The Devil's Dutchman

Editorial Reviews
About the Artist
Memphis Radio Kings rolled into the Seattle roots scene at the end of the 20th century with the kind of mildewed twang that can only come out of this rain-soaked corner of the country. With a mighty mix of country, rock, and pop, this bass-less trio conjures up the spirits of those who have come before them, including the dB's, Alejandro Escovedo, Old 97's, and the Replacements, when the latter were half-sober.

Borrowing liberally from their favorite musical styles: 70's rock, indie-pop, gospel, blues, and country, these local lads spend their time writing songs to please themselves, their friends, and their fans; a continually burgeoning base at Seattle's many clubs. Now, putting the finishing touches on their third full-length LP, these three are poised to roll into the booming alt-country scene like an armadillo on speed.

Album Description
Peppered with MRK’s signature style which teeters precariously between alt-rock’s pioneer days and a wide swath of vintage jams, The Devil’s Dutchman also delves deeper into sounds only hinted at in their previous release No Band in the Happy Place; gospel, retro-country, Vaudeville and Delta Blues. From the strawhat shuffle of "Hittin’ on The Queen" to the tent-revival finale of "Shackle and Chain" to the 60’s surf-vibe of "ATF", the developing maturity and diversity of the band is clearly evident. The lyrics revisit time-tested classics; love, loss, road-weary artistic anguish, addiction, and canine attacks, while dredging up fresh buckets from MRK’s bottomless well of emotional and cleverly-delivered themes.

"Dutchman" was recorded with a mix of reckless abandon and meticulous craftsmanship. Basic tracks were recorded at The Trench by Gregg Williams whose album credits include The Dandy Warhol’s 13 Tales of Urban Bohemia among others. MRK sought out local Seattle producer and friend Jon Goff to put the finishing touches on their third release. The results are a record that is as well-polished and pleasing to the ear as No Band… but more reflective of the aggressive style and diverse musical palette that MRK has developed over the years. This CD is certain to please the tired-and-true and push the fence-riders onto the lush green grass know as "The Devil’s Dutchman"…

Tracks:

25 will get you 10
God as my waitress
shackle and chain
holy rollers
lucky one
venture to guess
dixieland
ATF
hittin' on the queen
vacant light
double line
been better said

Album Description

Peppered with MRK's signature style which teeters precariously between alt-rock's pioneer days and a wide swath of vintage jams, The Devil's Dutchman also delves deeper into sounds only hinted at in their previous release No Band in the Happy Place; gospel, retro-country, Vaudeville and Delta Blues. From the strawhat shuffle of "Hittin' on The Queen" to the tent-revival finale of "Shackle and Chain" to the 60's surf-vibe of "ATF", the developing maturity and diversity of the band is clearly evident. The lyrics revisit time-tested classics; love, loss, road-weary artistic anguish, addiction, and canine attacks, while dredging up fresh buckets from MRK's bottomless well of emotional and cleverly-delivered themes.

"Dutchman" was recorded with a mix of reckless abandon and meticulous craftsmanship. Basic tracks were recorded at The Trench by Gregg Williams whose album credits include The Dandy Warhol's 13 Tales of Urban Bohemia among others. MRK sought out local Seattle producer and friend Jon Goff to put the finishing touches on their third release. The results are a record that is as well-polished and pleasing to the ear as No Band… but more reflective of the aggressive style and diverse musical palette that MRK has developed over the years. This CD is certain to please the tired-and-true and push the fence-riders onto the lush green grass know as "The Devil's Dutchman"…

Customer Reviews:

Devil's Dutchman rocks my socks off!!.......2004-05-19

The album The Devil's Dutchman is the third disc by The Memphis Radio Kings. It employs a number of unique stylistic efforts that reflect the band's roots sound. You can hear the album open and closes as if it were being played on a phonograph, classic!! 25 will get you 10 opens musically as if hearing the sounds of an on-coming train, Tony's drums and Tim's harp serving to provide the effect. Tony drives those drums home and Tim pushes the sound with his soulful harp playing. Charlie Beck's lyrical delivery is reflective of the human desire to leave a legacy on this train destine for a reckless end.

Another masterful track on this record is "shackle and chain", an old south themed track as the lyrics reflect the desire and search for independence. The chorus bridges into a soul, gospel influenced harmony in the Blues tradition. Some skillful "picking" by Mr. Jones breaks the band into a free spirited jam before the final chorus.

I think the bands focus on harmony this record is apparent particularly on lucky one. I'm only an aspiring musician who grew up around this sort of music, but what I like about this bands harmony is that the inspired work of Charlie Beck, is complimented by divergent vocal harmonies provided by Tim Jones and Tony Leamer. They each bring their own qualities to the harmony and I think they do it with intent. "Venture to guess", harkens back to the bands post-punk/ indie-pop works with the intense delivery of Charlie's vocals. The riffs are faster and more intense than other numbers on the record.

Ah, yes!!, what I believe to be the highlight tracks on the record. Dixieland, I wrote these guys and said how much this song reminded me of the honky tonk sound. Listen to the twang of Tim's vocal back-up to understand what I mean. Then when I saw their show in Portland, Oregon recently, it just kept me enthralled. The lyrics are so Old West/ Honky Tonk I wondered where my boots and duster were. The storyteller tradition is alive and well here. The sound is so intense that like Waylon, Hank jr., Johnny, George and the other outlaws I wonder who pissed the MRK off.

Hittin' on the queen, it's a worldly adventure of faithful travels. Tim sports his talent for the Kazoo here. Talk about stylistic effort. The harmony here reminds me of a barbershop quartet, sorry guys. You know I love it though, that is just how seamlessly the harmony was put together. Nice work!! Lastly, with Double line, post punk rears its head again with a ting of Johnny Cash, check that chorus to see what I mean.

These are just my favorites but undoubtedly, to use a clich? "like fine whine they just keep getting better". I was talking to them last week and urging them to do a live record because their live work is so awesome. They mentioned something about a live holiday record, he he. I CAN'T WAIT!!

Wow, what a progression!.......2004-03-21