Rebecca Marx, Photo Credit Ben Madison
Just like you, my inbox is cause to many mixed feelings. In between the ads and the endless backlog of things that I admittedly may never get to, there hides gems. When I saw the note from Sam Cassidy regarding his new EP with the Red Daughters, I immediately clicked it open with giddy anticipation.
Both local acts have something inherently special about them. Sam Cassidy has this Midwestern cowboy sound, straightforward and honest, while the Red Daughters are a full on a charismatic Southern rock blues jam band at heart. When some people hear the phrase “jam band”, they immediately scoff, but in this case it references how the members interact and play off of one another onstage. If you want to have a good night, check Red Daughters out–they’re absolutely inspirational live.
Between the two acts, there is a shared history with Cassidy having attended elementary school with Ryan Zickermann and Tony Beres from Daughters. The band and Cassidy have combined their talents on the stage before, and the EP showcases just what such a complimentary collaboration can come from such tight relationships. Musical trust.
Cassidy alludes to tying up “a few loose ends” before starting to record a new album, but that doesn’t in any way diminish this 4 song EP. The EP is a strong standalone. “Flood” is a catchy track, the surfer rock guitar intro grows into a swell of sound that envelopes Cassidy’s strong vocals. Vocals that are utterly masculine, and echo Orbison and Cash in nature.
Fans of Townes Van Zandt will give approval to the cover of “Lungs”, a really gorgeous enigmatic song lyrically, and in sound. Cassidy had this to say about the cover: “The Lungs cover came about after I heard the original played during the credits of and episode of “True Detective.” I’d been a Townes fan for a long time, but that song had never jumped out at me. My first thought when I heard it in this new context was “Damn, this is a deep song.” My next thought was “we could totally cover this.” I could hear the way I wanted the song to sound right away, and when I brought it to the Red Dogs, it didn’t take long to get it worked out. It sounds just the way I had imagined it.”
The EP’s version of “Caffeine” is quite different from the one previously released on Cassidy’s full length album Debts (2014). It was recorded live at the famed Audiotree Live (Chicago) in the AM after a gig at the Entry the evening before, and an overnight drive. Lack of sleep didn’t prevent the group from having a great time, and I agree with Cassidy, the musicianship of Red Daughters really does shine on this version. The song lulls you into that place where you reflect on your vices–past and present, the caress and the ever present crash. To sum it up, the protagonist of the song is “getting by, the best that I know how…”. Amen.
“Hard Road” is the most anthemic of the EP. A universal song with a powerful guitar riff that keeps the song firmly in the blue collar rock camp, one could imagine Springsteen belting it. Interestingly enough, the track was also on Cassidy’s 2014 album, sans the rocking guitar. I do prefer the EP version over the album version. Cassidy reflected on the song’s evolution: “A version of Hard Road appears on Debts as well, but it was recorded with a whole different backing band. The album take is essentially a piano song with a rolling drum beat. This take is drastically different. It transforms the song with a sharp guitar riff and much more of a rock and roll vibe. I love both takes, but it was time for this one to get a proper home.”
It really is a worthy EP, full of good old Midwestern values and triumphs–no matter how small–over life’s everyday hard knocks. The collaboration of Sam Cassidy and Red Daughters restores my hope for the still beating heart of rock and roll in the Twin Cities and beyond.
Sam Cassidy and Red Daughters EP Release show 10/7 at the Turf Club(supporting the Sheepdogs): http://turfclub.net/show/2016-10-sheepdogs
http://www.samcassidymusic.com/
https://audiotree.bandcamp.com/album/sam-cassidy-audiotree-live
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