BLUEHEELS

Taking an entirely different musical tack, Neenah/Madison country-rockers the Blueheels make a strong case for the continued health of Americana on Long Gone, a varied, richly burnished country-rock disc that flows from song to song as well as any twangy contemporary rock album in recent memory.

The obvious radio hit here is “Red Pajamas,” a portentous heartland love song salted with doubt and longing and more than a touch of fatalism. It’s a prime showcase for lead singer Robby Schiller’s whiskey-weathered vocals, and when his female foil, Rebecca Krafft, comes up in the mix, the effortless blending of their voices is something special.

And the tune’s no fluke. Thanks to Schiller, who’s able to pump country soul into just about anything he essays without sounding like he’s putting on an act, Long Gone is chock-full of memorable material. In a way, much like Whiskeytown before them, the Blueheels have two rather distinct personalities. There’s the full-on, rocking outfit that blasts through “Red Pajamas,” “Tennessee” and “Forward Motion” and tramples all over the deadening constraints of small-town life in the process. Then there’s the loping, reflective country quintet that searches for deliverance and redemption in the straight–ahead tumbleweed gospel of “I Stumbled In.” Both approaches suit Schiller’s voice, so what would surely seem bipolar in lesser hands comes off as a winning display of versatility.

Long Gone really is a slice of twang heaven. (Justin Perkins’ glistening production deserves mention here, too. It’s never gussied up with unnecessary digital effects, and it always puts the tune first.)

-Tom Laskin
- The Isthmus (Madison, Wi)

Blueheels looking to ‘Long Gone’ to take them to the next level

By Steven Hyden
For The Post-Crescent December 13th 2006

With a five-headed monster like Blueheels — whose combustible mix of strong personalities makes it great on stage and occasionally volatile off stage — agreeing on something as seemingly simple as an album title can be next to impossible.

But the twangy Neenah rockers came to a quick consensus on naming “Long Gone,” the band’s recently released debut CD.??“Basically the phrase ‘long gone’ refers to going to heaven and leaving everything behind, just disappearing without a trace,” singer/songwriter Robby Schiller said. “I think it’s a phrase that applies to different people in the band in different ways.”??Blueheels fans can pick up a copy of “Long Gone” at The Wave in Grand Chute, where the band plays tonight, a followup to a memorable CD release show last weekend at Cranky Pat’s in Neenah. ??Recorded in May at Smart Studios in Madison by Justin Perkins — the ace engineer behind countless Fox Valley releases and member of legendary local bands Obsoletes and Yesterday’s Kids — “Long Gone” is lovely and rough, at times recalling the lonesome yearning of “Joshua Tree” era U2. The band members complement each other as old friends should—singer Rebecca Krafft takes the edge off Schiller’s wavering croon, guitarist Justin Bricco adds crunch to the acoustic jangle, and bassist Brett Jannusch and drummer Tim Schweiger (since replaced by Adam Cargin) transform the folkie melodies into pure rock ’n’ roll. ??If the tightness of the band’s friendship makes Blueheels work musically, it also makes it difficult for outsiders to poke their way inside. A notoriously tough interview, Schiller, Krafft and Januusch would rather toss inside jokes back and forth than talk about the album. For example, here’s a random exchange: ??Question: How do you feel about your record finally being released???Krafft: “It is an emotionless time.” Ahem. At another point, Krafft asked if she could say “wieners” in the paper. (This should answer your question, Rebecca.) ??Blowing off interviews shouldn’t be confused with a lack of purpose in Blueheels. The band is serious about taking its music to the next level. Now that the record is pressed and looking spiffy (thanks to a design by Cranky’s booking agent Brad Knapp), the plan is to start shipping it off to prospective labels. ??In the meantime, the band is selling “Long Gone” itself. “You have to buy it for everyone on your Christmas list,” Krafft said. You should get a copy for yourself, too, which you can do online at www.blueheelsband.com.
- Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wi)

They hadn’t even read it yet, but the Blueheels were already thanking me for my CD review. Apparently they had heard how I drooled all over Long Gone. And it deserves every bit of praise I heaped on it, even making number three on my best of 2006 list. Their timeless country/rock swagger is even more obvious live; and in the course of two terrific sets they absolutely tore the roof off of the Crystal Corner.

Guitarist and lead singer Robby Schiller has the kind of voice that makes you pay attention. Not exactly a great voice in the traditional sense, it is captivating and heart breaking all at the same time, and I am absolutely in love with it. The way he sings the word “pajamas” in the song “Red Pajamas,” wow, I said it before, I’ll say it again, swoon. And have I mentioned how adorable he is? A perfect combination of blond curls, scruffy beard and cute little glasses.

Of course, all the good looks, enchanting vocals and brilliant songwriting in the world wouldn’t work if he didn’t have such a remarkable band behind him. Lead guitarist Justin Bricco was absolutely on fire, reeling off catchy riffs like he couldn’t pull them out of his guitar fast enough. It is probably not a coincidence that he’s a blur in almost every picture. Drummer Adam Cargin powered everything along, while bassist Brett Janusch filled in the low end. Knowing that this is the band that will be backing Josh Harty on his new record makes the anticipation for that one even stronger. And then there is Rebecca Kraftt whose vocals give the whole affair another dimension, making comparisons (at least from me) to bands like the Deadstring Brothers inevitable. Even more amazing than her voice is her beer drinking ability, I’m no slouch but I wouldn’t want to go beer for beer with her because I guarantee I would regret it in the morning.

As they played almost up till bartime, I was amazed how many songs they had beyond those on the CD. Easily enough for a whole ‘nother record, which I would like to encourage them to record as soon as possible because you can never have enough of a thing this good.

Bottom Line: start time 9:45 pm end time 1:45 am worth the drive? the Blueheels get better every time I see them.
Grade: A - Kiki's Magical Music Reviews (online review site)