By George
BANDITOS
''BANDITOS''
MAY 12 2015
46:18
1 The Breeze 03:51
2 Waitin' 03:34
3 Golden Grease 05:07
4 No Good 04:32
5 Ain't It Hard 04:01
6 Still Sober (After All These Beers) 03:07
7 Long Gone, Anyway 02:23
8 Old Ways 04:36
9 Can't Get Away 03:20
10 Blue Mosey #2 04:15
11 Cry Baby Cry 02:26
12 Preachin' To The Choir 05:01
Dan Fernandez/Pedal Steel
Micah Hulscher/Piano
Mitch Jones/Farfisa Organ, Keyboards
Timothy Steven Corey Parsons/Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Vocals
Stephen Alan Pierce II/Banjo, Vocals
Mary Beth Richardson/Kazoo, Tambourine, Vocals
Jeffrey David Salter/Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Vocals
Luke Schneider/Pedal Steel
Jeffrey "Danny" Vines/Bass Guitar, Upright Bass
Randy Taylor Wade/Drums, Percussion
***************
REVIEW/AMG
by Mark Deming
The tricky thing with most roots rock acts in the 21st century is they're not always sure just how hard to hit -- too gentle and their music loses its strength, too hard and the results sound like some sort of overcooked greaser parody. Banditos, the self-titled debut album from these Alabama-to-Nashville transplants, confirms this is one band that's found the sweet spot and knows how to work it; these folks look and sound like a gang of outlaws, tough and not afraid to throw down the gauntlet, but they also know about a thing called dynamics, and their fusion of country, rock, gospel, jazz, and blues is filled with just enough space to give all the parts breathing room. They can go whisper-quiet on a late-night paean to sneaking around like "Ain't It Hard," rock on out on the rockabilly-infused "Still Sober (After All These Beers)," make with some hot-wired boogie on "The Breeze," scamper with ragtime jazz on "Long Gone, Anyway," or stretch out on a slow blues like "No Good" or "Old Ways" and approach each with just the right measure of sweat, muscle, and instrumental skill. And these folks have chops to match their attitude; lead guitarist Jeffrey Salter can lay out potent solos in any number of styles, Corey Parsons and Stephen Pierce lend worthy support on guitar and banjo, bassist Danny Vines and drummer Randy Wade lay down the groove with style and efficiency, and lead singers Parsons, Pierce, and Mary Beth Richardson can wail with smarts and precision. (Richardson in particular is the rare singer who can evoke Janis Joplin without sounding foolish or arrogant.) Banditos know when to reel it in or blow it out, how to make the right sounds, and how to write songs that reflect their eclectic tastes, and they've made an album where they strut their stuff in a confident, straightforward, and very satisfying fashion; Banditos are one of the most promising roots music discoveries in quite some time, and this album is a genuinely impressive introduction.
***************
OFFICIAL BIOGRAPHY
Originally from Birmingham, AL, Banditos is a group - more like a gang, actually - of six 20 somethings, nowadays operating out of Nashville, close to, and simultaneously very far away from, the gleaming towers and industry hustle of Lower Broad and Music Row.
With the rugged power of a flashy Super Chief locomotive, the Banditos’s self-titled debut album bodaciously appropriates elements of '60s blues-fused acid rock, ZZ Top's jangly boogie, garage punk scuzz a la Burger Records, the Drive-By Truckers' yawp, the populist choogle of CCR, Slim Harpo's hip shake baby groove, gut bucket Fat Possum hill country mojo and the Georgia Motherf**king Satellites. From backwoods bluegrass, to slinky nods to Muscle Shoals soul and unexpected bits of doo-wop sweetness, the Banditos recall many, but sound like no one but themselves.
The members of the band first met playing in various punk and rock 'n' roll projects around Birmingham at D.I.Y., all-ages venues. In 2010, singer/guitarist Corey Parsons and singer/banjo player Stephen Pierce began busking around town, and were soon asked to perform at their favorite local bar. Without a full band they invited friends Randy Wade (drums), Jeffrey Salter (guitar), and Mary Beth Richardson (vocals) to join them.
