Joshua Ketchmark - Under Plastic Stars (2017)

OFFICIAL: http://www.joshuaketchmark.com/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/josh.ketchmark

Written by Drew East, posted by blog admin

Being a reviewer is really a dream job.  You get to discover new music that you’ve missed and sometimes music from established artists that you couldn’t catch either.  There’s so much stuff out there with the ease of home-recording taking over the market that you’re bound to forget to check out something.  Reviewers on the other hand have it easy and being one has led me to the music of Joshua Ketchmark and his 12^th release Under Plastic Stars.  

The gravel path opener “We Were Everything” sets the bar at a high quality level from the very beginning.  Acoustic guitars mingle with Ketchmark’s sturdy voice as the song slowly picks up speed; allowing room for a few deep bass grooves and tapping, perhaps brush-played drums that keep the music always moving forward.  “Every Mystery” reduces the atmospheric quality to a warm simmer nearly solely fronted by Ketchmark’s gleaming acoustic guitar work, trippy organ playing, countrified rhythms and full-throat vocals that really hit the melody mark.  Taking things down a dirtier, danker alleyway “Let It Rain” goes for a downtempo, rhythm n’ blues feel with more focus provided on the bass guitar and piano than just simple guitar-centered shucking and jiving.  The album’s first run ends with a mesmerizing ballad, “Lucky at Leavin’” that sees Joshua and a female vocalist giving a touching update on the Jones/Wynette classic harmony vocals.  

Picking up the pace, “Hereafter” brings back the rhythm section alongside some twangy acoustic guitars and some summer-baked slide licks for a Mason Dixon sweetened ballad that acts as the perfect foil to the buzzing, rock n’ roll-y “Get Out Alive.”  “Get out Alive” features some of the album’s only plugged in guitars and it’s a jam that would sure to bring a smoky club audience to their feet and cheering for the act so gracious enough to deliver it.  “Saturday Night” stays uptempo but retains a thoughtful smolder in its hickory steamed guitar melodies, plaintive rhythms and heartfelt vocals that really dig under the skin and stick with you long after the album stops playing.  “Harm’s Way” is another slice of delicious Carolina pie cut from folk/country cloth and mainly featuring Josh and his guitar howling away into the night.  The glory bound “Sweet Surrender” utilizes piano to get its main point across while the rhythm section jostles Ketchmark’s vibrant guitar into some steady groove, although things never really take off on a rock n’ roll path again over the course of the record.  “17” implants another stunning male/female duet into a livelier more rocking piece than the prior contemplation of “Lucky at Leavin’” while the closing duo of “Losing Control” and “The Great Unknown” end the album on a folk-country dirt road.  

Everything about Under Plastic Stars is a musical home run; a true taste of musical Americana that’s as friendly and familiar is a Fourth of July cookout.  This release is a modern classic of singer/songwriter chops with plenty of intricacies and variety woven into the aural fabric of Ketchmark’s chosen sound.  If you like your music mostly acoustic based but unafraid of experimentation and great vocalizing, then this release is most certainly worth your time!

Alpha Mule - Peripheral Vision (2017)

OFFICIAL: http://www.alphamulemusic.com/

BANDCAMP: https://alphamule.bandcamp.com/

Written by Frank McClure, posted by blog admin

An excellent debut here from traditional roots music duo Alpha Mule here and the band’s 10 original composition really explores some varied ground; more so than your average country n’ folk twosome.  With the core of the music relying on banjo, acoustic guitar and vocals, it’s really a treat to hear the music come off this fresh and original.  Let’s face it, as much as the genre is one of my favorites it can be a little bit confining and hard to take in an inventive direction. 

“Corpus Christi” starts things off with a gravelly, dust-storm of driving bass grooves, limber acoustic guitar/banjo workouts and smooth vocal harmonies from the main players, Joe Forkan (guitar/vocals) and Eric Stoner (banjo/vocals).  It has a bit of a bleak feel, especially when compared with the immediately following “On the Moon.”  Here the tempos congeal into a mid-paced trot instead of a light brigade charge and the tuneful instrumental wanderings bring in a bit of everything from bluegrass to ol’ tyme country with even some pop songwriting in place to create hooky verse and chorus vocal arrangements.  The pace further slows its runaway wagon axles on the steel guitar laced title track which should really provide some enjoyment for fans of Hank Williams, Merle Haggard and all of the formative stars the genre has seen. 

The twosome retain their restraint on “The Distance’s” tranquil balladry before taking things up two or three notches on the 50s rock n’ roll jive of “Pavlov.”  Skillful sonic use of percussion and a mean upright bass foundation kicks the guitars and banjo into a furious overdrive with bluesy baritone vocals to match.  “Mule in the Mine” is a unique mix of styles that reckon of coal-mining country with riverside guitars and banjos plucking away as Stoner and Forkan match vocals wits along the way.  Accoutrements such as the addition of the rhythm section and harmonica further the depth of this tune, although it’s interesting to hear the stripped-down duo version available in the bonus tracks to see how the tune developed on the trail.  Of the remaining tracks, “Step Outside” and somber closer “Empire” harness some vast folk expanse and cool the mood off to a melodic, harmony-filled simmer that’s truly a stroke of low key brilliance to behold, while “The Ballad of Huell Howser” and “Music of Our Hearts” pile on the vintage country influences with the latter possessing some of the strongest vocal work on the album. 

This Southern California duo really knows how to get down and it’s the listeners that benefit across the 15 tracks of Peripheral Vision (there are 5 bonus cuts all told).  These songs move and shake, stirring up the soul and the brain during the process.  With a debut as tight as this one, it’s going to be a pleasure to watch Alpha Mule develop their sound further across future albums.  Here’s to a long, illustrious career for the guys, you’ve certainly won over this humble scribe; very good stuff and highly recommended.