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THE DEADLY GENTLEMEN
''ROLL ME, TUMBLE ME''
JULY 9 2013
38:39
1/I Fall Back
Greg Liszt/4:01
2/Bored of the Raging
Greg Liszt/4:14
3/Roll Me, Tumble Me
Greg Liszt/3:21
4/A Faded Star
Greg Liszt/4:24
5/Beautiful's Her Body
Greg Liszt/3:41
6/All the Broken Pieces
Greg Liszt/3:17
7/It'll End Too Soon
Greg Liszt/2:42
8/Working
Greg Liszt/3:58
9/Now Is Not the Time
Greg Liszt/4:47
10/Falsehearted Anthem
Greg Liszt/4:14
Mike Barnett/Fiddle, Vocals
Sammy Grisman/Double Bass
Dominik Leslie/Mandolin
Greg Liszt/Banjo, Baritone (Vocal)
Stash Wyslouch/Guitar, Vocals
REVIEW
by Steve Leggett
Boston's the Deadly Gentlemen, led by banjoist and songwriter Greg Liszt, formerly of the alternative bluegrass outfit Crooked Still, may look like an old-time string band or bluegrass outfit on-stage, but the group's sound, which began as a kind of spoken word rap twisted around traditional tunes with a dose of punk energy and attitude, has evolved into a much smoother and thought-out folk-pop sound on this set, their third album, and first for Rounder Records. It's not that the band has lost its edge, though, just honed it to fit around Liszt's literate and melodic songs, and on Roll Me, Tumble Me, they've become essentially a rootsy pop/rock band that just happens to play acoustically. Liszt's songs, when he's at his best as a songwriter, are poignant, full of restless regret, loss, and distant memories, but are always oddly hopeful, and tracks here like the opener, "I Fall Back," "All the Broken Pieces," and the closer, "Falsehearted Anthem," rise above the resignation and melancholy that a lesser songwriter might well saddle them with and soar with a haunting grace. This isn't bluegrass by any means, although the same instrumentation is used, but it is string band music, a thoroughly modern version of it that features songs that muse and flow inward. The old string bands of the previous century were more concerned with keeping people dancing than dealing with any personal internal or emotional issues. The Deadly Gentlemen hope to do both, but this set is truthfully more about reflection than twirling about.
BIOGRAPHY
by Steve Leggett
A string band with a decidedly modern 21st century pop, punk, and rock approach to acoustic music, Boston's the Deadly Gentlemen, led by songwriter and banjoist Greg Liszt and also featuring mandolin player Dominick Leslie, fiddler Mike Barnett, guitarist Stash Wyslouch, and upright bassist Samson Grisman, may look like a traditional bluegrass band, but they aren't by any but the slimmest of definitions. Incorporating spoken word, rap elements, and everything under the sun into their material, the band released The Bastard Masterpiece in 2008, following it with Carry Me to Home in 2011, an album that saw the group moving more toward standard pop structures and arrangements, and by the time their third album, and first for Rounder Records, Roll Me, Tumble Me, appeared in 2013, the Deadly Gentlemen had dropped most of the kitchen-sink approach and completed a transformation into an acoustic pop band with sharp melodies, intelligent lyrics, and a subtle and song-supportive sound.
''ROLL ME, TUMBLE ME''
JULY 9 2013
38:39
1/I Fall Back
Greg Liszt/4:01
2/Bored of the Raging
Greg Liszt/4:14
3/Roll Me, Tumble Me
Greg Liszt/3:21
4/A Faded Star
Greg Liszt/4:24
5/Beautiful's Her Body
Greg Liszt/3:41
6/All the Broken Pieces
Greg Liszt/3:17
7/It'll End Too Soon
Greg Liszt/2:42
8/Working
Greg Liszt/3:58
9/Now Is Not the Time
Greg Liszt/4:47
10/Falsehearted Anthem
Greg Liszt/4:14
Mike Barnett/Fiddle, Vocals
Sammy Grisman/Double Bass
Dominik Leslie/Mandolin
Greg Liszt/Banjo, Baritone (Vocal)
Stash Wyslouch/Guitar, Vocals
REVIEW
by Steve Leggett
Boston's the Deadly Gentlemen, led by banjoist and songwriter Greg Liszt, formerly of the alternative bluegrass outfit Crooked Still, may look like an old-time string band or bluegrass outfit on-stage, but the group's sound, which began as a kind of spoken word rap twisted around traditional tunes with a dose of punk energy and attitude, has evolved into a much smoother and thought-out folk-pop sound on this set, their third album, and first for Rounder Records. It's not that the band has lost its edge, though, just honed it to fit around Liszt's literate and melodic songs, and on Roll Me, Tumble Me, they've become essentially a rootsy pop/rock band that just happens to play acoustically. Liszt's songs, when he's at his best as a songwriter, are poignant, full of restless regret, loss, and distant memories, but are always oddly hopeful, and tracks here like the opener, "I Fall Back," "All the Broken Pieces," and the closer, "Falsehearted Anthem," rise above the resignation and melancholy that a lesser songwriter might well saddle them with and soar with a haunting grace. This isn't bluegrass by any means, although the same instrumentation is used, but it is string band music, a thoroughly modern version of it that features songs that muse and flow inward. The old string bands of the previous century were more concerned with keeping people dancing than dealing with any personal internal or emotional issues. The Deadly Gentlemen hope to do both, but this set is truthfully more about reflection than twirling about.
BIOGRAPHY
by Steve Leggett
A string band with a decidedly modern 21st century pop, punk, and rock approach to acoustic music, Boston's the Deadly Gentlemen, led by songwriter and banjoist Greg Liszt and also featuring mandolin player Dominick Leslie, fiddler Mike Barnett, guitarist Stash Wyslouch, and upright bassist Samson Grisman, may look like a traditional bluegrass band, but they aren't by any but the slimmest of definitions. Incorporating spoken word, rap elements, and everything under the sun into their material, the band released The Bastard Masterpiece in 2008, following it with Carry Me to Home in 2011, an album that saw the group moving more toward standard pop structures and arrangements, and by the time their third album, and first for Rounder Records, Roll Me, Tumble Me, appeared in 2013, the Deadly Gentlemen had dropped most of the kitchen-sink approach and completed a transformation into an acoustic pop band with sharp melodies, intelligent lyrics, and a subtle and song-supportive sound.