The Rustic Overtones
On a whim recently, I just reminiscing about bands that I had liked in high school, I decided to look up the Rustic Overtones to play for my girlfriend and I found that not only had they reformed in 2007, but they had subsequently released two new albums. Epic fail on my part for not checking on them earlier. For mp3′s and a video, journey below the fold!
I found out about the Rustic Overtones in the very infancy of my quest to search out new music, by searching the internet for songs that were titled common phrases like “C’mon”, which yielded their single “C’mon C’mon” off of their great 2001 album “Viva Nueva”, produced by Tony Viconti who recently arranged some strings for the Secret Machines. From there, I learned to love their tracks like “Sector Z” featuring David Bowie (Yes, really) and my all time favorite track by them “Love Underground.” From what I gather, industry pressures pushed the band led by vocalist/guitarist Dave Gutter to disband and splinter into several groups like Paranoid Social Club, Soulive, Lettuce, Rocktopus, etc.
The band’s latest effort, “The New Way Out” is a completely self contained affair with the band writing, recording and funding every aspect of the record. From what I’ve heard, (and I’ve only listened to a couple tracks) the record seems to favor arrangements with more space than previous releases, which really allows the instrumentation and vocals to shine. Another plus for the band’s reunification is that there are two dates in their fall tour in New York state in Albany and Ithaca on November 10th and 11th, at Dublin Underground and Castaways respectively. This along with Dan Black’s appearance in Buffalo on August 9th, is giving me hope for the fall concert season.
Rustic Overtones – Love Underground (From 2001′s Viva Nueva)
Rustic Overtones – Hardest Way Possible (From 2008′s Light at the End)
