Aaron Newman and The OK Caravan

ALBUM REVIEW: Aaron Newman & The OK Caravan (self-titled, independent release) 2014

A few weeks back, while heading to Sulphur, Oklahoma, I was listening to the new disc from Oklahoma City-based Red Dirt band Aaron Newman & The OK Caravan. I turned off of Interstate 35 and headed east towards Davis and Sulphur as a song came on - “The Battle of Washita River” – just as I was crossing the Washita River!

It was a musical synchromystic moment for me. But at the same time there was a seriousness to the subject matter Aaron Newman was addressing. The actual bloody battle (aka “The Washita Massacre”) between the infamous Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer and Black Kettle’s Cheyenne camp on the Washita River in present-day Roger Mills County, took place 170 miles-or-so to the west/northwest of where I was as I heard the song for the first time. Still, it was eerie.

And Newman, who I first met playing a gig at a restaurant out at Lake Hefner some months back, captures the terror and dread of that event where both Cheyenne warriors and noncombatants (women, children, elderly) were butchered by the bloodthirsty Custer and his men in this remote corner of Indian Territory in November 1868.

Newman’s mournful, quavering/gravelly voice captures the scene as he sings: “With the horror and screaming, of those people left there bleeding … over 100 Indians dead, on a day we’ll not forget”

Carlton Dorsey’s urgent, bewitching fiddle (think Charlie Daniels) on “Washita” stabs your soul as the rest of the band gallops along to Walton McMurry’s “Four Horsemen” beat. This track is the track on Newman’s new disc. Fans of Jason Boland & The Stragglers will dig what I’m saying.

But there’s more here on Aaron Newman & The OK Caravan. Plenty more. With a little help from his friend Mike McClure (The Great Divide, Mike McClure Band) down at Boohatch Studio in Ada, singer-songwriter Aaron Newman is clearly a thoughtful, educated, introspective and talented writer and musician.

Disc opener “1892” opens up with McMurry’s playful drum style and then finds a lazy, beachy groove as Newman, playing rhythm guitar, reminds us “sometimes you’ve gotta slow down, to see through the noise.” Dorsey’s mandolin flourishes add a certain rustic flavor that the song calls for.

Newman’s style reminds me of the fractured nature of country music. And I wouldn’t necessarily even call his music “country,” per se. It’s more singer-songerwriter roots rock. Bruce Springsteen puts out music like this, as do more regional artists we like here at Red Dirt Report like Granger Smith and Kyle Park.

The tempo picks up a bit on the decent “I’m On the Moon, You’re On the Sun” where Newman sagely notes that “sometimes good things don’t last.”

There’s a spooky, loose vibe on “No Direction” as guitarist Blake Lennon slides across the song with wide-open-spaces-styled leads and Chad Roper’s fat bass lines help keep things afloat, below Newman’s confident-yet-questioning voice.

Cheerful he’s not on “Winter Blues.” The longing in his voice is all-too evident, but then things get sunnier on “Only in America.” Especially with Roper’s fretless bass. Wow. Was he in a jamband before joining the OK Caravan?

The album closer, “Winter Blues (Reprise)” works well as one senses Newman has reluctantly “moved on.” Lennon’s lap steel, McMurry’s tambourine and Newman’s haunting “I’m On Fire”-styled outro vocals give me chills. Damn, what a great collection of songs!

And that’s a sampling of the 10 songs Newman & Co. offer us on Aaron Newman & The OK Caravan. This disc comes highly recommended, dear readers.

For more information on music and live gigs, go to www.aaronnewmanandtheokcaravan.com.
- See more at: http://www.reddirtreport.com/rustys-music/album-review-aaron-newman-ok-caravan#sthash.Nf8MUI9r.dpuf - Red Dirt Report

Aaron Newman is wise beyond his years.

The Oklahoma City-based singer/songwriter knows that hard work pays off. Despite not having a record label, Newman pulled up his bootstraps, formed the OK Caravan and released an album filled with country-leaning songs himself. Album opener “1892” wastes no time demonstrating the talent of the OK Caravan. It’s a great fit that supports Newman as he ponders life in the 19th century. His reminiscing leads into the tragic story contained in “The Battle of Washita River.” Newman mournfully recounts the bloody Battle of Washita as Carlton Dorsey makes his fiddle soar in the background.

Lead single “Day Is Done” keeps the momentum going as it segues into a big band throwdown on “Going in No Direction.” It’s a strong song highlighting Newman’s guitar playing and the thunderous roar of the OK Caravan.

After such a powerful opening batch of tracks, “Winter Blues” is a welcome reprieve and a perfect album centerpiece. It’s a sincere, heartfelt song that was surely inspired by Oklahoma’s recent snowy winters. It’s a gorgeous track that becomes more beautiful as the album closer “Winter Blues (Reprise).”

“Aaron Newman and the OK Caravan” is a solid collection of songs that is well sequenced for an easy full-album listen. It’s the sound of a tight band that has plenty of live performances under its belt.

If you’re looking for a band that respects Oklahoma tradition, it’s time to saddle up with Aaron Newman and the OK Caravan.

— Beau Blackstock, for The Oklahoman - The Daily Oklahoman

Why you should listen: Aaron Newman is the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for his Oklahoma City-based Americana quintet. This is the 10-track freshman effort for a group that includes bassist Chad Roper, Walton McMurry on percussion, Carlton Dorsey playing fiddle and mandolin and lead guitarist Blake Lennon. The OK Caravan sound is one familiar in this territory.
It’s a collection of tunes that tread boldly along country, rock and folk trails. Newman began his recording music career as a solo/duo acoustic project a few years back signed to the Mike McClure’s (Damn Quails) 598 Recordings. Newman is a fine singer and musician but his strongest talent appears to be songwriting. Often singer/songwriters describe their work as being “about life” but are unable to articulate what that actually means either directly or even lyrically.
Newman’s songbook displays an attractive crafting of story songs, ones from emotional experiences and lessons of human nature. His composition “The Battle of Washita River” ambitiously takes on a controversial historical event that occurred in 1868 Cheyenne, Oklahoma. Often called the Washita Massacre, a detachment of the U.S. 7th cavalry led by Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer attacked and decimated Black Kettle’s Southern Cheyenne camp. “Day is Done” centers on wisdom from Newman’s mother.
It’s about not taking each day of life for granted. “Winter Blues” betrays Newman’s wholly Okie trait of not cottoning to cold weather. It’s also a love song because the lyrical narrator isn’t just stuck inside during an ice storm, he’s alone to boot and doesn’t know when his honey will be home. Musicianship throughout the album is high quality with thoughtful arrangements and a variety of sound among numbers. This new cavalcade of players is a welcome addition to other red dirt outfits that have come out of the central Oklahoma scene. - Norman Transcript