Kendall Newby: Drums, Percussion, Background Vocals
Guests:
Scott Williams: Keyboards On 1, 3, 4, 6, 9, 10, 11
Mark Foley: Bass On 1, 3, 5, 8, 10, 11
Matt Bayles: Keyboards On 8, Additional Guitar On 6
**********
REVIEW/AMG
Thom Jurek
Promised Land or Bust is Moreland & Arbuckle's Alligator Records debut. The Kansas bluesmen re-enlisted producer Matt Bayles (Mastodon, the Sword) -- who also helmed their brilliant 7 Cities in 2013. The Kansas bluesmen claim Alligator was a natural fit, since their first signing was Hound Dog Taylor & the Houserockers, an enormous influence on their sound. Guitarist Aaron Moreland, vocalist and harmonicist Dustin Arbuckle, and drummer Kendall Newby are supported on more than half these tracks by guests, with bassist Mark Foley and keyboardist Scott Williams, who add depth to their already considerable firepower. Here, roots inspirations of Mississippi Delta and Hill Country blues are re-examined and reaffirmed as central to their mix with electric roadhouse boogie and heartland hard rock. What really sets this band apart from virtually every modern blues act is that their energy, rawness, and virtuosic instrumental skill are matched by their songwriting. The juxtaposition of tunes on Promised Land or Bust highlight and exacerbate the tension between spiritual quandaries and sensual pleasures. Opener "Take Me with You When You Go," is a swampy, howling prayer for cosmic deliverance from earthly struggle. The emotional depth in Arbuckle's vocal is underscored by his haunted harmonica solo and Moreland's supercharged guitar break (that nods at George Harrison's in "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" in the conclusion). The squalling slide roar in "Mean & Evil" fuels a lyric notion that some people are so black-hearted that they're even unworthy of even hell. The grungy, gritty, allegorical murder ballad "Hannah" -- written by Mike Hosty -- finds the protagonist in a terminal state of regret after killing his lover. He claims madness -- à la Satan whispering in his head -- but reveals the real truth: the real demon behind his crime was rage, fueled by jealousy and feelings of inadequacy. Angels and spirits haunt the protagonist's loneliness and disconnection in the bluesy country-rock of "Mount Comfort." On the Delta-inspired gallop of "Long Did I Hide It" (one of two songs by Ryan Taylor), Arbuckle soulfully imparts the psychological and supernatural consequences of living with secrets. But the carnal rises up to claim its own. Check the belly swagger in "When the Lights Are Low," the riotous cover of Slim Harpo's "I'm a King Bee," and Lee McBee's smoking boogie, "Woman Down in Arkansas." (McBee, a fellow Kansan, was a legendary blues harmonica player who passed in 2014.) "Long Way Home" is a snarling tale of betrayal (by a bedeviled red-headed woman). It turns back on the protagonist, though, revealing his willing complicity in his circumstances as scorching slide guitars and taut snare rip through the center. The beauty on Promised Land or Bust is that M&A approach the spiritual and carnal as inseparable, bound together in their rowdy, soulful, infectious sound; it's all killer, no filler.
**********
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
Steve Leggett
Caney Valley Blues
Guitarist Aaron Moreland and harpist/vocalist Dustin Arbuckle, have fashioned an old/new 21st century roots sound by merging several American musical strains, from blues, folk, and country to rock and soul, and when at their best, they do it all with a raw and energetic passion. Moreland and Arbuckle met at an open-mike session at a club in Wichita, Kansas, in 2001, and since both were exploring country blues, they began playing together, starting a quartet called the Kingsnakes. Personnel came and went in the band, including drummer Brad Horner, who joined the Kingsnakes in 2003 but didn't stick around long. Hanging on to a bassist proved to be a problem, but when Horner returned in 2006, Moreland and Arbuckle realized that they didn't really need a bassist, and the current trio took shape. Three self-produced albums quickly followed -- Caney Valley Blues in 2005, Floyd's Market in 2006, and 1861 in 2008. All three releases garnered critical attention and Moreland & Arbuckle signed with Telarc International, which released Flood in 2010. Issued in 2011, Just a Dream featured a guest spot from guitarist Steve Cropper. Horner left in 2012 and was replaced by Kendall Newby. The revamped trio emerged with 7 Cities in 2013, produced by Matt Bayles (Mastodon, The Sword).
Promised Land or Bust
The band toured almost non-stop for the next two years headlining their own club, small theater and festival dates across the United States, Canada, and Europe. During a break, they signed to Chicago's Alligator Records and entered Omaha, Nebraska's Arc Studios with Bayles to record their debut for the label. Promised Land or Bust was released in the spring of 2016, preceded by its single, "When The Lights Are Burning Low."
**********
WEBSITE
**********
TO THE TOP
**********
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