Pop on Floor It!!!, the new and second full-length effort from the Texas Gentlemen, and prepare your eardrums to be hit with everything from woozy, brass-fueled Dixieland-style jazz (“Veal Cutlass”), to slinky, chicken-scratch country funk (“Bare Maximum”) to lushly orchestrated pop-soul balladry (“Ain’t Nothin’ New”)—and that’s all in just the first 10 minutes of play time.
While the Gentlemen’s sound is clearly steeped in the classic roots, rock and pop music of the ‘60s and ‘70s, there’s a dreamy (the lilting “Sing Me to Sleep”), spacey (“Skyway Streetcar”) and occasionally progressive (“Dark at the End of the Tunnel”) element to what they do that seems to detach the music from belonging to any particular place and time. Add in elements of funk, soul, country, r&b, southern rock, gospel and essentially any other style that catches their musically omnivorous ears; an expansive and detailed approach to arrangement that sees the songs adorned with all manner of horns, strings and heavenly background vocals (“Hard Road”) and you have a collection of tunes that is more than just a mere album. Rather, Floor It!!! is a rich and righteous ride.
Somewhere up on Cripple Creek, there’s an old log cabin where the gang used to gather to pass the bottle and trade tall tales. Sometimes, a back-porch pickin’ party would break out, and they’d spend hours strumming country-rock classics, drivin’ that train through the Band, the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield and various Burrito Brothers, and even entering ex-Beatles territory on “Crippled Inside.” (Yes, dogs did howl along with their lusty harmonies on that one.)
That’s the actual story of Austin band Sour Bridges’ birth. Well, maybe the cabin was really an apartment, and maybe it was closer to Lady Bird Lake (and maybe the dogs merely snored), but it did have a porch where friends gathered, bottles were passed and picking parties occurred. The songs also moved into original territory rather quickly, sprouting into a sound they call browngrass—“like bluegrass, but a little dirtier”—but it grows from that same country-rock soil. In fact, you can almost hear the history of American roots music in the strong harmonies and intricate arrangements of the band’s fourth album, Neon Headed Fool (May 24, 2019).
Its 10 tracks, all but one written by lead singer and rhythm guitar/banjo/harmonica player Bill Pucci, capture the good-time vibe of a porch pickin’ party, while reflecting a deepening maturity in subject matter. It’s a natural evolution for a band that’s been together since 2010—though Sour Bridges actually has its genesis in the Pocono Mountains of Northeastern Pennsylvania.
That’s where Long Island-born Pucci and his brother, Matt (lead guitar, mandolin, vocals), were raised. Both are self-taught players, but their musical interests were encouraged by their grandfather, who bought them instruments and even built Bill’s four left-handed banjos. They made their way to Austin in 2007, immediately finding a community of like-minded talents. Their latest incarnation includes Will Vaughan on bass and vocals and Marc Randal Henry on drums and percussion. “He’s a little more of a rock drummer,” says Bill, “so there’s a little bit of a different vibe.”
Scott Ballew is a filmmaker and songwriter from Austin, TX.
With over 15 years of commercial, documentary, and film experience, Scott’s collaborations with various film-makers, musicians, adventurers, and entrepreneurs has led to a unique point of view and voice. In addition to branded short films and commercials, Scott also directed the independent feature documentary on the iconic artist and musician Terry Allen, and was a producer on the feature documentary ‘Charged.’
His first album ‘Talking To Mountains’ was released in 2021. A follow up album called ‘Leisure Rodeo’ will be available in the fall of 2022.