Mescalito (album)
Encyclopedia
Mescalito is the first studio album by American
country rock
singer/songwriter Ryan Bingham
, released in 2007 through Lost Highway Records and produced by Marc Ford
.
styles, including bluegrass
, country rock
, southern rock
, blues
, americana
and mariachi
("Boracho Station").
Mescalito was produced by guitarist Marc Ford
(of Black Crowes
fame) and features several prominent artists of the country and southern rock scene, such as Terry Allen (who makes a cameo appearance
in "Ghost of Travelin' Jones"), Joe Ely
, and Marc Ford himself, who plays electric guitar
in "The Other Side" and "Bread and Water" and slide guitar
in "Hard Times". A different version of "The Other Side" was also included in Marc Ford's album Weary and Wired
.
and Steve Earle
, although some described Bingham's style as too manieristic and monotonous. Besides Earle and Allen, Rolling Stones, John Mellencamp
, Bruce Springsteen
and Joe Strummer
have been cited as obvious influences in Bingham's work.
The main single "Southside of Heaven" was well received commercially, and was included in the score of an episode of the E.R. TV series.
(Directed/ Produced by Anna Axster)
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
country rock
Country rock
Country rock is sub-genre of popular music, formed from the fusion of rock with country. The term is generally used to refer to the wave of rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s, beginning with Bob Dylan and The Byrds; reaching its greatest...
singer/songwriter Ryan Bingham
Ryan Bingham
Ryan Bingham is an Americana singer-songwriter currently based in Los Angeles, California.After garnering critical acclaim for his first two studio releases on Lost Highway Records, 2007's Mescalito and 2009's Roadhouse Sun, Ryan Bingham went on to collaborate with Grammy-winning producer T Bone...
, released in 2007 through Lost Highway Records and produced by Marc Ford
Marc Ford
Marc Ford , is an American blues-rock guitarist. He's a former lead guitarist of the rock and roll jam band The Black Crowes and the leader of his own bands .-Burning Tree:Ford began his career with the blues-rock outfit Burning...
.
Production
The album was released after three self-produced albums by Bingham and his band, the Dead Horses. Some of the tracks in Mescalito, such as "South Side of Heaven" (the main single from the album) and "Long Way to Georgia" were taken from the Dead Horses albums (specifically, from Wishbone Saloon). The album encompasses several traditional American and MexicanMexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
styles, including bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
, country rock
Country rock
Country rock is sub-genre of popular music, formed from the fusion of rock with country. The term is generally used to refer to the wave of rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s, beginning with Bob Dylan and The Byrds; reaching its greatest...
, southern rock
Southern rock
Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music, and genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country music, and blues, and is focused generally on electric guitar and vocals...
, blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, americana
Americana (music)
Americana is an amalgam of roots musics formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the American musical ethos; specifically those sounds that are merged from folk, country, blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll and other external influential styles...
and mariachi
Mariachi
Mariachi is a genre of music that originated in the State of Jalisco, in Mexico. It is an integration of stringed instruments highly influenced by the cultural impacts of the historical development of Western Mexico. Throughout the history of mariachi, musicians have experimented with brass, wind,...
("Boracho Station").
Mescalito was produced by guitarist Marc Ford
Marc Ford
Marc Ford , is an American blues-rock guitarist. He's a former lead guitarist of the rock and roll jam band The Black Crowes and the leader of his own bands .-Burning Tree:Ford began his career with the blues-rock outfit Burning...
(of Black Crowes
The Black Crowes
The Black Crowes are an American rock band formed in 1989. Their discography includes nine studio albums, four live albums and several charting singles. The band was signed to Def American Recordings in 1989 by producer George Drakoulias and released their debut album, Shake Your Money Maker, the...
fame) and features several prominent artists of the country and southern rock scene, such as Terry Allen (who makes a cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
in "Ghost of Travelin' Jones"), Joe Ely
Joe Ely
Joe Ely is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist whose music touches on honky-tonk, Texas Country, Tex-Mex and rock and roll....