Salter and Wade studied together at music school learning classical/jazz techniques, while Richardson’s background was mostly singing in church choirs. After some apprehension from Richardson about taking the stage with an unrehearsed band, a last-minute trip to New Orleans with the group (which resulted in a stolen hotel Bible inscribed with the band’s lyrics) seemed to cure a case of the cold feet. The ensuing performance was raw and electric, and an ecstatic crowd response further cemented the members’ convictions to become a full band. The addition of bassist Danny Vines made the group complete.
The members soon moved into a house together in Birmingham and after repeated tours through Nashville decided to move the band there instead, where the music scene was bigger and more diverse. The sextet has since developed their unique and airtight sound, culminated through several years of enduring friendships and a roaddog touring schedule that has, at their count, numbered over 700 shows in the last three years.
Their selt-titled debut full-length album is layered with as much grime as it is with pinpoint songwriting and feverish technical savvy. Each song wafts new dynamics into a streamlined stylistic roots, punk and rock ‘n’ roll jet stream, the variations heard evidently through the vocal baton passing and wrenching harmonies of Parsons, Richardson, and Pierce. Each vocalist, as with each performer in the band, is given the spotlight during the course of the album's 12 songs. And at its core, Banditos is a unified coalescence of six bright beams of light, a spiritual collaboration between friends with a singular musical vision.
Originally from Birmingham, AL, Banditos is a group - more like a gang, actually - of six 20 somethings, nowadays operating out of Nashville, close to, and simultaneously very far away from, the gleaming towers and industry hustle of Lower Broad and Music Row.
With the rugged power of a flashy Super Chief locomotive, the Banditos’s self-titled debut album bodaciously appropriates elements of '60s blues-fused acid rock, ZZ Top's jangly boogie, garage punk scuzz a la Burger Records, the Drive-By Truckers' yawp, the populist choogle of CCR, Slim Harpo's hip shake baby groove, gut bucket Fat Possum hill country mojo and the Georgia Motherf**king Satellites. From backwoods bluegrass, to slinky nods to Muscle Shoals soul and unexpected bits of doo-wop sweetness, the Banditos recall many, but sound like no one but themselves.
The members of the band first met playing in various punk and rock 'n' roll projects around Birmingham at D.I.Y., all-ages venues. In 2010, singer/guitarist Corey Parsons and singer/banjo player Stephen Pierce began busking around town, and were soon asked to perform at their favorite local bar. Without a full band they invited friends Randy Wade (drums), Jeffrey Salter (guitar), and Mary Beth Richardson (vocals) to join them.
Salter and Wade studied together at music school learning classical/jazz techniques, while Richardson’s background was mostly singing in church choirs. After some apprehension from Richardson about taking the stage with an unrehearsed band, a last-minute trip to New Orleans with the group (which resulted in a stolen hotel Bible inscribed with the band’s lyrics) seemed to cure a case of the cold feet. The ensuing performance was raw and electric, and an ecstatic crowd response further cemented the members’ convictions to become a full band. The addition of bassist Danny Vines made the group complete.
The members soon moved into a house together in Birmingham and after repeated tours through Nashville decided to move the band there instead, where the music scene was bigger and more diverse. The sextet has since developed their unique and airtight sound, culminated through several years of enduring friendships and a roaddog touring schedule that has, at their count, numbered over 600 shows in the last three years.
Their selt-titled debut full-length album is layered with as much grime as it is with pinpoint songwriting and feverish technical savvy. Each song wafts new dynamics into a streamlined stylistic roots, punk and rock ‘n’ roll jet stream, the variations heard evidently through the vocal baton passing and wrenching harmonies of Parsons, Richardson, and Pierce. Each vocalist, as with each performer in the band, is given the spotlight during the course of the album's 12 songs. And at its core, Banditos is a unified coalescence of six bright beams of light, a spiritual collaboration between friends with a singular musical vision.
***************
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
by Mark Deming
Sounding like a top-shelf honky tonk band running through their favorite songs with furious abandon before last call, Banditos are a group who throw together a little bit of everything that might be called "roots music" -- blues and country of several eras, garage-seasoned rock & roll, soul, and gospel, among other things -- along with a big spoonful of hard rock and psychedelia, and serve up a healthy portion of sweet-and-dirty roadhouse stomp. Founded in Birmingham, Alabama, Banditos were the brainchild of Corey Parsons (guitar and vocals) and Stephen Pierce (banjo and vocals), two local pickers who knew one another from the city's punk/indie rock scene. Parsons and Pierce had eclectic tastes, and mixing up their interests in country and blues, the two began busking together, making enough of an impression that they were invited to play a show at one of their favorite saloons. The duo decided they needed a larger cast of musicians for a proper gig, and they invited three friends to join them -- guitarist Jeffrey David Salter and drummer Randy Taylor Wade, who were music students studying jazz and classical styles, and Mary Beth Richardson, a vocalist whose previous experience came from singing in church. The show was enthusiastically received by the audience, and after the addition of bassist Jeffrey "Danny" Vines, the Banditos lineup was complete. Banditos soon made a name for themselves in Alabama, and began hitting the road, crisscrossing the South and playing any venue that would have them. They found themselves playing Nashville, Tennessee often enough that they relocated to Music City, though declaring it their new hometown was something of a stretch; over the space of three years, Banditos played more than 600 shows, so wherever home may have been, they didn't spend much time there. In 2014, Banditos played the South by Southwest Music Conference in Austin, Texas, and representatives of "insurgent country" label Bloodshot Records caught their show; the folks from Bloodshot were bowled over by the band, and they soon struck a deal with the group. Banditos' self-titled debut album was released in May 2015.
WEBSITE
TO THE TOP
''BANDITOS''
MAY 12 2015
46:18
1 The Breeze 03:51
2 Waitin' 03:34
3 Golden Grease 05:07
4 No Good 04:32
5 Ain't It Hard 04:01
6 Still Sober (After All These Beers) 03:07
7 Long Gone, Anyway 02:23
8 Old Ways 04:36
9 Can't Get Away 03:20
10 Blue Mosey #2 04:15
11 Cry Baby Cry 02:26
12 Preachin' To The Choir 05:01
Dan Fernandez/Pedal Steel
Micah Hulscher/Piano
Mitch Jones/Farfisa Organ, Keyboards
Timothy Steven Corey Parsons/Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Vocals
Stephen Alan Pierce II/Banjo, Vocals
Mary Beth Richardson/Kazoo, Tambourine, Vocals
Jeffrey David Salter/Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Vocals
Luke Schneider/Pedal Steel
Jeffrey "Danny" Vines/Bass Guitar, Upright Bass
Randy Taylor Wade/Drums, Percussion
***************
REVIEW/AMG
by Mark Deming
The tricky thing with most roots rock acts in the 21st century is they're not always sure just how hard to hit -- too gentle and their music loses its strength, too hard and the results sound like some sort of overcooked greaser parody. Banditos, the self-titled debut album from these Alabama-to-Nashville transplants, confirms this is one band that's found the sweet spot and knows how to work it; these folks look and sound like a gang of outlaws, tough and not afraid to throw down the gauntlet, but they also know about a thing called dynamics, and their fusion of country, rock, gospel, jazz, and blues is filled with just enough space to give all the parts breathing room. They can go whisper-quiet on a late-night paean to sneaking around like "Ain't It Hard," rock on out on the rockabilly-infused "Still Sober (After All These Beers)," make with some hot-wired boogie on "The Breeze," scamper with ragtime jazz on "Long Gone, Anyway," or stretch out on a slow blues like "No Good" or "Old Ways" and approach each with just the right measure of sweat, muscle, and instrumental skill. And these folks have chops to match their attitude; lead guitarist Jeffrey Salter can lay out potent solos in any number of styles, Corey Parsons and Stephen Pierce lend worthy support on guitar and banjo, bassist Danny Vines and drummer Randy Wade lay down the groove with style and efficiency, and lead singers Parsons, Pierce, and Mary Beth Richardson can wail with smarts and precision. (Richardson in particular is the rare singer who can evoke Janis Joplin without sounding foolish or arrogant.) Banditos know when to reel it in or blow it out, how to make the right sounds, and how to write songs that reflect their eclectic tastes, and they've made an album where they strut their stuff in a confident, straightforward, and very satisfying fashion; Banditos are one of the most promising roots music discoveries in quite some time, and this album is a genuinely impressive introduction.
