BR549

I don’t consider myself a country music fan, especially the pop-based
country that has been popular since the early 90s. The whole
dumbed-down pickup-truck-drivin’, beer drinkin’, boot-scootin’
mentality is a huge turnoff for me, which just reeks of dumbed-down
commercialism. There’s a reason they call ’em “hat acts” in
Nashville–slap a 10-gallon on top of any marginal singer, and you have
a new hat act. Having said that, there are some decent country acts
out there that lean more toward traditional country, yet updated for
the current times. One such band is BR5-49, which you can tell from
the name, makes a nod toward the old “Hee Haw” television show. What’s
so different about BR549 (who now goes by their de-hyphenated name)?

I was first introduced to BR549 as the opening act for a Brian Setzer
Orchestra gig many years ago. While the sound was a bit muddy (typical
of the outdoor venue we saw them at), some of the songs sounded a bit
humourous. “18 Wheels and A Crowbar” definitely caught my attention.
After the show, they gave out promo cassettes of their then-current
single “Out Of Habit”. I was hooked. These guys were different!
True, on the surface, they sound so much like other country bands out
there. But once you listen, you realize these guys all have musical
talent. They write a good number of their own songs, and yet they are
also masters of arranging older cover songs into something new. (Word
has it that they probably have played more than 600 different songs,
which are cover versions of the originals.) They’re one of the hardest
working bands out there, having paid their dues at a Lower Broadway
joint called Robert’s for ahwile before they got a major label contract.

They’ve had some major personnel changes, but are still hanging
together after all these years. For me, though, the earlier albums had
that “something” which seems to be lacking on later albums–perhaps
it’s the fun factor (you never knew what to expect lyrically on their
originals), or maybe the fact that you know two original members are no
longer with the band. Their first two studio albums are prized here at
Rudy’s (BR5-49 and Big Backyard Beat Show), as is a good majority of their third album (This Is BR5-49). Their first release was actually a live EP (Live from Robert’s), and there was another live CD squeezed in between their first two studio albums (Coast to Coast Live).
To me, those early studio albums are essential listening. The live CDs
don’t duplicate many of the tunes, and also feature the band at their
live, hard-working best.

What do they sound like? Country. Country with brains! Country with
a rock (and a slight alternative rock) sensibility, and a dash of
rockabilly thrown in the mix (which isn’t as prevalent anymore, since
the original bass player, Smilin’ Jay McDowell, has left the group).
The band featured not one, but two excellent guitarists/lead
vocalists–Chuck Mead, and the departed Gary Bennett. Shaw Wilson
keeps a steady beat on the drums, fluent in a number of styles that fit
the varied songs in their repertoire. Finally, every good band has one
of those multi-instrumentalist “whiz kids”, and Don Herron fills that
role perfectly–if it has strings, he plays it! Pedal steel guitar,
mandolin, fiddle, you name it.

(To be continued…)