Disc 1
The first disc opens with Dox Dixon performing “The Mississippi,” a song from early in the band’s career. It was released as single, and later included on the band’s Nineteen Ninety-Three album, which wasn’t released until May of 2003, a full decade after it was supposed to come out. Don Dixon is a friend to the Continental Drifters, and has known Peter Holsapple since the early days, long before this band started, and even before The dB’s. He puts his own spin on “The Mississippi,” delivering a good rendition. This track is a solo effort. He plays guitar, keys and bass on this track. Rob Laufer then delivers a really nice rendition of “The Rain Song,” featuring some good guitar work and a moving vocal performance. Rob Laufer plays most of the instruments on this track, and is joined only by Kevin Jarvis on drums (Kevin Jarvis often sat in with the Continental Drifters early on). As mentioned in White Noise & Lightning, “The Rain Song” is the very first song that Susan Cowsill wrote. She wrote it with Vicki Peterson, and it was included on the band’s Vermilion, released in 1998.
Marshall Crenshaw gives “Darlin Darlin” an interesting opening moment, not quite a false start, but like the song is gathering itself together. This song was written by Peter Holsapple, and it was also included on Vermilion. Marshall Crenshaw does a wonderful job with it. He plays guitar and drums, and is joined by Sean Kelly on bass and keyboard (Sean Kelly wrote White Noise & Lightning). This is one of the highlights of the first disc. Then Rosie Flores has a great time with “Christopher Columbus Transcontinental Highway,” a perfect song choice for her, for she’s able to give it that delicious energy she’s known for. And Mike Molnar delivers some great stuff on electric guitar. I also like the backing vocal work by Molnar and Chris Sensat. This song was written by Vicki Peterson, and also included on Vermilion (all but two of that album’s songs are represented on this two-disc tribute).
“Dallas” is a song that pre-dates the Continental Drifters, with Gary Eaton playing it in an earlier band, The Ringling Sisters, before bringing it to the Drifters. Annette Zilinskas was a vocalist in The Ringling Sisters, and here she delivers a captivating performance of the song. And Danny McGough, the Drifters’ original keyboardist, plays organ and piano on this track. So, yeah, this track is something special. Plus, it’s just a great song. Then The Iguanas give us a delightful rendition of “Side Steppin’ The Fire,” featuring nice work by Rod Hodges on accordion, plus good stuff by Doug Carrison on drums. This one was written by Carlo Nuccio, and was included on Nineteen Ninety-Three. That’s followed by “Tomorrow’s Gonna Be,” done by Tara Austin & Lyn Bertles. There is a great, raw power to the vocal delivery on this track. And Lyn Bertles adds some nice work on violin. Danny McGough plays piano and organ on this one too, and Rob Laufer is on guitar. The Continental Drifters included this song on Better Day. I appreciate the sarcasm in the delivery of a line like, “It’s okay, tomorrow’s gonna be an even better day.” A lot of us can relate to that now. This version ends with a beautiful vocal section.
The band Jolene covers “Spring Day In Ohio,” a song written by Susan Cowsill. It’s a personal song, so it’s interesting hearing someone else perform it. Jolene gives us an excellent, powerful rendition. “This is your life, how do you like it so far?” The Continental Drifters included this song on Vermilion. That’s followed by “Invisible Boyfriend,” a song written by Peter Holsapple and included on the Continental Drifters’ self-titled album. Robbie Rist delivers a strong rendition with its own undeniable power. Robbie Rist was apparently among the group of regulars who saw the Continental Drifters during the band’s residency at Raji’s, and was in the band Kingsizemaybe with Drifter Gary Eaton. (By the way, for those who might be trying to place the name, Robbie Rist is also an actor, who as a child played Cousin Oliver on The Brady Bunch.)
“Heart, Home” was written by Robert Maché, and is here performed by his wife Candace Maché. She does an absolutely lovely job with it. She is joined by Jolene’s John Crooke on backing vocals. Sean Kelly plays bass and keyboard, and Brendan Kelly is on guitar. Then Equation totally rocks on “Don’t Do What I Did,” a song written by Peter Holsapple and included on Vermilion. Lead vocalist Kathryn Roberts does a great job, and the track also features some exciting guitar work. This is a live track, and, unlike most of this tribute’s tracks, was recorded quite some time ago, back in 2001. The first disc concludes with Debbi Peterson & The Minus 5 performing “Who We Are, Where We Live,” a song written by Vicki Peterson. This track is another serious treat. I love The Minus 5, which features Baseball Project members Scott McCaughey and Peter Buck. And, as you all likely know, Debbi Peterson and her sister Vicki are members of The Bangles. Jenny Conlee-Drizos of The Decemberists is on keys on this track. So there is a crazy amount of talent behind this one. It’s such a great and moving song of loss. “You’ve got to try and make sense of it all.”
Disc 2
The second disc opens with Annie Clements & The Auxiliary Drifters doing the song “Drifters,” from Vermilion. Annie Clements toured as the bassist in the band Sugarland, and before that worked as a nanny for the Holsapples when she was in her teens. And if you’re curious just who the Auxiliary Drifters are, this track features Kevin Jarvis on drums, Robert Lloyd on mandolin, Dave Catching on lap steel, Kevin Salem on acoustic guitar, Janson Lohmeyer on keys, Lyn Bertles on violin, and Nick Vincent on tambourine. Jarvis, Lloyd and Catching had all sat in with the Drifters in the band’s early days, and Kevin Salem had come in at one point as a producer. As you might guess from the song’s title, the song is about the band. It was written by Peter Holsappe and Susan Cowsill. “We’ve always done it our way/That’s just how we are.” Annie Clements delivers a heartfelt performance here. “We are all drifters,” Annie sings, that line giving this tribute its title. “So while we’re here, we might as well just sing along.” Danny McGough then delivers a great rendition of “Mezzanine,” a song that was written by Carlo Nuccio and included on the band’s self-titled album. He is joined by Alex McMurray on guitar, Glenn Hartman on organ, Nick Vincent on drums, and Sarah Kramer on backing vocals.