, and Marc Ford himself, who plays electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
in "The Other Side" and "Bread and Water" and slide guitar
Slide guitar
Slide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles...
in "Hard Times". A different version of "The Other Side" was also included in Marc Ford's album Weary and Wired
Weary and Wired
Weary and Wired is the second album by guitarist and singer-songwriter Marc Ford. The album was released on March 27, 2007 on the Blues Bureau International label.- Track listing :# Featherweight Dreamland - 3:17# Don't Come Around - 3:43...
.
Reception
The album was generally well received by critics, who praised Bingham's songwriting as well as the expressiveness of his voice, that was compared to those of Tom WaitsTom Waits
Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
and Steve Earle
Steve Earle
Stephen Fain "Steve" Earle is an American singer-songwriter known for his rock and Texas Country as well as his political views. He is also a producer, author, a political activist, and an actor, and has written and directed a play....
, although some described Bingham's style as too manieristic and monotonous. Besides Earle and Allen, Rolling Stones, John Mellencamp
John Mellencamp
John Mellencamp, previously known by the stage names Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American rock singer-songwriter, musician, painter and occasional actor known for his catchy, populist brand of heartland rock that eschews synthesizers and other artificial sounds...
, Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
and Joe Strummer
Joe Strummer
John Graham Mellor , best remembered by his stage name Joe Strummer, was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of the British punk rock band The Clash. His musical experience included his membership in The 101ers, Latino Rockabilly War, The Mescaleros and The Pogues, in...
have been cited as obvious influences in Bingham's work.
The main single "Southside of Heaven" was well received commercially, and was included in the score of an episode of the E.R. TV series.
Track listing
- "Southside of Heaven" – 6:19
- "The Other Side" – 2:11
- "Bread and Water" – 4:08
- "Don't Wait For Me" – 4:56
- "Boracho Station" – 2:03
- "Sunshine" – 4:20
- "Ghost of Travelin' Jones" – 4:09
- "Hard Times" – 4:38
- "Dollar a Day" – 2:11
- "Take It Easy Mama" – 3:03
- "Long Way From Georgia" – 3:54
- "Ever Wonder Why" - 4:59
- "Sunrise" - 4:45
- "For What It's Worth" - 13:58
Credits
- Bukka Allen - Accordion
- Joe Allen - Bass
- Terry Allen - Piano, Vocals ("Ghost of Travelin' Jones")
- Anthony Arvizu - Tambourine, Producer, Engineer, Mixing
- Kevin Bartley - Mastering
- John Bazz - Bass (Upright)
- Melanie Bellomo - Cover Photo
- Ryan Bingham - Guitar (Acoustic), Harmonica, Vocals, Vocals (bckgr), Handclapping, Slide Guitar, Shaker, Author, Foot Stomping
- Stéphane Bossard - Banjo
- Brent Bowers - Artist Coordination
- Kim Buie - A&R
- Jason Carter - Fiddle
- Boyd Elder - Illustrations
- David Ferguson - Engineer
- Marc Ford - Guitar (Acoustic), Bass, Guitar (Electric), Organ (Hammond), Tambourine, Producer, Slide Guitar, Shaker, Mixing, Lap Steel Guitar, Hi Hat, Papoose
- Jon Gries - Photography
- Lucas Hoge - Producer
- Coy Koehler - Photography
- David Krepinevich - Assistant Engineer
- Jeff Lightning Lewis - Assistant Engineer
- Rick Lonow - Percussion, Drums
- Mike Malone - Piano, Organ (Hammond)
- Carlton Moody - Producer
- Doug Moreland - Fiddle
- Karen Naff - Design
- Corby Schaub - Mandolin, Guitar (Electric), Vocals (bckgr), Handclapping, Foot Stomping, Kettle Drums
- Matt Smith - Percussion, Drums
- Brian Standefer - Cello, Engineer
- Mike Starr - Fiddle, Slide Guitar
Music videos
(Directed/ Produced by Anna Axster)(Directed/ Produced by Anna Axster)