Kevin Russell went back to his roots for his latest release. The frontman of the Austin, Texas-based swamp-boogie, rootsy-soul and funk outfit Shinyribs has on most of the band’s recorded catalog stacked them with a full band, which includes a rip-roaring horn section. A founding member and frontman of the much-missed Gourds, the sound of Shinyribs’ latest release “Leaving Time” is reminiscent of his old band (which played two reunion shows back in April), a sound that still has that country funk, done up without a horn section.
Shinyribs will be in the region this weekend, performing at The Columbine Roadhouse in Silverton on Thursday and at the Dolores River Brewery in Dolores on Friday.
If you go
WHAT: Funky Swamp Rock with Shinyribs.
WHEN: Thursday and Friday.
WHERE: Thursday: The Columbine Road House, 71450 U.S. Highway 550 in Silverton; Friday: Dolores River Brewery, 100 S. Fourth St.
MORE INFORMATION: Visit www.shinyribs.com.
“This is very stripped down, very back to basics, kind of a full circle record. There are times it just sounds like a Gourds record to me, a little bit,” Russell said. “There’s a very Gourds vibe about it. A lot of high harmonies done by the producer of the record. He grew up on the Gourds, he knows everything that I’m doing. So he slipped right in and knew exactly what to do.”
“Knowing what to do” also meant finding the right recording space. Russell and Shinyribs knows Texas blues, American roots rock and funk, but he’s also got some punk rock cred, knowing well enough that to sometimes obtain a certain sound you need a recording studio that isn’t a traditional studio.
“We recorded live, in an old house from the mid-’40s out in Martindale, Texas. Just a funky little house in a neighborhood, and we set up in the living room. And we’re all there together, and that is the best way for me to record, it’s just like recording a rehearsal,” Russell said. “Just playing together in a room. It’s very natural. There was great mic placement and mitigating the room of some of the bleed issues and using that as a way so you’re almost mixing the record as you go in the way that you place the mics, and everybody plays within that sonic field. So, it came out great.”
Fans will revel in the “Gourds-ness” of the release. Cuts like “Salt On My Tail” have stream-of-conscious lyrics with that head-bobbing bounce that is a major part of both Gourds and Shinyribs sound; “Drag” is ripe for a front porch pick and singalong; and “Sh***y Music” is a poignant and flat-out fun critique of music fans who solely dig on the low hanging fruit.
While the record is a stripped-down package, on this tour Colorado will still get the complete Shinyribs package with the always stylish Russell leading the fun.
“We’ll have the full band; it’ll be all of us. There’ll be moments when the horn and the singers might leave the stage, which makes it more interesting I think visually and sonically for the audience,” he said. “Colorado will have the full meal deal, Shinyribs featuring the Tijuana Trainwreck Horns.”
With Russell’s and the band’s DIY cred and punk approach, you won’t find the band hiding out in a green room before the show; this is a band that brings the music to the people, so you’re likely to catch the band milling about the venue before the show, or even mistaking Russell for a local, which has happened.
There’s also a climate control mindset, as a Colorado tour will get the band out of the Texas summertime heat.
“In summer especially, we like to get out of Texas, it’s just way too hot. The Gourds did it that way, that’s how I’ve always done it. Stay regional most of the year, and then seasonally get around the country and meet some of the fans and see the sites,” Russell said. “You know, have some fun.”
Bryant Liggett is a freelance writer and KDUR station manager. Reach him at liggett_b@fortlewis.edu.
