Slim Bawb, Gator Bait - BEWARE! (2006)

Tracklist

01. Tony Joe
02. Jose Grand Marnier & the Ju Ju Queen
03. Got No Guvnor on it
04. Isle of Mystic
05. Mojo Moon
06. Derrick McQuade
07. Hungry Hollow Road
08. So Hard to Understand
09. When the Hurtin' Begins
10. Gator Circus
11. Sugar Didn't Show

Gator Bait are a Sacramento based four piece fronted by Slim Bawb (actually Bob Pearce but that doesn’t sound authentic enough). To the already confusing and over crowded genre of Americana we must now add the further sub-genre of ‘swampgrass’ for that is what Bawb and friends claim to purvey through the playing of mandolin, banjo, accordion, double bass and something called mojo stomp which is an unspecified instrument but the name sounds good. Over the top of this Bawb adds his vocal which sound as if he’s been gargling with equal parts of shattered windscreen and unpasturised swamp water.
The opening is good enough – a jaunty paean to Tony Joe White (writer of ‘Polk Salad Annie’ and other good stuff) called “Tony Joe” skips along nicely enough with accordion backing and Bawb’s strangulated vocal exhibiting a pleasing expressiveness. There is some other good material here – the restrained “Sugar Didn’t Show” and the up-tempo singalong “So Hard To Understand” being the best..
Listening to this record reminds one of the debt of much American ‘roots’ music to its celtic counterpart and “Isle of Mystic” sounds like Van Morrison at his most trad/down home (albeit down home in Louisiana) and “Derrick McQuade” actually features bagpipes (here renamed Gatorpipes naturally).
There is quite a lot to like about this recording but ultimately you wish that Slim Bawb had pushed the envelope a bit more instead of keeping his tongue in his cheek.(Review by Paul Villers)

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