PREVIEW: Zoe Muth & The Lost High Rollers @ Laurelthirst Pub

...and I always said I'd never be fooled again -
I sure don't believe much coming from the mouths of men,
but when Hank Williams cries and Bill Monroe hits those high notes,
I know in our darkest hour, there's still a light shining down inside.

These words close out the debut full-length CD from Zoe Muth & The Lost Rollers.  The song itself reads like a letter, perhaps never sent, that the narrator has written to her parents.  In this passage - from Never Be Fooled Again - she speaks to the infatuation of the highway and living life on the road, but she is not the one who is enamored.  Instead, she has been burned by it and the one person who chose the allure of the road over family.  Indeed, it does sound grueling, but that is some uncommonly powerful imagery, folks.

Zoe's songs are full imagery, as well as some of the most simple and elegant lyrical hooks and turns these ears have heard in probably 10 years or more.  I'd like to think she's spent a considerable amount of time listening to Willie Nelson because when I think of songwriters who wrote the most simple and powerful turns in country music over the last 70 years, Willie is at the top of that list.  Take the lead off cut, You Only Believe Me When I'm Lying, for instance:

Well, I've been talking to this fella next door, I've been giving him the eye, but he's asking for more...
because you only believe me when I'm lying...

Then she concludes: No, I ain't going to send you no love letters because you'll just shake your head at the proof that I want you and that's the honest truth.

I'm not saying these words are in the class of folks like Willie or Kristofferson (really, who is?), but they do capture the spirit of the country songs put forth by these gentleman and so many others.  She uses the often visited paradigm of truth vs. lie to explain some of the nuances of this complicated relationship with an apparently overly jealous lover.  It doesn't sound like a fun situation to be in, but it sounds like she is having fun singing and writing about it.  That's one of the great things about country music - some of the saddest songs with the most pathetic of characters are upbeat and lilting; thus, dampening the heartaches that are really at work here.

The lyrical content is only half of the story here.  Musically, the album is smooth and soothing in every aspect, from Zoe's laid back vocals all the way down to its gentle, steady rhythms.  In particular, Ethan Lawton's mandolin playing is what gives the music its somewhat distinct flavor.  While the mandolin turns up frequently in bluegrass, you just don't hear it in real country songs anymore.  I'm pretty confident when I say that this is clearly a nod to The Louvin Brothers.  That said, Lawton's licks are colorful and well-placed, guiding the listener along as they bounce from chord to chord.  It's a wonderful ride, really.  The album is rounded out with guitar, pedal steel, dobro, accordion, and banjo. It's quite refreshing to hear a more acoustic version of country music. So often these days everything is driven by flashy electric guitar playing, but the electric instruments take a back seat here, providing for a nice bed where the mandolin and accordion can also exist and flourish.

Stylistically, the music mostly stays rooted in country music, with influences spanning from the 50s all the way through to the 80s (Wasting My Time would have fit right in on the CRAZY HEART soundtrack). There is the occasional quieter, more folky number (Never Be Fooled Again), but when I say "folky," I'm talking about Kris Kristofferson singing Me & Bobby McGee ("if it sounds like country, then that's what it is, a country song" he said before he laid it down).

Zoe and her band will be performing at the Laurelthirst Pub here in Portland, OR this Saturday, March 27 at 9:30pm.  The Laurelthirst is located at 2958 NE Glisan St. They will be opening for Caleb Klauder.  Cover is $5.  I plan to get there early and secure a seat, take in the evening a little.  If you catch this, I hope you can make it out too.  It's been a long time since I've been this excited about real country music from new artists.  Hopefully, I haven't set the bar too high... as I often do... but upon checking out some of these clips, I think it should be a fantastic show.