***************
OFFICIAL BIOGRAPHY
Originally from Birmingham, AL, Banditos is a group - more like a gang, actually - of six 20 somethings, nowadays operating out of Nashville, close to, and simultaneously very far away from, the gleaming towers and industry hustle of Lower Broad and Music Row.
With the rugged power of a flashy Super Chief locomotive, the Banditos’s self-titled debut album bodaciously appropriates elements of '60s blues-fused acid rock, ZZ Top's jangly boogie, garage punk scuzz a la Burger Records, the Drive-By Truckers' yawp, the populist choogle of CCR, Slim Harpo's hip shake baby groove, gut bucket Fat Possum hill country mojo and the Georgia Motherf**king Satellites. From backwoods bluegrass, to slinky nods to Muscle Shoals soul and unexpected bits of doo-wop sweetness, the Banditos recall many, but sound like no one but themselves.
The members of the band first met playing in various punk and rock 'n' roll projects around Birmingham at D.I.Y., all-ages venues. In 2010, singer/guitarist Corey Parsons and singer/banjo player Stephen Pierce began busking around town, and were soon asked to perform at their favorite local bar. Without a full band they invited friends Randy Wade (drums), Jeffrey Salter (guitar), and Mary Beth Richardson (vocals) to join them.
Salter and Wade studied together at music school learning classical/jazz techniques, while Richardson’s background was mostly singing in church choirs. After some apprehension from Richardson about taking the stage with an unrehearsed band, a last-minute trip to New Orleans with the group (which resulted in a stolen hotel Bible inscribed with the band’s lyrics) seemed to cure a case of the cold feet. The ensuing performance was raw and electric, and an ecstatic crowd response further cemented the members’ convictions to become a full band. The addition of bassist Danny Vines made the group complete.
The members soon moved into a house together in Birmingham and after repeated tours through Nashville decided to move the band there instead, where the music scene was bigger and more diverse. The sextet has since developed their unique and airtight sound, culminated through several years of enduring friendships and a roaddog touring schedule that has, at their count, numbered over 700 shows in the last three years.
Their selt-titled debut full-length album is layered with as much grime as it is with pinpoint songwriting and feverish technical savvy. Each song wafts new dynamics into a streamlined stylistic roots, punk and rock ‘n’ roll jet stream, the variations heard evidently through the vocal baton passing and wrenching harmonies of Parsons, Richardson, and Pierce. Each vocalist, as with each performer in the band, is given the spotlight during the course of the album's 12 songs. And at its core, Banditos is a unified coalescence of six bright beams of light, a spiritual collaboration between friends with a singular musical vision.
Originally from Birmingham, AL, Banditos is a group - more like a gang, actually - of six 20 somethings, nowadays operating out of Nashville, close to, and simultaneously very far away from, the gleaming towers and industry hustle of Lower Broad and Music Row.
