Joe’s Meat and Grocery – Massy Ferguson

Joe's Meat and Grocery by Massy Ferguson may conjure up notions of quiet backwater Americana but there's a lot more meat to tuck into in this bluesy rocker.

Joe’s Meat and Grocery

Massy Ferguson

  • Country
  • Rock

  1. Miles Away
  2. Save What Couldn’t Be Saved
  3. Fire Of Life
  4. I Don’t Know Why
  5. Backspin
  6. Off To See Rose
  7. Sister Roll Up
  8. Leave If You Want To
  9. Off My Mind
  10. The Road Ahead
  11. The Hard Six
  12. You Don’t Bother Me

Massy Ferguson are oft put in the country-rock genre. Certainly, the name of the band lends itself to a country outfit. However, the sound the band makes, is much more rock, with a country influence, with deep harmonies and a touch of lap steel.

The Seattle band has been knocking at the door of a bigger stage for 16 years and six albums, and this offering can only advance their claims.

Frontman and bassist Ethan Anderson has a terrific rich voice, which can mellow on the rather lovely ‘Off To See Rose’ which has overtones of Poco, and considering the not inconsiderable talents of Rusty Young and Paul Cotton, that is a high compliment. Other influences are fun to spot. Tom Petty? Steve Earle? Joe Ely?

But they are too good a band not to forge their own identity. It’s high energy, toe-tapping, quality for the most part, and songs like ‘Miles Away’ and ‘I Don’t Know Why’ would be standout tracks on records from much more high profile named bands.

‘Save What Couldn’t Be Saved’ is a classic tale of the struggle of the working man/woman, striving to keep heads above water, laid out over a hugely infectious melody.

Trying to save what couldn’t be saved. Trying to sleep in the bed that she made. Just trying to keep them out of the grave. Said how can I?

Writing duties are shared with Anderson by guitarist Adam Monda. The album title harkens back to Monda’s grandparents’ store which opened in the 1900s and references the down-home, issues of the album, but belies the contemporary sound of the band.

That sound, one can only imagine flourishing even more in a live setting, and the band show they can mix it up, particularly on the bluesy ‘You Can Leave’, the meat-and-two-veg rocker ‘The Hard Six’, and the most country sounding track on the album ‘You Don’t Bother Me’.

There are songs of broken hearts and busted paychecks, lonely people and lost dreams played with high energy that bounces out of the speakers. There are a lot of ‘prime cuts’ on ‘Joe’s Meat And Grocery’ with plenty in store, from a band that it is hard not to like.