⬇️MORELAND & ARBUCKLE⬇️
Since their beginnings in the Kansas heartland a decade ago, guitarist
Aaron Moreland and vocalist/harpist Dustin Arbuckle have captured the
visceral spirit of the early 20th century Delta blues and the raw energy
of post-World War II urban blues and distilled it all into a
hard-driving and powerful garage-rock configuration of guitar, vocals,
harp and drums.
Moreland and Arbuckle build on that solid foundation with the August 23, 2011, release of Just A Dream, their second album on Telarc International, a division of Concord Music Group.
The 12-song set showcases Moreland’s dynamic and compelling guitar work – two tracks were recorded on his cigar-box guitar consisting of three guitar strings and one bass string – Arbuckle’s emotionally charged vocals and edgy harp, and drummer Brad Horner’s rock-solid backbeat. Just A Dream adds a few layers of sophistication to the rootsy sensibility previously captured in the band’s acclaimed 2010 Telarc debut, Flood.
(6CD)
BIOGRAPHY
Moreland and Arbuckle build on that solid foundation with the August 23, 2011, release of Just A Dream, their second album on Telarc International, a division of Concord Music Group.
The 12-song set showcases Moreland’s dynamic and compelling guitar work – two tracks were recorded on his cigar-box guitar consisting of three guitar strings and one bass string – Arbuckle’s emotionally charged vocals and edgy harp, and drummer Brad Horner’s rock-solid backbeat. Just A Dream adds a few layers of sophistication to the rootsy sensibility previously captured in the band’s acclaimed 2010 Telarc debut, Flood.
“The clear objective was to retain the gritty, raw feel that we created
on our prior release, but push everything up about four notches as far as
sound quality, the selection of songs, the production and every other
aspect of the record,” says Moreland. “Everything we’ve done in the past
was set up in one big room and recorded in a couple days.
On this record, we spent far more time, and our quality control was far
more stringent than it’s ever been. And it shows. When this record was
finished, I thought, ‘Yeah, this is what I wanted to achieve.’ This record
is fourteen steps beyond anything we’ve ever done before.”
This heightened polish is partly the result of an ambitious tour schedule
over the past 15 months. Since the release of Flood, Moreland and Arbuckle
have crossed paths on the road with the likes of ZZ Top, George Thorogood,
Jonny Lang, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, Los Lonely Boys and other veterans who
have mined the rich vein where the blues and rock intersect. Along the
way, they picked up a few pointers about showmanship and how best to
deliver the message, meanwhile, logging 82,000 road miles in just nine
months in their Chevy Suburban.
“We’ve definitely taken a lot of cues on how to put on a good show,” says
Arbuckle. “We’ve developed a better understanding of how to work bigger
crowds. You connect with a crowd in a certain way in a smaller club, but
when you start getting into bigger venues, it’s an entirely different
dynamic.”
But the real substance is in the music itself, which consists primarily
of tunes penned by Moreland and Arbuckle but also borrows from outside
sources in a couple instances. “White Lightnin’” is a contribution from
legendary guitarist Steve Cropper, whose work with Booker T. and the MGs
on the Stax label during the ‘60s and early ‘70s literally defined
American soul music. In addition to contributing the song, Cropper also
lays down a searing guitar solo to go with it. The result is an example of
the band’s mission to push the parameters established by their previous
work.
“The version Steve sent us on a demo was kind of a slow blues tune,” says
Moreland. “Our version is about 45 miles an hour faster than the original.
But it’s a good tune regardless of how it’s played. It has a nice hook to
it, and it was great to work with someone like Steve, who is about as
prominent a figure as you can get when it comes to this kind of
music.”
Everything that comes before “White Lightnin’” is equally satisfying,
beginning with “The Brown Bomber” and “Just A Dream,” the throbbing
opening tracks. “Purgatory” is a riff-driven declaration of primal need,
either for something or someone. “Whether that thing or that person is
good for you or not, you just need it and you just want it,” says
Arbuckle. “And you know it’s probably not going to be good once you get
it, or it might be good only for a minute but not for the long term. But
the not having is the worst part.”
The slow and churning “Travel Every Mile” spotlights Moreland’s dirty
guitar and Arbuckle’s combination of earnest vocals and wailing harp, and
laments the distance one must cross to return to a lover. The result is a
haunting experience.
The swaggering “Heartattack and Vine,” a song borrowed from the catalog
of Tom Waits, has been a favorite of the Moreland and Arbuckle live show
for a number of years. It’s enhanced here with vocal effects that are
atypical of the band’s live version.
The slow and melodic “Shadow Never Changes” is reminiscent of vintage
Pink Floyd, thanks to the atmospheric guitar-keyboard combination beneath
Arbuckle’s esoteric lyrics. Equally mysterious is “So Low,” an understated
but insistent track that gives Moreland more room to slip in guitar lines
that conjure the spirits of classic blues and vintage rock.
Just A Dream opens a new chapter for Moreland and Arbuckle, but there’s
still a great deal of story that has yet to unfold. “The possibilities are
completely open,” says Arbuckle. “Our music could go in so many
interesting directions from here, and yet still maintain a significant
piece of what it was at the very beginning. That’s an exciting place to
be.”