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 THE COPPERHEADS
Country and Blues Revue (Narnian)
Whoever decided the title for the Copperheads new CD sure got it right. The band specializes in a sweet blend of Memphis country soul and Southern blues that, amazingly, results in a pure roots sound sure to please country fans as well. This album recalls the works of artists like Tony Joe White, Charlie Rich, current Nick Lowe, Dan Penn & Spooner Oldham, and The Band.
Remember the song He Stopped Loving Her Today? How meaningful, down to earth and dead-on it was in its message without overdoing it and clogging up the song with extra verbiage? It is the same way with the songs on this album. The songs are deceptively simple, with basic lyrics and sparse, catchy melodies coming straight from the heart and telling their stories without any excess fat.
Thanks to Lowe and a few other artists, the heart-rending sounds of the blending of soul and country are starting to make a comeback as more people are remembering the music of Memphis, Muscle Shoals and deep soul from the ‘60s. The Copperheads are following the lead and doing it as good as any one else out there right now.
The band does have it's rocky side, but it is a restrained power, somewhat like what The Band managed to do on their first two albums. Singer Ray Barnard has mastered the nuances of great country soul and the rest of the band locks in, from the sweet and stinging lead guitar to the Memphis soul-rooted rythym section. This album is a wonderful treat sure to be appreciated by fans of country and old-fashioned Southern soul music.
- Freight Train Boogie
Joe Robert Luke of KBAM 96.7 FM (Bayou La Batre, AL) says of The Copperheads, "Never heard any Yankees sound so dang Dixie-fried. The give-away was when I heard no mention of bibles, double-wides,or fried okra. Ancestry aside, I love any band that puts the blues into country or twang into blues. Few can handle that task, but The Copperheads can. Y'all don't know what's good for you until you've heard their new record, Country & Blues Revue." - KBAM 96.7 FM Record Review
Americana-On-Line reviewer J.S. Hawkins writes, "...a really solid record from an unknown indie band...they sound like a CCR for the new millenium... They can pull off original honky-tonk, country-soul, and swampy R & B with equal aplomb."
- Americana-On-Line
Discography
Country & Blues Revue - LP 2002
This Train is Gaining - LP 2004
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
In July 02, an Americana band from the Twin Cities, The Copperheads, released their first CD, Country & Blues Revue, on the Narnian label.
About the recording, Scott Homewood of Freight Train Boogie writes, This album recalls artists like Tony Joe White, Charlie Rich, current Nick Lowe, Dan Penn & Spooner Oldham, and The Band. The blending of soul and country is making a comebackThe Copperheads are doing it as well as any one out there.
Americana On Lines reviewer J. S. Hawkins writes, ... a really solid record for first-timers
they sound like a CCR for the new millennium. They can pull off original honky-tonk, country-soul and swampy R & B with equal aplomb.
The next Copperheads release, This Train is Gaining, is slated for Summer 2004. Insiders swear on their mothers names that its a bona-fide classic.
The Copperheads regularly play first-rate venues like First Avenue, 400 Bar, The Turf Club, and their headquarters, Lees Liquor Lounge. They mostly play the Twin Cities (sometimes the 5 state area), but they always sound like a red-hot touring act. Theyve played with national recording artists Junior Brown, Rosie Flores, Wayne Hancock, The Iguanas, Wanda Jackson, and Percy Sledge.
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