Showing posts with label ToeKnee Tea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ToeKnee Tea. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 18, 2021

ToeKnee Tea - Elkhart County Jail

Album: Elkhart County Jail
Size: 79,3 MB
Time: 34:15
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2013
Styles: Blues, roots, one man band
Art: Front

1. Elkhart County Jail (2:35)
2. Nappanee (2:35)
3. Trouble No More (2:14)
4. Rivercrest Dr (3:42)
5. Let The Dice Decide (3:37)
6. Nobody's Fault But Mine (2:03)
7. There Ain't No Coming Back (3:02)
8. My Ride Is Here (3:57)
9. Red Bud (2:09)
10. Work (3:21)
11. You Broke The Axel (4:58)

Self released in 2013, "Elkhart County Jail" was the first full length album from Indy's ToeKnee Tea. First making waves with his debut EP, "Dissapointing Noises" back in 2012, ToeKnee Tea took his one man band blues jams to the next level with this full length the following year. As good as the EP was, "Elkhart County Jail" sees growth in all aspects, from the performance to the songwriting to the recording itself. The album features only one song that was rerecorded from the EP, that being "Rivercrest Dr". The album is largely in the realm of dirty, stomp and shout style blues, but ToeKnee Tea can step into other territory mixing elements of other American roots music genres together for maximum impact.

Elkhart County Jail mc
Elkhart County Jail zippy

Monday, August 16, 2021

ToeKnee Tea - We Won't Go To Heaven

Album: We Won't Go To Heaven
Size: 80,5 MB
Time: 34:45
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Blues, roots, one man band
Art: Front, back, inside

1. Ants (4:54)
2. Candlestick Maker (2:51)
3. 23 Below (2:29)
4. Bug Eyed Betty Blues (4:11)
5. Drunk Tank (4:39)
6. Goin' Out The Window (2:41)
7. Ain't It A Shame (2:16)
8. You Deserve Hell (4:29)
9. Mary (3:05)
10. C.R. 13 (3:05)

"We Won't Go To Heaven" is the 2nd full length album from Indianapolis' preeminent one man band bluesman, ToeKnee Tea. Initially turning heads in the roots scene via his killer one man band live performances and a digitally released EP, "Dissapointing Noises", which he dropped through his Bandcamp page in 2012. The following year, 2013, saw ToeKnee Tea self release his first full length album, "Elkhart County Jail", which was a phenomenal record and showed ToeKnee making good, and thensome, on all the promise he showed on his debut. Since this time, he's continued delivering killer performances throughout the Midwest and has had his following continue to grow accordingly.

Now, fast forward 3 years and now ToeKnee Tea has released his sophomore album, "We Won't Go To Heaven" and let me tell you, it's amazingly good. Overall it has a bit of a different tone or mood than "Dissapointing Noises" or "Elkhart County Jail", as well as it has a different sound, production wise, that fits well with the aesthetic of the new record. It features 10 songs, 9 originals and a cover of Leadbelly's "Ain't It A Shame". Of the originals, all but one are brand new and exclusive to this album. "Drunk Tank" is a newly recorded version of the original which appeared on "Dissapointing Noises". This album is a bit more stripped down and raw. It's a slightly more somber, quiet, haunted sound at times.

Throughout it has an old blues album quality to it that reminds you of old Son House, Robert Johnson and Leadbelly records. It's not as rowdy as some of ToeKnee Tea's early work was, but it has a mature confidence to it that only comes from time, playing lots of shows, and writing more and more. That's another point to be made, ToeKnee Tea continues to grow and develop to greater heights as both a musician and a songwriter. At this point, ToeKnee Tea is among the very best artists in the Midwest, in any genre, let alone the blues and roots scene, and if he can continue writing records this good, he should be seen in the same company as Scott H. Biram.

We Won't Go To Heaven mc
We Won't Go To Heaven zippy