After a week of explosive web traffic, explosive for me that is, it is time to tone thing down with the second edition of Feature Friday. Today we'll be taking brief looks at ever so smooth Green Room Rockers and the every incredible Tim Barry.
The gentlemen behind Green Room Rockers quickly established themselves as one of the best traditional ska/reggae revival bands. The band's hallmark is a fusion of the classic sounds of ska and reggae with ultra-smooth soul sounds. The crooning vocals fit equally well in the upbeat dance numbers and the ska-inflected ballads and is perfectly backed by the clean guitar, horns, and keys. While I stand behind all my music, Green Room Rockers have crafted an album that truly a pleasure to listen to. I could wax on about the beauty of this record, but I'll just let you hear it for yourself.
What can I really say about Tim Barry. The man fronted the legendary punk rock band Avail, putting out six full-length albums and another five EPs before striking out on his own. Then, since his first release on the wonderful Suburban Home Records he has been wowing the underground music scene with impassioned folk music and some of the finest storytelling since the days of Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. Tim Barry is passionate about everything he feels and does, and that sense bleeds into every word he cries, line he sings, and chord he plays. Though he'd probably disagree, just because he's that kind of guy, I may not even be worthy to talk about Tim Barry. The man is a story teller, a poet, and, trust me on this, an American hero.
His most recent album, released earlier this year, finds Tim refining his voice and diversifying his sound. The most notable addition are added instrumentation to arrangements that used to primarily consist of acoustic guitars. His songs go between raucous songs about travelling the roads and living life, to slower numbers simply moving in their melancholy. Even on this album there is still a standout track. Prosser's Gabriel is the incredible story of little talked about slave revolt lead by the titular Gabriel Prosser. I won't bother trying to describe the song, rather I've included a live performance of the song that appears on youtube. I also strong recommend the song South Hill from his previous album. WARNING: NSFW or language sensitive people, South Hill is written from the point of view of a soldier in Iraq and in the chorus he drops some f-bombs.
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