New
York, NY: On their third full-length record, Midnight Soul Serenade,
American rock’n’roll revolutionaries Heavy Trash (Jon Spencer
and Matt Verta-Ray) continue their journey, delivering a stunning portrait
of love and devotion gone good, gone wrong, and just gone, gone, gone.
Recorded
at NY HED Studios in the Lower East Side and Toe Rag in London, Mssrs.
Spencer and Verta-Ray are joined by an all-star team featuring New
York roots-rock champion Simon Chardiet (Simon & the Bar Sinisters,
James Chance, Joey Miserable & the Worms, Bo Diddley) on double
bass, Sam Baker (Lambchop) on drums, and numerous guests, including
Danish rockers PowerSolo, piano ace Mickey Finn (who has also held
down that job for Motown legends The Miracles and Barrett Strong),
Daniel Collas (The Phenomenal Handclap Band) on organ, and Tennessee
sweethearts Those Darlins. Additional mixing was done with Scott Harding
(New Kingdom) and Alap Momin (Dalek).
From
the brooding promise of “Good Man” to the subtle brutality
of “(You’ve Got to Be) Gentle,” the outer-space terror
of “Isolation,” and the lysergic balladry of “That’s
What Your Love Gets,” this is the sound of two men, souls stripped
bare, transmogrified.
Midnight
Soul Serenade is a slightly darker, barrel-fermented, and brilliantly
matured dose of Heavy Trash. On every track Verta-Ray’s guitars
pulsate, ooze, and percolate, while Spencer croons and twangs, shakes
and shudders, with raw power and passion. There are more switch-blade
riffs, crazy rhythms, sexual tension, and mind-blowing moments of
palpable release on this record than ever before.
Heavy
Trash are risk takers, rockabilly daredevils flirting with fate. As
with all Heavy Trash productions, Midnight Soul Serenade embraces
both the future and the past. Backed by their troupe of veteran tricksters,
road dogs, blues wizards, punks, and evil geniuses, they have created
a new kind of groove, a soundtrack suitable for haunted bordellos
and hedonistic ho-downs. There are surprises around every corner —
sounds no one else would even dare to create.
Is
this the world of two men keeping their psychosis at bay, or have
they found true peace of mind and discovered the meaning of love?
The answer lies within. Welcome to the Midnight Soul Serenade.
Call
for more info or to be serviced with this fine, fine album. US Tour
dates for NOV/DEC 2009 to be announced soon!
