Leadville
St. Louis, Missouri, United States | SELF
Music
Press
The back-to-basics Americana and Replacementsy rock of Leadville belies the catchiness and distinctive sweetness of singer Tom Buescher's tunes. On the forthcoming Time Kills, mandolins, acoustic guitars, Telecasters, accordion, fiddle and full-band harmonies weave in and out, creating sonic stories of roads taken and abandoned, risks won and lost. And so Leadville isn't so back-to-basics after all, and there's nothing folk about them — this is rock & roll with a warm, rootsy heart. (RK) - Roy Kasten
The back-to-basics Americana and Replacementsy rock of Leadville belies the catchiness and distinctive sweetness of singer Tom Buescher's tunes. On the forthcoming Time Kills, mandolins, acoustic guitars, Telecasters, accordion, fiddle and full-band harmonies weave in and out, creating sonic stories of roads taken and abandoned, risks won and lost. And so Leadville isn't so back-to-basics after all, and there's nothing folk about them — this is rock & roll with a warm, rootsy heart. (RK) - Roy Kasten
a really cool band landed in our inbox and we were all too eager to give them a listen. Leadville is a four-piece roots band out of St. Louis and these guys are really great. Of course they are, they love Bakersfield A.M. Pop. Sounding like a bunch of dusty lone rangers in need of a good shower, Leadville is playing some really great outlaw country music right now. The group was recently nominated as the Best Americana Act by the St. Louis Riverfront Times, and their debut record "Time Kills" features players like Chris Grabau from Magnolia Summer and Grace Basement's Kevin Buckley.
Leadville's bio suggests that they play with the energy and passion of Paul Westerberg and man, I really see it. "On Your Own Now" sounds like it could have been on any of Paul's recent solo offerings and is a real highlight on this record. It is a melancholy ballad about striking out and finding your own way in life, a message that I'm all too familiar these days. What I really like about Leadville is that these guys are playing playing country songs but they are written like pop songs. The result is so enjoyable and makes for a real fun and easy listen. And for a guy with massive ADHD like myself, I can certainly appreciate their brevity with songs that sometimes don't even crack a minute and a half. And at ten tracks in length it is the most fun you can have right now in country music if you've thirty minutes. I think my favorite track might be the rocking closer "Sh*t Town", which has a punchy rhythm guitar riff and features some awesome guitar solos.
If you're a fan of The Replacements then Leadville is definitely for you. As a massive 'Mats fan, I was so awesomely surprised to hear a real country version of one of my all-time favorite groups. Leadville is definitely a great find and I'll be looking forward to hearing more from these guys in the coming months. Go check out their album "Time Kills" asap. - Front Porch Musings
St. Louisans know that our town's contribution to the national rock & roll scene in the last twenty years pretty much begins and ends at Uncle Tupelo and its offshoots. But it's been some time since a local band has made good on this legacy. Which isn't to say that the quartet Leadville sounds all that much like Uncle Tupelo, but both acts share many of the hallmarks of the alt-country genre — driving rhythms, folk flourishes, steel-eyed songwriting and overdriven twang. On the band's first album, Time Kills, singer and guitarist Tom Buescher gives his narrators enough detachment to keenly observe their situations, but he grounds their musings with humility, bemusement and good humor.
Opening track "Wheels" begins with a sweetly ragged fiddle line that explodes into a hand-clapping, foot-stomping sing-along. Elsewhere on Time Kills, it's not hard to hear the influence of the Replacements, whose "sadly beautiful" dynamic pops up on songs such as "The Damp" and "Pretty Little Songs." Leadville tempers its serious side with quick, fun toss offs as well: A country shuffle guides the carefree "More's Gotta Be Better," and the sing-songy kiss-off "Rocks" gets in and out in under two minutes. By drawing from '60s pop, country and garage rock, the album never settles on one sound but tries on different styles of heartland rock & roll.
By Christian Schaeffer
- St. Louis Riverfront Times
Leadville combines gritty rock n' roll with country and blues. The band has been on a roll of late, opening for rock n' roll legend Chuck Berry and performing at SXSW. - Playback: St. Louis Magazine
St. Louisans know that our town's contribution to the national rock & roll scene in the last twenty years pretty much begins and ends at Uncle Tupelo and its offshoots. But it's been some time since a local band has made good on this legacy. Which isn't to say that the quartet Leadville sounds all that much like Uncle Tupelo, but both acts share many of the hallmarks of the alt-country genre — driving rhythms, folk flourishes, steel-eyed songwriting and overdriven twang. On the band's first album, Time Kills, singer and guitarist Tom Buescher gives his narrators enough detachment to keenly observe their situations, but he grounds their musings with humility, bemusement and good humor.
Opening track "Wheels" begins with a sweetly ragged fiddle line that explodes into a hand-clapping, foot-stomping sing-along. Elsewhere on Time Kills, it's not hard to hear the influence of the Replacements, whose "sadly beautiful" dynamic pops up on songs such as "The Damp" and "Pretty Little Songs." Leadville tempers its serious side with quick, fun toss offs as well: A country shuffle guides the carefree "More's Gotta Be Better," and the sing-songy kiss-off "Rocks" gets in and out in under two minutes. By drawing from '60s pop, country and garage rock, the album never settles on one sound but tries on different styles of heartland rock & roll.
By Christian Schaeffer
- St. Louis Riverfront Times
A power packed three piece Leadville has a punchy alt-country sound with pop sensibilities. - South by South West
A power packed three piece Leadville has a punchy alt-country sound with pop sensibilities. - South by South West
Discography
Full Length LP 'Time Kills' to be released August 15th 2009
Photos
Bio
Based in St. Louis, Missouri, Leadville writes and performs catchy (and often short) songs which borrow from garage rock, alt-country and a.m. radio pop. At the heart of Leadville is singer / song writer Tom Buescher who’s wit and hooky song writing fuel the group. Bueschers vocals have an earthy feel with the energy and passion of Paul Westerberg of the Replacements. Joined by rhythm guitarist Larry Bulawski, bassist Will Horton and drummer Michael Rose Leadville has a formidable, and fun, live show which can be aggressive and energetic without being uptight.
Leadville has recently completed a full length debut album entitled ‘Time Kills’. The album is a collection of spry alt-country tunes, inspired equally by jangle pop and gritty driving rock n’ roll reminiscent of St. Louis alt-country pioneers Uncle Tupelo. The songs are a candid snapshot of life in St. Louis touching on the universal subjects of death, cars, women, and alcohol. The album features guest appearances by some of St. Louis’s best musicians including accordion and mandolin by Magnolia Summer’s Chris Grabau, and fiddle by Grace Basement’s Kevin Buckley.
Leadville has appeared on the nationally released Hurricane Katrina benefit compilation Upstream / Downstream along with artists such as Jay Farrar of Son-Volt.
The band was nominated best Americana Band by the St. Louis Riverfront Times and performed at the SXSW music conference, and Twangfest.
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