Beyond Black Friday

By R. Keith Rugg, 12-03-09

It’s now the first week of December.  I must have blinked, ‘cause it seems that the holiday shopping season has already come and gone.

But if you’ve got any cashola left for buying presents, now that Black Friday and Cyber Monday are past, you might want to consider making a local purchase by way of everybody’s favorite hometown indie honkytonk musician slash internet humorist.  (Of course I’m talking about Bob Wire!  How many other hometown indie honkytonk musician slash internet humorists do you know?) His fairly recent release, Buffaload, really is worth a piece of your hard-earned paycheck.

Bob sent me a review copy of the disc several months ago.  In fact, I’ve just about got to take my boots off in order to count up how long ago it was.  But the thing is, my car didn’t have a working CD player, so I never got around to listening.  Then in November, I was forced to upgrade to a new-to-me car and take on the accompanying car payments.  But at least I got a working disc player in the deal, and finally broke the seal and popped Buffaload in. 

And par for the course for this crazy coincidental world in which I live, the first track of the CD is “What’s the Monthly?” a song that discusses, among other things, the singer’s car breaking down and his scouring the used-car lots for a new vehicle, until he finds one he wants and then has to ask what the monthly payment on the outfit is.  In other words, this disc spoke to me from the very beginning.

Here’s my track-by-track analysis, with individual songs rated on a 100 point scale, and the disc as a whole scored by the total points divided by the number of tracks (that’s what we call an ‘average,’ for the math-challenged among you...)

1.  “What’s the Monthly?”:  Likeable and catchy, honkytonky with clever lyrics.  Score 70.

2.  “Bread”:  A surprisingly serious social commentary.  It has a good sound and brings to mind the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Workin’ Man (Nowhere to Go)” Score 63.

3.  “Out on the Salt”: Another surprise, a hauntingly touching ballad with a twist ending and an eminently hummable refrain. Guest artist Richie Reinholdt singing harmony.  Score 68.

4.  “S**T List”:  But lest you think ol’ Bob’s going soft on us, this track returns to the kind of song that means I can’t just let the disc play while my kids are around.  I’d like to rate this song low (’cuz I’m a square, and the verse about the neighbor’s dog is just too distasteful for me), but I can’t, because the lyrics are just so clever.  I’ve long maintained that Bob Wire has the writing skill and talent of a Pat McManus or a Dave Barry who has gone over to the dark side of the Force, and the proof is in this song’s pudding.  Score 60.

5.  “She Knows My Face (Like the Back of Her Hand)”:  Or, as Pat Benatar said, “Love is a battlefield.” Rowdy and rocking, good and solid.  Score 60.

6.  “Lonesome Dreams” and 7.  “My Soul’s Coming Loose”:  In my mind, this pair of tracks goes together, not because follow one after the other, but because they’re both dark and smokey, kind of bluesy-rocky-country, I guess.  Both of ‘em could go on your infinite playlist and not get old.  Scores 80 and 80.

8.  “ erry’s Place”:  Remember the Oasis, the bar where Garth Brooks has friends in low places and where the beer chases the blues away?  erry’s Place is a place like that, but more real-to-life, where the place is full of misery, heartbreak and losers.  Another clever song.  Score 63.

9.  “Go Butte!”:  I’ve talked about this song before on this blog.  I don’t know if the Butte locals like it or hate it, but it’s a fun- if frank- look at one of my favorite Montana cities.  Score 67.

10.  “Una Mas Cerveza”:  From the album notes, “Bob and his band, the Magnificent Bastards, have been tearing up stages all over Western Montana for years, and one of their most frenzied live offerings has been a cover of ‘Una Mas Cerveza,’ by Billy Bacon and the Forbidden Pigs. The recording here careens at a dangerous pace, and successfully captures the frenzied energy of their live version.” I like it a lot- it’s a great sing-along song, and the same way that March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb, “Una Mas Cerveza” comes in like Marty Robbins and out like Jimmy Buffet.  Score 70.

11.  “Vision in Neon”:  Love in a honky tonk.  My single most favorite track on the disc, perhaps because it has the most traditional country sound.  Woke up with a tune in my head the other morning, was humming it while making breakfast for the kids.  Then realized it was “Vision in Neon.” Tom Catmull’s Texan voice on this song helps to make it complete.  Score 89.

12.  “Finding Barbie’s Shoes”:  This song is entirely different from my preconception based on its title.  I thought it might be a morning-after account, but instead, it’s parenthood in a nutshell.  Absolutely love the line about trying to remember other parents’ names, although these days I’ve pretty much given up and just call everyone “Jack.” “Bub,” “Bud,” and “Mac,” are all good options, too.  Score 65. 

It all comes up to a 69.58, which is a score of 70 in my book.  And just like any day above ground is a good one, any score above 50 means I think it’s worth owning.  All of these tracks are solid, some are outstanding, and the disc is worth both your time and money.  If you’re still living in the Stone Age, or Missoula, you can physically go out and pick up the disc at Rockin’ Rudy’s, Budget CDs, Ear Candy or at Hastings.  If your last name is Jetson, you can make your online purchase at CDBaby.com.  Visit Bob Wire’s website for more of his music and links to his CDBaby page.