With the rugged power of a flashy Super Chief locomotive, the Banditos’s self-titled debut album bodaciously appropriates elements of '60s blues-fused acid rock, ZZ Top's jangly boogie, garage punk scuzz a la Burger Records, the Drive-By Truckers' yawp, the populist choogle of CCR, Slim Harpo's hip shake baby groove, gut bucket Fat Possum hill country mojo and the Georgia Motherf**king Satellites. From backwoods bluegrass, to slinky nods to Muscle Shoals soul and unexpected bits of doo-wop sweetness, the Banditos recall many, but sound like no one but themselves.
The members of the band first met playing in various punk and rock 'n' roll projects around Birmingham at D.I.Y., all-ages venues. In 2010, singer/guitarist Corey Parsons and singer/banjo player Stephen Pierce began busking around town, and were soon asked to perform at their favorite local bar. Without a full band they invited friends Randy Wade (drums), Jeffrey Salter (guitar), and Mary Beth Richardson (vocals) to join them.
Salter and Wade studied together at music school learning classical/jazz techniques, while Richardson’s background was mostly singing in church choirs. After some apprehension from Richardson about taking the stage with an unrehearsed band, a last-minute trip to New Orleans with the group (which resulted in a stolen hotel Bible inscribed with the band’s lyrics) seemed to cure a case of the cold feet. The ensuing performance was raw and electric, and an ecstatic crowd response further cemented the members’ convictions to become a full band. The addition of bassist Danny Vines made the group complete.
The members soon moved into a house together in Birmingham and after repeated tours through Nashville decided to move the band there instead, where the music scene was bigger and more diverse. The sextet has since developed their unique and airtight sound, culminated through several years of enduring friendships and a roaddog touring schedule that has, at their count, numbered over 600 shows in the last three years.
Their selt-titled debut full-length album is layered with as much grime as it is with pinpoint songwriting and feverish technical savvy. Each song wafts new dynamics into a streamlined stylistic roots, punk and rock ‘n’ roll jet stream, the variations heard evidently through the vocal baton passing and wrenching harmonies of Parsons, Richardson, and Pierce. Each vocalist, as with each performer in the band, is given the spotlight during the course of the album's 12 songs. And at its core, Banditos is a unified coalescence of six bright beams of light, a spiritual collaboration between friends with a singular musical vision.
***************
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
by Mark Deming
Sounding like a top-shelf honky tonk band running through their favorite songs with furious abandon before last call, Banditos are a group who throw together a little bit of everything that might be called "roots music" -- blues and country of several eras, garage-seasoned rock & roll, soul, and gospel, among other things -- along with a big spoonful of hard rock and psychedelia, and serve up a healthy portion of sweet-and-dirty roadhouse stomp. Founded in Birmingham, Alabama, Banditos were the brainchild of Corey Parsons (guitar and vocals) and Stephen Pierce (banjo and vocals), two local pickers who knew one another from the city's punk/indie rock scene. Parsons and Pierce had eclectic tastes, and mixing up their interests in country and blues, the two began busking together, making enough of an impression that they were invited to play a show at one of their favorite saloons. The duo decided they needed a larger cast of musicians for a proper gig, and they invited three friends to join them -- guitarist Jeffrey David Salter and drummer Randy Taylor Wade, who were music students studying jazz and classical styles, and Mary Beth Richardson, a vocalist whose previous experience came from singing in church. The show was enthusiastically received by the audience, and after the addition of bassist Jeffrey "Danny" Vines, the Banditos lineup was complete. Banditos soon made a name for themselves in Alabama, and began hitting the road, crisscrossing the South and playing any venue that would have them. They found themselves playing Nashville, Tennessee often enough that they relocated to Music City, though declaring it their new hometown was something of a stretch; over the space of three years, Banditos played more than 600 shows, so wherever home may have been, they didn't spend much time there. In 2014, Banditos played the South by Southwest Music Conference in Austin, Texas, and representatives of "insurgent country" label Bloodshot Records caught their show; the folks from Bloodshot were bowled over by the band, and they soon struck a deal with the group. Banditos' self-titled debut album was released in May 2015.
WEBSITE
TO THE TOP
