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The couple were heading home to New Orleans from a bluegrass festival in Kansas, and according to Jeff, had kept the radio on "scan" the entire trip, looking for a station playing "good" music. As they neared Dallas, KHYI caught their attention, and they heard a spot for "The Pickin' Party", and decided to check it out. I'm glad they did. The crowd at The Lone Star that night was knocked out by what they heard, and Radio Mike invited them to Bill's Record's for Bruce & Brett's noon show on Friday, and again, they knocked the crowd out. I promised Jeff & Vida that we'd review their disc, and I am embarrassed that I am only now writing that review. To begin with, "One Horse Town" should be on vinyl. Maybe even on scratchy 78's, played on an old Victrola. The music seems a bit out of place on something as modern as a compact disc. On "One Horse Town", Jeff & Vida take us back to the beginning of "Americana", their songs and their sound seems to embody what the genre was intended to be. A little bit of country, a little blues, a little bluegrass, a little folk, a touch of rock- That IS "Americana", isn't it? The album, recorded in New Orleans, contains twelve tracks all written by Jeff & Vida and features Vida Wakeman on vocals and rhythm guitar; Jeff Burke on vocals, rhythm guitar, lead guitar, banjo, and mandolin; Sam Price on bass; Gina Forsythe on fiddle; Pat Flory on vocals, mandolin, and dobro; Tom Marron on vocals and harmonica; and Harold Cavallero on dobro. There's certainly nothing slick or flashy about the production, but that's just fine. Every sound you hear on this disc works. There are love songs, songs about the Great Depression, and songs just about living...all delivered with a soulful innocence that leaves the listener with a feeling of being cleansed. My personal favorite, 'I'll Give You My Heart' is a bluesy tune about love gone bad, and Vida's gritty vocals are outstanding. Jeff and Vida have been performing together since 1997. I asked Vida who had been their greatest musical influences and she answered, " Initially I believe it could be said Bob Dylan held a lot of weight (and still does)... now that we are more familiar with what's out there there are a few other influences. Doc Watson has influenced Jeff's picking for sure. Bill Monroe, Steve Earl... they have that balls out energy and drive. I was always a fan of country (though in high school due to the coolness factor I had to be a closet fan) and listened to lots of Merle Haggard (LOVED the CD 'Back to the Barrooms'. The Delmore Brothers are also one of our favorites. Their favorite artists? " Including those mentioned above, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Del McCoury Band, (did I mention Steve Earl ?), Ralph Stanley (great CD with Jim Lauderdale), I'm just discovering Dolly Parton WOW! Old local boy called Tibby Edwards, Hank Snow...the list goes on..." I also asked what they thought of the Dallas music scene: "After the brief introduction we had to it we're already trying to figure a way to get back in. We were blown away with level of musicianship/songwriting that we saw.. you guys have some great artists in the area! The Range, if I'm not mistaken, seems to be a focal point in the scene and that's a great thing since it gives so much exposure and support to the local acts. Overall, we felt very privileged to be included and to be made so welcome in Dallas. The scene happening is wonderful and the feeling I got was that its just a matter of time before several of your local artists 'make it'. The community was really supportive and it was obvious that it consisted of music lovers. To sum it up, Dallas has a SCENE happening, and a good one too. The fact that it is backed up by radio(KHYI), (Bill's)music store & you (Rockzillaworld) lends a lot of weight, and makes it more than in a lot of other towns. Jeff & Vida might not be for everybody. They write and sing new songs that sound old. But, if you want to experience music that cuts to the very core of "Americana", give "One Horse Town" a listen. You owe yourself a good cleansing. You can order "One Horse Town" on the internet at Jeff & Vida's web site, www.jeffandvida.com. |
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Once again, The Lone Star Cafe & Club, and Bruce Kidder's
"Pickin' Party" must get credit for bringing something
new and special into my little musical world. Actually, Mike
Bass was filling in for Bruce the night Jeff Burke & Vida
Wakeman walked into The Lone Star, so some of the credit must
go to him.
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