The Dairy Kings

On Full Tilt and Swing, Walter Clevenger & The Dairy Kings sound like Nick Lowe backed by Teenage Fanclub if the Scottish band listened more to Tom Petty than Big Star. You could easily imagine Petty crooning a track like "Supermarket Checkout Queen" or "Love Don't Mean Anything"; and like Petty, he works in a Roger McGuinn-inspired Rickenbacker ringing guitar now and then. But he also has a lot of country roots, more freely indulged in songs such as "Not Gonna Bend," which pick up at that same Buck Owens-fed place the Beatles flirted with on For Sale (aka Beatles '65). The production is way too lightweight and tidy, but the man doesn't lack for tuneful songs if you don't mind something a lot more radio-friendly, and if you pine for the days of Rockpile and their take on Fats Domino and Buddy Holly. (www.walterclevenger.com) ~ Jack Rabid

Walter Clevenger & The Dairy Kings absolutely love the weather in Orange County, California...and that's where the love affair ends. With their blend of pop, roots-rock and county, it's clear they are in the minority when compared to all the bands that share the same musical ecosystem. But to be honest, it's a place they don't mind occupying. You won't find this band performing a single song that attempts to fuse punk & rap, punk & pop or any of the other combinations that typify the OC musical landscape. What you will find is example after example of impeccably crafted songs influenced by gifted artists such as Steve Earle, Nick Lowe and The Jayhawks. The band's sound has caught the ear of several other OC musicians who share the same musical vision. Rick Shea, one of Dave Alvin's Guilty Men, laid down pedal steel on the band's newest release. Also, Chris Gaffney, an Orange County veteran, recently recorded accordion on several songs for band's next record. The band's latest release, Full Tilt & Swing, (mastered by Austin mainstay, Jerry Tubb) has been met with an abundance of accolades. Rick Schadelbauer from Amplifier Magazine raves, "a confident, self-assured work of rootsy, hook-laden bravura that places [them] in the company of such roots pop/rock masters as Steve Earle, Dave Alvin-era X, or latter-day Marshall Crenshaw." The Orange County Register named it The Number One Album of 2003 and stated, "Clevenger is Orange County's most talented architect of country-tinged pop rock." With three full-length releases under their belt, Walter Clevenger & The Dairy Kings continue to gain fans across the country performing with acts such as Joe Ely, Graham Parker, NRBQ, Jim Lauderdale, BR549, The Pernice Brothers and The Blasters. One listen and you'll agree, Walter Clevenger & The Dairy Kings are a breath of fresh air to the OC musical landscape...or any other landscape for that matter! - All Music