Every conversation I’ve had about folk-punk starts with Chuck Ragan and inevitably comes full circle back to Chuck Ragan. The Hot Water Music frontman, mainstay of the Revival Tour and now established folk-punk musician has become synonymous with the genre. Chuck has just finished a European tour with his band The Camaraderie, which is made up of well-known musicians such as Joe Ginsberg and Jon Gaunt, and is set to play at festivals and shows in Germany throughout August. Folk-punk as a genre is like a revolving door of former and current punk musicians who after making a name for themselves on the punk scene decide to try their hand at a different sound, sticking lyrically and sentimentally close to their roots but experimenting with fiddles, slide guitar, upright bass and achieving an authentic yet more accessible outcome than traditional country music. Featuring fellow Revival tour alumni Dave Hause and Jon Snodgrass, the record is truly a compilation between friends.
‘Kindred Spirit’ is my first foray in to the music of Rocky Votolato. Despite having moved to the Pacific Northwest as a teenager, and currently residing in Seattle, the Texas native has a sound as alt-country as they come. The opening track ‘Sparks of Recovery’ eases me in to the new to me musician, a pleasant and easy to listen to traveling song. Instrumentally interesting, the electric guitar is a welcome surprise opening as I had expected an acoustic set. ‘St Louis’ starts and I’m treated to more of the same easy going electric alt-country, I make a mental note to check out more Rocky Votolato soon. ‘Let Go’ is more than a little reminiscent of Cardinals era Ryan Adams, which is no bad thing. If you close your eyes you can almost imagine Adams singing the chorus. A more soulful vocal performance, a singalong chorus, lyrics classic – my favourite of the three songs offered by Votolato.
Spread my love out like a safety net / Underneath your high wire act, / That way, darling should you ever fall / you won’t have very far to go at all
‘Let Go’ – Rocky Votolato
‘Justice and Fair Shake’ is next and the first Chuck Ragan song on the record. Chuck is joined by fellow punk band frontman turned well loved solo musician Dave Hause – quick paced, jaunty, familiar and comfortable. A roaring chorus, incorporating backing vocal repetition which has almost become a Chuck Ragan trademark (and ever present in Hot Water Music records).
I have broke the hearts of many, / For that I must amend / I’ve crushed the dreams of plenty, / and rode off with the wind.
‘Justice and Fair Shake’ – Chuck Ragan</small
The second offering from Chuck Ragan is a collaborative version of ‘Vagabond’, the new classic from Chuck’s latest album ‘Til Midnight’. Featuring Ben Nicholls, Jon Snodgrass of Drag The River and Chad Price. This version of ‘Vagabond’ is superb, different enough from the ‘Til Midnight’ version due to the contribution from the featured artists but not different enough to be unrecognisable.
The final track, ‘Before Dust’ unusually opens with electric guitar which is featured throughout the song followed by a solo about half way through and culminating in a second three quarters of the way. Layered vocals, drawn out notes, another singalong chorus – a signature Chuck Ragan track.
There is quite an obvious juxtaposition between the first three Rocky Votolato tracks and the final three Chuck Ragan songs. At first I found this to be a barrier to my enjoyment of the split, the record didn’t seem cohesive but felt instead like a playlist missing the integral link between two wildly different artists however on repeated listening this has become less of an issue and by the time ‘Let Go’ finishes I am eagerly awaiting the first few notes from ‘Justice and Fair Shake’. It would have been nice to hear a collaboration between Chuck and Rocky on the record, perhaps a track in the middle would have made the release seem more polished but I’m not convinced polished was the desired effect.
‘Kindred Spirit’ was released 2nd June 2015 on SideOneDummy records.