CHRIS SHIFLETT & THE DEAD PEASANTS
''ALL HAT AND NO CATTLE''
JULY 30 2013
27:41
1 /Guitar Pickin' Man
Don Rich/2:46
2 /Good Time Charlie's
Jerry Chesnut/2:09
3 /Pop a Top
Nat Stuckey/2:37
4 /Happy Part of Town
Danny Diff / Carolyn Sue Penick/2:50
5 /Skid Row
Merle Haggard/2:00
6 /Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young
Joe Allison/2:42
7 /Playboy
Robert Bateman / Brian Holland / William Stevenson/3:04
8 /King of Fools
Buck Owens / Red Simpson/2:56
9 /A Woman Like You
Jeff Gross / Mitch Marine / Chris Shiflett / Derek Silverman / Luke Tierney/2:38
10 /Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?
Waylon Jennings/3:59
Jeff Gross /Bass
Mitch Marine /Drums
Marty Rifkin /Pedal Steel
Chris Shiflett /Guitar, Vocals
Derek Silverman /Keyboards, Piano
Luke Tierney /Guitar, Vocals
Brian Whelan /Vocal Harmony
REVIEW
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Chris Shiflett -- best-known as the lead guitarist of the Foo Fighters -- got nice and mellow on his 2010 debut Chris Shiflett & the Dead Peasants, a record that showcased a tasteful alt-country singer/songwriter with a penchant for the progressive country of the '60s and '70s. He and the Dead Peasants get a lot wilder on their second album, 2013's All Hat and No Cattle. Dispensing with good taste and, for the most part, original tunes, the Dead Peasants dive headfirst into a deliriously fun tribute to Bakersfield country, spiking it with just the slightest hint of Texas honky tonk. Shiflett doesn't choose the obvious Buck and Merle songs -- "King of Fools" from Owens, "Skid Row" from Haggard -- choosing Jim Ed Brown's "Pop a Top," Faron Young's "Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young," and Waylon Jennings' "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?" as the familiar tunes to anchor the album, and some of the pleasure of All Hat and No Cattle is the casual display of deep knowledge, as the Dead Peasants dig deep for strong, forgotten '60s country, excavating such gems as the Buckaroos' "Guitar Pickin' Man," Del Reeves' "Good Time Charlie's," Wynn Stewart's "Happy Part of Town," and Dwight Yoakam's "Playboy," then throwing in a sharply written original of their own with "A Woman Like You." But most of the pleasure here derives from the loose, swinging performance of the Dead Peasants, who play with passion but little reverence. This isn't a by-the-numbers tribute where authenticity trumps all, this is a labor of love that feels like a swinging party.
BIOGRAPHY
by Gregory Heaney
A native of southern California, guitarist Chris Shiflett has established himself as a prominent sideman in the alt/punk world. Shiflett began his career as a member of the Santa Barbara glam punk outfit Lost Kittenz, which featured Steve Sherlock (who would go on to form Nerf Herder) and Marko DeSantis (of Sugarcult fame). In 1995, Shiflett joined No Use for a Name, playing guitar as a part of their rotating lineup up until 1999’s More Betterness!. Around the same time, Shiflett was also recruited by Swingin’ Utters singer Spike Slawson to play guitar for the punk supergroup and cover band extraordinaire Me First & the Gimme Gimmes. In 1999, Shiflett left No Use for a Name to take over guitar duties for the Foo Fighters, replacing short-lived guitarist Franz Stahl (who had previously replaced the Germs’ Pat Smear). He made his album debut with the band on 2002’s One by One, and continues to play with them. Looking for an outlet for his own songwriting, Shiflett has also created a number of side projects. In 2003, he formed the punk band Jackson United with his brother, Scott Shiflett, and Pete Parada (both of Face to Face). After recording two albums with Jackson United, Shiflett decided to explore some of his other influences. In 2010, he released his first album under his own name, the country-influenced Chris Shiflett & the Dead Peasants on le Coq Napoleon. Three years later, Shiflett & the Dead Peasants returned with All Hat and No Cattle, an album that pushed the band into hardcore '60s honky tonk territory.
