Meantooth Grin "Before The Devil Knows You're Dead"
I give this CD, my highest rating, Five *****
Excellent CD... Thoroughly enjoyed it... Highly Recommended...
"Before The Devil Knows You're Dead" is Blues and
Blues/Rock played with an Rare Intensity seldom accomplished in these Modern
Times...
This Album was a magnificent find and will be played often... John Vermilyea (Blues
Underground Network)
Album Notes
Boasting some of the dirtiest blues you're likely to hear outside of Mississippi, Meantooth Grin's Debut album "before the devil knows you're dead"
is a rare thing in a genre that is not so progressive these days.
The Intro features ambient sounds of a southern type atmosphere, dobro guitar and harmonica with a haunting voice telling a tale of woe as the devil continues to
hunt him down amidst trouble and hardship. Cicadas then give way to "Drive" probably one of the harder, more edgy tracks on the album.
From the Elmore James and Hound Dog Taylor Influenced tunes like "Killing time", to The ZZ Top
Flavoring of "Tommy Gun", Its clear this is a band that likes to push the boundaries of blues and
rock; while keeping its roots intact. There is a clear respect for old school Delta blues throughout the deliciously fuzz drenched guitar and pounding drums and bass.
The influence of the Dirty southern blues of R.L. Burnside, and Junior Kimbrough is very
noticeable and appears throughout.
Songs like "Evil, Woman, and the title track; harken back to the blues of Skip
James, Blind Willie Johnson and Robert Johnson. "Evil Woman" is about as old school as it gets, complete with an old record scratch type effect to simulate the "old record"
sound from many of the delta recordings of the era.
The Title track "Before the Devil Knows you're Dead" Tells a tale of four lives ending tragically and
their inability to cheat the devil come judgment day.
Recorded in Wausau, WI at Whitehouse Studios by Marty Cheyka
Produced by Marty Cheyka and Tom Jordan .
Info & Reviews
The good thing about being a music critic, DJ or someone in the music business is that you get to hear a lot of bands you might otherwise never hear about, or you at least get to hear about them a lot sooner than most people. Meantooth Grin is a powerhouse blues rock band hailing from nearby Wausau Wisconsin who really mix up the mud of Mississippi Delta with the fire of Texas rock and blues. Led by Tom Jordan on guitar and vocals, these guys burn it up on their recently released premier CD.
I did not know what to expect when I popped the CD in. The cover shows a devilish looking guy with a National Resophonic Guitar, laughing and playing in front of the hell fires with the shadow of the devil on the stone wall beside him. The title of the album supported the perception of "sell-your-soul-to-the-devil" blues, too. The CD has a short spoken intro (written and performed by Doug Kroening, another upcoming Midwestern bluesman) backed by crickets, baying hounds and the steel guitar. The lyrics are talking about staying one step ahead of the devil and such, so when the first real track started I must admit that I was a bit unprepared. What came out of my speakers was some blazing hot distorted guitar licks back by a solid rhythm section more like ZZ Top or Johnny Winter than the traditional music from the crossroads in the Mississippi Delta. Amped up and solid guitar work and vocals by Jordan, backed by band mates Brian Miller on drums and Seth Heffner on bass, I listened to these guys totally rock out the first two full tunes and just said, "Wow!"
"Drive" and "Killing Time" were the first two tracks of all original stuff; they were followed by long, slow blues number "Dark Was the Night", showcasing Jordan’s gritty vocals (which remind me a lot of the talented Noah Hunt) and stinging guitar play. We also get the first really good taste of guest musician Pete Shank’s Hammond B3 organ here, too; he’s more than solid on the keys. I especially enjoyed the title track where Jordan’s distorted vocals and steel guitar deliver the goods in a track reminiscent of the Drive By Truckers style of macabre lyrics. The gimmicky and scratchy 78 rpm record sounding "Evil Woman" and "Insomnia" feature Jordan going solo acoustic and showcasing another side of his talents. Cole Holliday adds his harp work to the CD, and it literally blows the listener away in tracks like "Killing Time", "Tommy Gun" and "Homeless and Homesick".
This is a solid initial offering from a talented trio of local guys with a pair of equally talented backups on hard and organ. The all-original cuts give us their take on traditional and rocking blues, and let me tell you that given what I heard I can’t wait to track these guys down and listen to them live!
Reviewer Steve Jones is secretary of the Crossroads Blues Society in Rockford. IL
Tracklist
1.Intro 1:45
2.Drive 3:56
3.Killing Time 3:59
4.Dark was the Night 7:37
5.Telephone Blues 5:19
6.Before the Devil Knows You're Dead 4:31
7.Tommy Gun 3:49
8.Evil Woman 3:54
9.Necessary Evil 3:51
10.Homeless and Homesick 6:02
11.Insomnia 5:41
12.Outro 12:29
Born of the remnants of a popular blues trio in Wausau, WI, these mid west boys have more in common with The Blues of the delta and the messages the music is famous for. MTG is made up of Brian Miller on
Drums, Tom Jordan on Guitar and vocals, and Seth Heffner on Bass. Sometimes you can catch Texas boy Cole
Holliday with them on Harmonica!
They have shared the stage with the likes of; Lonnie Brooks, Chris Duarte, Scott Holt, Bill
Perry, and many more.
They are known for their distinct Overdriven swampy type of hill country influenced blues rock.
