Coal Palace Kings Album Reviews

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Upstate (2002)

Bend in the River / Cecil King / Stubborn / Stoneytown / Should've Been Loved / Nearest Transit / When Blankets Fail / Doreen / One Million Meadows / Cascade

Upstate I'll always have a soft spot for bands that wear their hearts on their sleeves. This is not to say I don't appreciate the good old, postmodern game of hide & seek once in a while, but those smart-ass tricks get old really fast, while the aging process of an old-fashioned sob, rant or robust declaration of energy seems a 100% bullet-proof guarantee for likeability. One listen to the Coal Palace Kings' third studio album Upstate and you'll intuitively feel what these guys stand for, what you can expect from these guys. More than anything else, they're probably a hard-workin' live band, one that invites you to share their ups & downs, raucous outbursts of joy, and explore the dark slopes of blue collar depression. Immediately, albums like The Beat Farmers' Tales of the New West, The Long Ryders' State of Our Union and The Lost Weekend by Danny & Dusty, the project of Green on Red and Dream Syndicate members (anyone remember that one?), came to mind. Alt country before it became a fad, when it was practised by hard-living rockers with callused hands who had more in common with the original punks than the Nashville poofters soiling the radio waves and charts in the 80s with their shameless and empty whoring. It's retro-rock 'n' roll, but not as obsessed with 50s predecessors like, say, The Blasters. There's jagged-edged rock & roll, but also a generous dose of twang, or as one critic once phrased it, a nice balance of "Hank and crank." Under the guidance of singer/guitarist Howe Glassman, the Kings have evolved into a tight unit, capable of writing credible country ballads and country-rockers that simply ask for a yelled "Hee Haw," as well as stompers that could set any bar on fire. Opener "Bend in the River," for instance, manages to lay down an energy that was also captured by Steve Earle when he performed with The Supersuckers. It's a streamlined but fierce song, walking the thin line between country-rock and cowpunk, having more in common with The Replacements or Slobberbone than hillbilly acts doing the farmer's fair-circuit. The album starts off on a strong and raucous note, but after that, there's not a weak cut in sight either. Glassman's songs run the entire gamut of no nonsense retro-rock, ranging from the line dance-stomp of "Cecil King" to the mid-tempo "Stubborn," the swift "Doreen" (a song you can only dislike if you were born without a soul) and the wistful ballad "Should've Been Loved," which comes complete with nice pedal steel and Hammond parts. Glassman's six songs would easily pass the bullshit detector test and the same is true for the remaining four songs. "One Million Meadows," by one Matthew J. Pelletier continues the momentum built up by "Doreen," while the two songs penned by guitarist Larry Winchester (the guitar-fest of "Nearest Transit" and the gentle closing ballad "Cascade") prove the band offers both strength and sensitivity. The most surprising contribution - and one of the album's unquestionable highlights - is bass player Jeff Sohn's "Stoneytown," a darkly melancholic song featuring understated mandolin accompaniment and a terrific, lyrical solo from Winchester. The diversity is surprising and pleasing, the sincerity is obvious and the dedication of the band speaks for itself, but what finally did the trick for me was that it rushed by at a mere 31 minutes. I'm not saying that I'm happier person if an album's over soon, but with ten songs in half an hour, there's not a wasted note, emotion or hiccup to be found, which makes it a fun trip completely devoid of excess fat. In other words: Upstate is a damn fine, lean example of American roots-rock at its best. And now I'm thirsty. For beer.

Live at the Garden Grill (2003)

Loves to Play the Fool / Cecil King / Towncar / Stoneytown / Rollercoaster Blues / You and Me / Bend in the River / Let's Get Gone / Whistle Stop / I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive / Northampton / Old Blue / Harms Way / Fucked/Wallflower / That's What Dreams

Live at the Garden Grill It can't have been coincidence that Upstate's vibe reminded me of Danny & Dusty's The Lost Weekend, as chief Glassman not only quotes Steve Wynn in the liner notes (the immortal "Somewhere in this world, it's Happy Hour" from that very album's "The Word Is Out"), but the band also starts and ends the performance with Green on Red-songs. That spirit invades this live registration, which was recorded in The Garden Grill in Albany, which I presume is your average live-club-meets-hangout-for-local-barflys. As expected, the band - a four-piece line-up rounded by guest Rick More on pedal steel - turns in a loose, spontaneous performance in front of a small but appreciative audience with random yells, cursing, and calls for alcohol popping up now and then. Glassman is hardly a great singer and his voice occasionally sounds a bit strained, but slickness is uncalled for anyway. The recording brims with energy and the sparkle of a late night show that serves as an ideal reason to forget about this week's problems and focus on having a good time for now. Likewise, the band's playing is a bit more ragged than on the studio album, but tampering with these recordings would be something like claiming you're a Deadhead and not reek of patchouli and weed: no fuckin' way. What you get instead are songs about old blue vans, pawning your sister's ring to stay out of harm's way and just wasting the days in general. And again, the songs rush by so quickly you'll have a hard time to catch up. The band offers a nice balance of originals and covers, picking a few songs from their earliest work, three from their most recent studio effort Upstate and two yet unrecorded ones, the frenetic rock 'n' roll of "Let's Get Gone" and Jeff Sohn's "Northampton." Apart from the Green on Red-tracks, they offer a slightly dragging version of Dylan's lesser-known "Wallflower," the Waco Brothers' swinging "Harms Way" and the hardcore honky-tonk of Hank Williams' "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive." Again, it's an unknown pick (to me anyway) that gets to make most of an impression: in this case "Towncar" by a certain Steve Gaylord (yes, I'm pretty convinced that's a pseudonym) about visions of sleeping in motels, watching soft porn, drinking hard liquor and smoking joints. Hard-livin' hillbilly heaven! Like Upstate, this live album remains quite faithful to the roots-rock genre, but both the performance as well as the quality of the songs ensure the band will always have something interesting to say and play. By the time the show was over, there probably wasn't a single sober person in the room left (that's including the band), but I bet they all had a shitload of fun, which is exactly what this band hooked me up with. I'd like to propose a toast… BUT WHERE'S THAT GODDAMN BEER??