''ALL HAT AND NO CATTLE''
JULY 30 2013
27:41
1 /Guitar Pickin' Man
Don Rich/2:46
2 /Good Time Charlie's
Jerry Chesnut/2:09
3 /Pop a Top
Nat Stuckey/2:37
4 /Happy Part of Town
Danny Diff / Carolyn Sue Penick/2:50
5 /Skid Row
Merle Haggard/2:00
6 /Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young
Joe Allison/2:42
7 /Playboy
Robert Bateman / Brian Holland / William Stevenson/3:04
8 /King of Fools
Buck Owens / Red Simpson/2:56
9 /A Woman Like You
Jeff Gross / Mitch Marine / Chris Shiflett / Derek Silverman / Luke Tierney/2:38
10 /Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?
Waylon Jennings/3:59
Jeff Gross /Bass
Mitch Marine /Drums
Marty Rifkin /Pedal Steel
Chris Shiflett /Guitar, Vocals
Derek Silverman /Keyboards, Piano
Luke Tierney /Guitar, Vocals
Brian Whelan /Vocal Harmony
REVIEW
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Chris Shiflett -- best-known as the lead guitarist of the Foo Fighters -- got nice and mellow on his 2010 debut Chris Shiflett & the Dead Peasants, a record that showcased a tasteful alt-country singer/songwriter with a penchant for the progressive country of the '60s and '70s. He and the Dead Peasants get a lot wilder on their second album, 2013's All Hat and No Cattle. Dispensing with good taste and, for the most part, original tunes, the Dead Peasants dive headfirst into a deliriously fun tribute to Bakersfield country, spiking it with just the slightest hint of Texas honky tonk. Shiflett doesn't choose the obvious Buck and Merle songs -- "King of Fools" from Owens, "Skid Row" from Haggard -- choosing Jim Ed Brown's "Pop a Top," Faron Young's "Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young," and Waylon Jennings' "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?" as the familiar tunes to anchor the album, and some of the pleasure of All Hat and No Cattle is the casual display of deep knowledge, as the Dead Peasants dig deep for strong, forgotten '60s country, excavating such gems as the Buckaroos' "Guitar Pickin' Man," Del Reeves' "Good Time Charlie's," Wynn Stewart's "Happy Part of Town," and Dwight Yoakam's "Playboy," then throwing in a sharply written original of their own with "A Woman Like You." But most of the pleasure here derives from the loose, swinging performance of the Dead Peasants, who play with passion but little reverence. This isn't a by-the-numbers tribute where authenticity trumps all, this is a labor of love that feels like a swinging party.
BIOGRAPHY
by Gregory Heaney
A native of southern California, guitarist Chris Shiflett has established himself as a prominent sideman in the alt/punk world. Shiflett began his career as a member of the Santa Barbara glam punk outfit Lost Kittenz, which featured Steve Sherlock (who would go on to form Nerf Herder) and Marko DeSantis (of Sugarcult fame). In 1995, Shiflett joined No Use for a Name, playing guitar as a part of their rotating lineup up until 1999’s More Betterness!. Around the same time, Shiflett was also recruited by Swingin’ Utters singer Spike Slawson to play guitar for the punk supergroup and cover band extraordinaire Me First & the Gimme Gimmes. In 1999, Shiflett left No Use for a Name to take over guitar duties for the Foo Fighters, replacing short-lived guitarist Franz Stahl (who had previously replaced the Germs’ Pat Smear). He made his album debut with the band on 2002’s One by One, and continues to play with them. Looking for an outlet for his own songwriting, Shiflett has also created a number of side projects. In 2003, he formed the punk band Jackson United with his brother, Scott Shiflett, and Pete Parada (both of Face to Face). After recording two albums with Jackson United, Shiflett decided to explore some of his other influences. In 2010, he released his first album under his own name, the country-influenced Chris Shiflett & the Dead Peasants on le Coq Napoleon. Three years later, Shiflett & the Dead Peasants returned with All Hat and No Cattle, an album that pushed the band into hardcore '60s honky tonk territory.
