Rage Against The Machine, MC5 and Wilco Members Guest on Greedy Souls Debut
02/05/2009
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(PR) Jason Heath and the Greedy Souls couple rough-and-ragged Americana strains with punk idealism and directness on their debut full-length, The Vain Hope of Horse, resulting in a sound that is as instantly familiar as it is convention-defying. Now out on Still Small Recordings, this fourteen-track album is sure to spearhead a new movement of songwriters who keep Springsteen and the Sex Pistols side-by-side in their record collections. "The idea is to seek a kind of honesty in everything we do," says Heath. "With everything from the lyrics to the production." The band will promoting their debut with shows at The Hotel Cafe February 7 and Mr. T's Bowl March 6.
Striving for justice and truth through music, the Greedy Souls are a rag-tag team of LA musicians from all corners of the music scene. Lead singer/songwriter Heath and drummer Abraham Etz have been in and out of punk bands for 20 years, including Spinewire, who recorded with Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello and Dennis Herring (Elvis Costello, Modest Mouse). Others include Jason Federici, son of Danny Federici, the accordion player for Bruce Springsteen's E Street band, whom Jason has occasionally gigged with. Adding renowned honky-tonk pianist Chris Joyner and fiddle player Ysanne Spevack, the band firmly rooted themselves in the traditional sound of Americana.
Their new debut album, The Vain Hope of Horse is an curiosity in many intriguing ways, featuring Americana with left-leaning politics, produced by musicians who got their start in punk rock. Nowhere is this dichotomy better exemplified than lead single "Anarchist Girl," which, as Heath recalls, started as a joke at band practice. A country two-step with a doo-wop feel, the song mixes the political with the romantic: "She fights for liberty/And she's the only girl for me/She stole my heart away/She's gonna change the world/I'm in love with an anarchist girl." Fittingly, Wayne Kramer of the MC5, arguably the first ever group to mix rock with radical politics, makes a guest appearance on lead guitar. Elsewhere, the sterling steel guitar of Wilco's Nels Cline graces several tracks, as well as the baritone vocals and acoustic guitar of Tom "The Nightwatchman" Morello. The album, produced by Heath and Mike Fennel (Anastacia), is dedicated to the memory of Danny Federici, who passed away last year from cancer.
Whether collaborating with like-minded idealists, forging a new musical vocabulary merging America's traditional music with one of its most radical offshoots or singing from the heart, Jason Heath and the Greedy Souls are delivering a much-needed jolt of honesty and directness unseen on the music scene for some time. Don't miss the first dose with The Vain Hope of Horse.
Upcoming shows:
February 7 The Hotel Café, Los Angeles, CA
March 6 Mr. T's Bowl, Los Angeles, CA
www.myspace.com/jasonheathandthegreedysouls
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