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It's Crazy

Drag the River

By Paul Paradis

Found in: | Music |

It's Crazy Drag the River $9.99/Compact Disc www.dragtheriver.com

Though punk and country seem to mix like oil and water, a closer look reveals similarities. Tight and simple rhythms, lyrics of independence and individuality, themes of failure and heartbreak, and attitude that appeals to the downtrodden and lonely connect punk and country like long-lost friends reminiscing the good-old days over beers and a bar fight.

If you agree, it should come as no surprise that Drag the River, a country band based in Fort Collins, Colo., emerged from roots set deep in the underground punk music scene. The seeds for the band were planted about 10 years ago, when Chad Price with the band All, and Jon Snodgrass with Armchair Martian, sought to take a break from respective punk-rock careers to record some country music tracks. Gathering at a studio called The Blasting Room, Price, Snodgrass and a cadre of available musicians took advantage of a light mood and care-free atmosphere, playing toward their yearnings. By playing the country music that influenced them as kids in Missouri, Price and Snodgrass achieved their musical release - and Drag the River began to take form.

A lot has happened since those early days. Drag the River has burgeoned from a side project into a full-time affair. The band tours extensively with numerous stops in the Four Corners. In addition to its newest release, It's Crazy, Drag the River has a number of studio recordings, including Hobos Demos, Closed and Chicken Demos, a couple of live recordings, Live at the Starlight and At the Green Door, and an EP, Hey Buddies. Many musicians have backed Price and Snodgrass but lately the band has tightened up, currently boasting its strongest lineup to date with J.J. Nobody (formerly of the Nobodys), Dave Barker (formerly of Pinhead Circus and Love Me Destroyer), and Casey "Spacey Casey" Prestwood (formerly of Hot Rod Circuit).

It's Crazy

It's Crazy has a nice country sound reminiscent of popular alt-country bands such as Uncle Tupelo and Lucero. A first listen does not reveal any outstanding moments, but by putting an ear closer to the songwriting, guitar and slide guitar solos and steady marching drumbeats, the music begins to stand out.

I'm a sucker for the sound of a steel guitar. Done right, a steel guitar's varied whine dances through a song sounding something like slurred speech in a whiskey-soaked bliss. And on It's Crazy, Prestwood's steel guitar does exactly that. A perfect example is the track, "Mr. Crews." Well-written and simple, the song contains three elements: Price's dark lyrics of question and wonder, tight rhythmic acoustic guitar and Prestwood's slippery slide guitar. "Mr. Crews give me the news/Words are hard and bulletproof/are we monsters?/are we fools?/rednecks, rejects, lonely losers?"

The liner notes reveals that It's Crazy was recorded in a handful of studios and garages littered across the country. Most intriguing, especially when given the onset of the winter months, are the songs "Leavin' in the Morning" and "Tired & Fired." Both were recorded and mixed at the Hideaway Studio in Salida, Colo., in January. They kick-off It's Crazy with a somber, subdued and comfortable sound; perfect moods for what should be a hearty winter. "Leavin' in the Morning" is a perfect opening track; its simple opening setting the pace for the album; a song about a man ready to die and sure he's headed to hell.

Lonely highway, dark roadside

I know the devil's got a place for me

I've been praying for forgiveness of my sins

I am gone; I am leaving in the morning

What an angry and bitter fool am I?

I have been much more trouble than I am worth

I have lusted and stolen and been stricken down

I am gone I am leavin' in the morning

Though Drag the River has a nearly 10-year history, It's Crazy cements the band as an up-and-coming contender in the alt-country music scene. We can expect more great material from this talented Fort Collins band as it continues to draw strength from its punk roots for its full-time country commitment.

Paul Paradis follows the music scene from Durango where he is program coordinator for Southwest Conservation Corps (www.sccorps.org).