Lost Dog Found - Dine On Danger (2014)

Tracklist

01. Hot Swing Is Back
02. The Big Stomper
03. The Ghost of Johnny Walker
04. These Times Are Tough (But Baby so Are We)
05. I'm Not Crying for You
06. Dine On Danger
07. Give Me Love
08. I Never Thought You Would Make It
09. You Are the Kind of Girl
10. Nobody Loves Me Like You Do



One of many pleasant surprises that I’ve encountered over the last few years as I’ve been writing this blog is my personal discovery of swing music and modern swing bands in particular. Of course, I knew about swing and I like to listen to the old stuff in my collection. But what I never really dove into was the modern swing artists. Yeah, I knew Setzer was doing it, but I didn’t know–though of course, I probably should have–how many other great modern swing bands there are out there.

Lost Dog Found is one of those great modern swing bands. I’d never heard of them before I received an email from Band Leader/guitarist/pianist Stevie Mac asking me if he could send a CD my way. Of course I said, “of course!” When I put Dine On Danger in, I was hooked by the first few bars of the first song, “Hot Swing is Back.”

The core band consists of seven guys all playing guitars, saxophones, basses, drums, trumpet, and more. And the guys have a great feel for the music which Mac describes as “a hybrid of swing/roots music, jump blues, and rockabilly all mixed up together, then given a more modern feel.” That’s a pretty accurate description of what I hear on this record, although I’d also toss in a touch of New Orleans jazz, especially in some of the horn arrangements, like in “The Ghost of Johnny Walker” which features some great solo trumpet work by Craig Berletti. They also reach into Philadelphia style doo wop a bit with the record’s second-to-last tune “You Are the Kind of Girl.” Not that they go full-in for either New Orleans or Phillie, but you can definitely hear the elements.

Vocalist/tenor sax player Chris Hudlow delivers tough, strong vocals that work really well with the band’s style. Behind him, the band is hot and the horn section of Nick Miller (alto sax), Jeremy Greene (tenor and baritone sax), and Berletti is particularly fun. Drummer Kyle Pesonen and Paul Geoghan on upright bass round out the core group on eight of the songs. Scott Yost takes over bass duties on two tunes and shows off some fun jump blues slap bass chops on “The Big Stomper” while Todd Grady joins him on trumpet and Madison Bohrer blows tenor sax on the same two tunes. Finally Leah Woodard turns in a powerful vocal lead in front of very cool jazz instrumentation on “I’m Not Crying For You.” All in all, this a really tight outfit with lots of energy and fun arrangements.

Dine on Danger is the band’s second album, following up their debut The Jump Start Scandal and contains 10 all original compositions. I’m always impressed when bands who play old-style music can write and produce tunes that sound like they came right out of another era, and Lost Dog Found pulls that off really well.

As you’d expect from a swing band, this music is eminently danceable. This band must be a real blast to see live. If you love to dance, you’d be on your feet from start to finish. But if you just like to watch and listen, there’s plenty for you too with all the players and the layers of horns and other instrumentation.

And these guys don’t only have it together musically, their website and press materials look great. They’ve clearly spent some time and money honing their craft and making sure the marketing package matches the quality of their music.

The band is based in the San Francisco Bay area and has been making a real name for themselves on the west coast. They’ve played with many high-powered acts, and one listen to this record and you understand why.

The songs were all written and arranged by Steve McCannell, which I’m assuming is band leader Stevie Mac. He has a great understanding of the elements of the genres he’s tapping into. I’m impressed with his horn arrangements. Maybe that’s because I don’t have a clue as to how to arrange a horn section, or maybe it’s just because the arrangements are so good. But whatever the case, it’s fun to listen to the arrangements on these tunes. Add in hot, jazzy guitar progressions and solos, some fun and clever drum parts, and consistently interesting bass lines, and this is just as fun to dissect instrument by instrument as it is to listen to as a whole.

All in all, Lost Dog Found is a great band that I’m happy I finally discovered. And “Dine on Danger is a really fun listen. As I found out, it works just as well to clean the garage to as it does through multiple listens on a five-hour road trip! This is a record to pick up and a band to follow. Hopefully they’ll create much more music in the years to come, but even if they don’t, they’ll leave a very impressive lagacy with Dine on Danger. ~Buster Fayte
The harsh rattle of work gang chants, the lilting blues of a New Orleans speakeasy, the biting rock of a Southern roadhouse, the quick percussion of a Latin combo, the haunting slide of a Delta holler, and the touching romanticism of heartfelt ballads all combine in a tasty gumbo that is “Evangeline”, the latest album from San Francisco based singer/songwriter/producer/multi-instrumentalist Blind Lemon Pledge.

Releasing in time for Summer 2014, Mr. Pledge (aka James Byfield) has combined diverse array of styles, while his songwriting sensibilities make the whole project come together. Says Byfield “I wanted to do an album that really captured the different influences that have gone into my songwriting. I was fortunate to be able to hone each arrangement to capture the feeling of the variety of genres.” Listening to the album is like taking a tour through America’s roots musical legacy with overtones of deep Southern blues, Hoagy Carmichael swing, and almost Byrds-like melodicism.

Working from his Bay Area studio, James Byfield fronts two performing bands and composes and records his songs. “Evangeline” is his fourth album as Blind Lemon Pledge. “I Would Rather Go Blind”, his 2010 album of classic blues and originals was named by KPIG Radio as one of the Top Albums of the year. It was also named in the Top 100 Singer/Songwriter Albums by iTunes Ireland and iTunes Austria. All of his albums have received international airplay and sales.

With “Evangeline”, Blind Lemon Pledge hopes to reach across musical genres and find a new audience for his unique blend of Americana and Blues styles.

The album opens with “Buley’s Farm” an acoustic field holler with a cigar box guitar backing. Byfield comments “I have always loved the sound of those old John Lomax chain gang recordings. And I wanted to do a modern take on the genre while still keeping the sound and feel of the old recordings.”

Very quickly, the album shifts gears and moves into “Jennie Bell”, a folk ballad which continues some of the themes introduced in the first song, while hinting at the variety of styles that are set to come throughout the album. “Brimstone Joe”, a dark and devil-tinged blues with a decidedly New Orleans feel comes next, leading, after a long fade, into “Midnight Assignation”, a roadhouse rocker with a mean slide guitar sound reminiscent of early Allman Brothers. The first four songs create a mini song cycle reflecting the movement of blues from the country to the city.

As the album progresses we are treated to “Go Jump the Wille” – Jump Jive ala Louis Jordan; a salsa tinged trip to Puerto Rico in “Language of Love”; a Cole Porterish “Ham and Eggs”; “How Can I Still Love You” – a jazz/blues number reminiscent of Mose Allison; and a Byrds-like folk rock ballad with “You Had Me at Goodbye”. The album ends in a musical bookend with another roots number, the title song “Evangeline”. This deep blues is accompanied by acoustic slide and echoes the country blues of Son House and other greats of the genre.

Sit back and travel with Blind Lemon Pledge as he takes you down the musical streams of American Music.

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