Tandy "Some Summer's Day" (The Orchard, 1998)

Tandy "Lichtenstein's Oriole" (Yellow Slipper, 1999)

Tandy "The Lowdown: 1997-2002" (Gammon, 2002)
Brooklyn-based alt.country songwriter Mike Ferrio has a seductive way with a melody, matching his hushed, urgent vocals with the subtly propulsive musical backing of big city pals such as steel guitarist Dave Glackin (formerly of the Silos) and bassist Scott Yoder, on loan from Amy Rigby's band. This retrospective CD gathers tunes from Ferrio's four previous Tandy albums, all self-released on the microscopic Yellow Slipper label. It's the kind of imaginative retooling of country roots music that cries out for a larger audience, but is destined simply to be a cherished gem for a select few. Like Paul Burch's Lambchop, Paula Frazier's Tarnation, or even old-school crowd pleasers like Camper Van Beethoven, Tandy comes at country music from an indie-rock background, yet manages to sidestep the tedious white trash stereotypes of the twangcore crowd. This is intelligently written material, with lyrics as obscure and mystifying as the most introverted lo-fi bedroom recording geek, but with a solid musical backing and a pleasantly clear sense of purpose. High-powered guest stars such as Kelly Willis and the late Dave Van Ronk are testament to the power of Ferrio's songwriting, while poppy tunes such as "Far From Home," with its irresistible Doug Sahm-inspired roller-rink organ riffs are the stuff that power-pop heaven is made of. Recommended!

Tarbox Ramblers "Tarbox Ramblers" (Rounder, 2000)

Tarbox Ramblers "A Fix Back East" (Rounder, 2004)
I'd probably never listen to this at home, but it sure sounds cool. A nice grungy, messy electric guitar sound, swiped straight from John Lee Hooker, with growling whiteboy blues vocals... Sort of like listening to a much hipper version of George Thorogood & The Delaware Destroyers, if ya know what I mean. Well-produced and worth checking out.

Tarnation "Gentle Creatures" (4AD, 1995/1999)
San Francisco's reigning mid-1990s alt.country diva, Paula Frazier's approach to the whole "twangcore" equation is much like a softer, more controlled version of Freakwater -- but instead of channelling some speed-crazed version of the Carter Family, Frazier's sound is more like a mix of Patsy Cline and Lee Hazelwood. The slowcore drone winds up being a good foil for her voice, which, despite its ardent devotees, is a somewhat limited instrument. Tarnation is/was an artsy band that made good use of its own strengths and judiciously sidestepped its shortcomings. I always liked their earlier stuff best, where awkwardness was still a virture, and the twang slightly more bouncy. "Game Of Broken Hearts," which opens this album, is still a stunning ballad... as this disc grinds on, though, into more Red House Painter-y terrain, I find my attention starts to wander...

Tarnation "Mirador" (4AD, 1997)

Barry & Holly Tashian - see artist discography

Chip Taylor - see artist discography

Texana Dames "Texana Dames" (Amazing Records, 1992)

Sally Timms "To The Land Of Milk And Honey" (1995)

Sally Timms "Cowboy Sally (EP)" (Bloodshot, 1997)

Sally Timms "Cowboy Sally's Twilight Laments... For Lost Buckaroos" (Bloodshot, 1999)
Mekons frontlady Sally Timms follows her British bandmate Jon Langford into the world of Chicago "insurgent country," with this mellow set of artful neo-billy ballads. I give her credit for not falling into the trap of "keep it sloppy" cowpunk that typifies many Bloodshot releases, and for trying to elevate alt.country into a higher, more literate style, closer to the feel of the best British traditional folk music. Backing Timms up on this full-length outing are Bloodshot stalwarts such as guitarist Jon Rauhouse, Robbie Fulks and, of course, Jon Langford on a couple of cuts. Overall, though, this is a pretty mannered and reserved album -- sleepy, even -- doubtless exactly at the energy level that Timms intended, but not something that really grabs my emotions. Doesn't make you want to sing along (which I think great country music should), but it does make great background music, for those so inclined.

Sally Timms & Jon Langford "Songs Of False Hope And High Values" (Bloodshot, 2000)

Sally Timms "In The World Of Him" (Touch & Go, 2004)

Lucky Tomblin "The Lucky Tomblin Band" (Texas World, 2003)
This is the kind of under-the-radar country album that renews one's faith in the indie scene in general, and Texas in particular. Old-time Austin locals with a strong set of honkytonk-tinged originals, with guitarist Redd Volkaert in among all the good-natured pickers who give this disc its loose, limber sound. The first couple of Texas shufflin' songs have a vigorous originality, then Tomblin takes a socially-conscious, folkie turn on "Illegal Man," about a fella who gets gets a taste of what the life of an undocumented worker is like (though the song doesn't quite explain how the narrator arrived in this situation... ) The rest of the album starts to drift a bit, with strongest songs at the start; still, the Tomblin crew sounds pretty solid, and this disc is certainly worth checking out. (Texas World Records can be reached at www.texasmusicroundup.com, for more info.)

Lucky Tomblin "In A Honky-Tonk Mood" (Texas World, 2006)

The Trail Band "Oregon Stories" (Trail End Productions, 2003)
This Oregonian ensemble offers a little something for everyone -- topical folk tunes, light, swinging bluegrass, some deeper roots-rock ala The Band, and even a bit of Celtic fiddling. It's not technically dazzling, but the low-key approach works wonders, and the best songs are very good. Also pleasant is the band's genuine regionalism -- many of their lyrics deal explicitly with local, Oregon-centric material (including several songs about rainy weather...) A nice, down-to-earth, real-folks-making-real music kinda record.

