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Timbo
- Vocals, Guitar, Mandolin Though without turning their backs on traditional country completely, Speedbuggy USA mingles of California twang with some Buck Owens, the country-rock of the Band, late 60’s era Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson, and more recent Joe Strummer. And with the famous Texas Outlaw honky-tonk movement, they’ve made it difficult to exclude the parallels evoked when matching newer kinds of Roots-Alt Country and Rockabilly. The songs drip with pomade sweat, and through the haunting passion of Timbo’s voice, Sloan’s bass tones, McMullen’s traditional-yet-modern pedal steel and persevering backbeats, lies a quality of emotional extremes relative to peering out a window on a cross-country road trip and seeing different faces all sharing a similar personal struggle. Now 2006 brings yet another chapter in the band’s history. The City That God Forgot is a special anthology of ten songs about the Deep South and the Badlands of the West — an eclectic collection of traditional roots instrumentation and stripped-down country-rock with a living room jam session feel. Several songs even come directly from singer Timbo’s strong emotions of our nation’s worst natural disaster, Hurricane Katrina. The City That God Forgot hits close to home for this band — and especially Louisiana-native, Timbo. “While recording this record we had the news on 24/7 because most of our friends and family were effected by it,” Timbo says. While mixing the record the band decided that the profits from the first pressing will go directly to Hurricane relief. “It was a decision that was made in less than a minute,” says bassist Brady. “We had some of New Orleans’ finest session musicians contribute to the recordings…so it seemed like the right thing to do.” “We play songs about real-life people,” Timbo says. “I’m a working man and the songs I sing are for the working man….people getting through the pain and misery, just suffering to survive. For instance, the song “Close Down This Honky Tonk” is about a man’s lost dream of love and hope. You all know the kind, that last man standing at 2:00 a.m. in the bar. Holding on to nothing turns out to be the best he will ever have…basically a song about a broken man.” The track’s “Hurricane” and “All Washed Away” are about Katrina and were written during the mixing period of this release. “We had some extra time before the mix had to be turned in so we contacted everyone we could to get these song’s on the CD,” says Timbo. “Once we told people what we were going to do with the profits, our friends donated their time and talent.” The instrumentals “Hurricane” and “Gatemouth to Kingsway” are something that the band have always wanted, and now finally have. “Instrumentals are like mini soundtracks,” says Timbo, “We have always talked about doing them and this time they fell into our lap. All of us were in the right place at the right time for those two tracks to happen. We were also fortunate to have some amazing musicians contribute to, not only those, but all ten songs on the record.” This marks Speedbuggy USA’s 7th release in as many years.
Prior Speedbugy USA releases such as George Owens, Hardcore Honky
Tonk, Cowboys and Aliens, Round Up, Six Shooter, Red Eyed and Rowdy,
plus numerous compilation appearances show just how diverse this
band can be. |
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Speedbuggy
USA is a road band bent on coalescing American roots rock with the younger generation,
a sound derivative of hard times, blue-collar life and endless tours around
the world.