With a name like The Four Roses, you would think that there are four roses. At one time, there were four roses. Four. That would have been approximately three years ago. A rose was added, so there were five Four Roses. Numerically, mathematically, consecutively, instinctively, this made no sense. At this point, logic dictated that a sixth should be added to the five that comprised The Four.
So, there you go! It continues to make no sense.
Well, it does make a bit of sense musically. Musically, The Four Roses make sense. If you happen to enjoy honky-tonk music (or maybe even if you don’t), if you happen to feel that the country music being made nowadays is overly polished, far too slick, and lacking the down-to-earth essence that used to populate the airwaves and record racks, you may very well enjoy The Four Roses. If you have enjoyed the sounds of Conway Twitty, Merle Haggard, The Mekons, Johnny Bush, Whisperin’ Bill Anderson, or trucking songs, or Gordon Lightfoot, or Buck Owens, we feel inclined to think that, well, we’re right there, too.
Songs about broken hearts, songs about despair, and loss, and foolhardiness. Pretty girls, drinking, big garbage day, and picture frames…we try to cover all the bases. The Four Roses do cover versions that make you think they’d authored the tunes themselves and write songs that sound as if they’d been here forever (or maybe longer). What’s old is new, then is now, here is there, and may the circle be unbroken. Oh, the geometry!
Here, then, the six Four Roses deliver fourteen tear-stained, dehydrated, downshifting doses of their sweet science. Let us all raise a glass to "This Great Event."
The Four Roses are:
Matt Knoblock – vocals extraordinaire
Keith Tassick – bass guitar, vocals
Brett Day – guitar, whistling, vocals
Will Simmons – guitar, vocals
Paul Labrise – lap steel guitar, guitar, vocals
Bob Jungkunz – drums
Where did they come from? They came from The Hope-Harveys, The Trees, Bitter Dolores, The New Pussycats, Boxstep, HiTEC, The Gothees, The Red Bobs, Amoeba Knievel, The Skirt Tasters, Flint (the city, not the band), and England (the nation).
credits
released March 5, 2010
Matt Knoblock – vocals
Brett Day – rhythm guitar
Bob Jungkunz – drums
Paul Labrise – lap steel
Willard Simmons – lead guitar
Keith Tassick – bass guitar
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