Trailer Bride "Trailer Bride" (Yep Roc, 1997)

Trailer Bride "Smelling Salts" (Bloodshot, 1998)
A strong album, though very much in the not-for-everybody, punky musical tradition. This twisted North Carolina twangcore combo builds songs on simple, persistent riffs, and has a jagged, ragged appraoch to roots music and the blues that brings Jeffrey Lee Pierce and The Gun Club to mind (which is cool) and maybe even a little of The Doors as well (which is not). Singer Melissa Swingle has a pretty singular lyrical vision, but she doesn't dabble in lame hick stereotypes (which gets her points in my book), nor does she brandish her odd verses as Great Art (which is also refreshing). Here, she dips into a deep reservoir of frank sexuality and thoughtful contemplation of the role of a profane modern hipster in the context of conservative Southern culture. She's not spouting off a bunch of trite, stereotype-laden, uber-ironic BS about trailer parks and bar fights, so more power to her. This is alt-country that draws on the arty, intelligent side of the punk/DIY tradition, and while it may be sonically grating it has actual substance, and might give you some food for thought. I wouldn't put this album on the kick back to, but it was listenable from start to finish, and has some real heft to it. Worth checking out; some of the best music of its kind.

Trailer Bride "Whine De Lune" (Bloodshot, 1999)
Another strong offering from lyricist Melissa Swingle & Company. Trailer Bride don't seem particularly adept at playing country, per se, but they bash away in a nice, don't-give-a-damn-what-you-think, either-you-get-it-or-you-don't way that suggests a more accessible version of Freakwater, mixing in a smidge of the psychedelic-psychotic bizarreness of Bongwater and all those old Shimmydisc types... The start of this album seems more cohesive than the second half; after a while I felt they were dragging on a bit, but just when I would've started to get really irritated, they stopped cold, on a pleasantly inconclusive note. So, yeah, this is cool, even though most folks will find it painfully screechy and incomprehensible -- these guys seems to have more on the ball than a lot of their contemporary twangsters did, using the rusty-nail spikiness of the Velvet Underground-inspired art-rock scene to good advantage in a nominally "country" context. It's worth checking out.

Trailer Bride "High Seas" (Bloodshot, 2001)

Trailer Bride "Hope Is A Thing With Feathers" (Bloodshot, 2003)
Well, now they started to lose me a little. This late in the game, it's pretty hard to still buy into buy the whole "alt.country-with-a-goth-rock-attitude" image; this is pretty much just another gloomy, pretentious rock record. Or maybe they're just a mellower version of the Cramps, with very little twang to be heard. There are some sonically interesting production touches, but overall I'd have to say this doesn't grab me. It's too psychobilly and indie-rockish, and I have no idea what their songs -- written by Melissa Swingle -- are actually about, nor the patience to investigate. I guess I'm finally too old for this brand of difficult listening. Harrumph. Grumble, grumble, grump.

Tres Chicas "Sweetwater" (Yep Rock, 2004)
An alt-gal supergroup of sorts, featuring Hazeldine's Tonya Lamm, Lynn Blakey (Glory Fountain), and Caitlin Cary, of Whiskeytown fame, singin' a lot of three-part harmony and presenting some interesting material, with Chris Stamey producing and playing guitar... Signalling their influences, they cover an old George Jones tune and Lucinda Williams's "Am I Too Blue," a song which may carry too much history with it for others to tackle in a way that can add much to the mournful wallop Lucinda already infused into it. The overall vibe of this album is pretty folkie and soft; I kept expecting it to catch fire at some point, but it never really did... The three collaborators seemed to cede ground to one another, opting for a CSN-ish collective sound, rather than doing a round-robin your song, her song, now mine kind of thing. Which is fine; I'm sure there are plenty of Americana fans who will appreciate the change of pace and overall mellowness, although for me, personally, this disc never really gels.

Two Dollar Pistols "On Down The Track" (Scrimshaw, 1997)
This Chapel Hill outfit specializes in broadly-drawn, Jerry Jeff-like country screw-up themes, backed by hard-driving honkytonk riffs, ala Buck Owens... I guess it was the music that drew me to these guys - sometimes they throw a little too much glitz into the mix, but overall this is pretty catchy. The vocals are overly-hicked out (I'm sure this guy is a better singer than he lets on) yet despite the semi-stereotyped performances, this is a pretty fun little record. Above average, and worth checking out if you stumble across a copy.

Two Dollar Pistols "Step Right Up" (Yep Roc, 1998)

Two Dollar Pistols "...With Tift Merritt" (Yep Roc, 1999)

Two Dollar Pistols "You Ruined Everything" (Yep Roc, 2002)

Two Dollar Pistols "Hands Up!" (Yep Roc, 2004)

Two Tons Of Steel "King Of A One Horse Town" (Big Bellied Records, 2000)

Two Tons Of Steel "Oh, No!" (Big Bellied Records, 2002)

Two Tons Of Steel "Tuesday Live At Greune Hall" (Big Bellied Records, 2002)

Two Tons Of Steel "Transparent" (Palo Duro, 2003)

Two Tons Of Steel "Vegas" (Palo Duro, 2004)

Two Tons Of Steel "Live From Gruene Hall" (CD & DVD) (Palo Duro, 2006)
A fine chance to see and hear this Texas indie band at their best, playing at the fabled Gruene Hall in New Braunfels, TX, where the band has had a weekly gig for over ten years. It's a mellow, assured set, filled with good-natured originals and peppered with covers of songs like "I Wanna Be Sedated" (by the Ramones) and Bruce Springsteen's "Red Headed Woman..." Fans of Dave & Deke, Robert Earl Keene or BR-549 might wanna check this out... Highlights include their original tune, "Stinkin' Drunks" and the aforementioned Ramones cover, and all the parts where the audience shouts along.

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Hick Music Index

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