George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners deliver a soulful rendition of “Peaceful Waking.” This is a song that the Continental Drifters included on Better Day. It was written by Susan Cowsill and Russ Broussard. George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners put their own spin on it, giving the song a reggae groove partway through. I also really like George Porter Jr.’s bass work. Martha Gehman then delivers a beautiful rendition of “Here I Am,” a song written by Carlo Nuccio. Bob Theil joins her on guitar. The Continental Drifters included this song on Nineteen Ninety-Three. That’s followed by an absolutely wonderful rendition of “I Want To Learn To Waltz With You,” a song that reminds me of a moment from my teen years when a girl taught me how to waltz in a Dunkin’ Donuts parking lot. It is one of my favorite Continental Drifters songs. This is the other track that was recorded earlier. It was included on Caitlin Cary’s 2003 album I’m Staying Out. The song was written by Peter Holsapple. By the way, that Caitlin Cary album was produced by Chris Stamey, and Don Dixon plays bass on it.
Derrick Anderson delivers a funky, cool rendition of “No One Cares,” a song written by Ray Ganucheau. This track also features Fernando Perdomo on guitar and Chris Price on keys, so, yeah, this is another track to have a lot of talent behind it. This is a song that was included on the Continental Drifters’ Nineteen Ninety-Three album. John Cowsill, who is married to Continental Drifter Vicki Peterson, gives us a wonderful take on “Watermark,” which Peterson wrote. Vicki Peterson joins him on backing vocals on this track. They are also joined by Paul Allen on guitar, bass and percussion. Recently, when I saw Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill in concert, Paul Allen played multiple instruments, sometimes two at the same time. It probably comes as no surprise that this track is another highlight of the album. I love it right from playful opening that John Cowsill gives it. Then Kim Richey gives a heartfelt, moving rendition of “Snow.” Her connection to the Drifters is interesting. The band backed her at a gig in Austin, and she, at the time, expressed a desire to quit her own band and join the Drifters. “Snow” was written by Susan Cowsill and included on Better Day. It’s another of my favorite Continental Drifters songs.
Steve Wynn, whom you know from his work in The Dream Syndicate and The Baseball Project, as well as for his solo work, covers “Green,” a song written by Gary Eaton and included on Nineteen Ninety-Three. As for Steve’s connection to the Drifters, members of The Steve Wynn Band became members (and auxiliary members) of the Continental Drifters. Robert Lloyd, Mark Walton, Robert Maché and Kevin Jarvis were all in Steve Wynn’s band. Anyway, Steve Wynn delivers an excellent rendition of “Green,” and is joined by Robert Lloyd on piano, as well as by Brian Kehew on guitar and organ, Ronnie Barnett on bass, and Darren Edwards on drums. This track is yet another highlight. Then Danielle Howle and Mark Bryan perform an energetic rendition of “Meet Me In The Middle.” Mark Bryan is known for his work as lead guitarist in Hootie And The Blowfish, a band that Peter Holsapple played in. This song was written by Peter Holsapple, and included on Vermilion. Sean Kelly plays guitar and keyboard on this track.
Dayna Kurtz and Robert Maché (who play together in Lulu And The Broadsides) deliver a pretty rendition of “Long While,” a song written by Carlo Nuccio (but not included on a Continental Drifters album). This is another special track. I love Robert’s work on mandolin. Then Garrison Starr gives us a really good rendition of “Mixed Messages,” a song written by Vicki Peterson and included on the Continental Drifters’ self-titled album. Mike Mills (of R.E.M. and The Baseball Project) plays bass on this track, John Crooke (of Jolene) plays mandolin and guitar, Andrew Sovine plays guitar, Sean Kelly plays organ, and John Convertino (who was an auxiliary Drifter) is on drums. That’s quite a band! The tribute concludes with Bobby Houck’s touching version of “Anything.” This song was written by Peter Holsapple and Vicki Peterson, and I was fortunate to see the two of them perform it at a recent dB’s show. This song was also the closing track on Vermilion.
CD Track List
Disc 1
- The Mississippi – Don Dixon
- The Rain Song – Rob Laufer
- Darlin Darlin – Marshall Crenshaw
- Christopher Columbus Transcontinental Highway – Rosie Flores & The Talismen
- Dallas – Annette Zilinskas
- Side Steppin’ The Fire – The Iguanas
- Tomorrow’s Gonna Be – Tara Austin & Lyn Bertles
- Spring Day In Ohio – Jolene
- Invisible Boyfriend – Robbie Rist
- Heart, Home – Candace Maché
- Don’t Do What I Did – Equation
- Who We Are, Where We Live – Debbi Peterson & The Minus 5
Disc 2
- Drifters – Annie Clements & The Auxiliary Drifters
- Mezzanine – Danny McGough, Alex McMurray And Glenn Hartman
- Peaceful Waking – George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners
- Here I Am – Martha Gehman
- I Want To Learn To Waltz With You – Caitlin Cary
- No One Cares – Derrick Anderson
- Watermark – John Cowsill
- Snow – Kim Richey + Kettle Of Hawks
- Green – Steve Wynn
- Meet Me In The Middle – Danielle Howle & Mark Bryan
- Long While – Dayna Kurtz & Robert Maché
- Mixed Messages – Garrison Starr
- Anything – Bobby Houck
We Are All Drifters: A Tribute To The Continental Drifters was released on September 27, 2024 through Cool Dog Sound.
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment