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| Photo by Tony Mottram |
Back in 1976, a stale UK rock scene was re-invigorated by the
insurgence of punk. Five years later, a similar development was evolving in the
world of country rock in the U.S. and, at its core was a four piece band from
Nashville led by Jason Ringenberg who had gravitated to music city from his
Illinois home in pursuit of musical recognition. The result of this fusion of
traditional country, rock and the raw energy of punk saw Jason and the Scorchers
adopt the mantle of pioneers in the spawning of another strand of country that
would evolve into the emergence of alt-country as an identified movement.
Thirty years on, and after decades of industry if not total commercial
recognition, the band are commemorating this milestone by including a short
tour of the UK in their schedule, where they have a healthy and committed
following.
The well established Musician
Pub in Leicester was a Midlands stopping off point in the band’s itinerary and an
almost sold out gathering of young and old fans alike demonstrated the loyalty
that has seen them develop a cult-like status amongst connoisseurs of
Americana music. Over the course of the hour and three quarter set, the adoring
faithful, some clutching rare vinyl releases awaiting signature, were treated
to vintage Scorchers and all the high octane energy that has been the hallmark
of one of their live shows. Ringenberg is one of the most sincere artists you
come across as a front man of a band and just like thirty years ago during the
pioneering days, he shares top billing with master craftsman Warner E Hodges,
one of the finest rock guitarists operating out of Nashville. Bassist, Al
Collins, the other half of country rocker Stacie Collins, and Swedish drummer
Pontus Snibb make up the current quartet. Their onstage chemistry is a quintessential
part of a Scorchers live appearance, all co-ordinated by the dedicated passion Ringenberg has for the music he believes in and performs. This is also a feature of his solo shows he brings to the UK and his children’s entertainer re-incarnation
as Farmer Jason.
It didn’t take long into the
show for Ringenberg to pay homage to his true inspiration, referring to Hank
Williams as rock n’ roll’s first great poet before launching the band into a ratcheted
up version of ‘Lost Highway’. Throughout
the show he displayed his humility to some of the iconic figures of country
music when playing a Steve Earle collaboration ‘Bible and Gun’, revisiting an old cover the band did of the Gram
Parsons/Roger McGuinn song ‘Drugstore
Driving Man’ and delving into his distant recording past following an invited
obscure fan request for his take on Faron Young’s ‘Hello Wall’. However these interpretations are only a small part of
a Jason and the Scorchers’ gig as for the rest of the evening the crowd were
treated to a constant stream of trademark cow punk tunes that have originated
from the creative efforts of the band over the past thirty years.
A developing theme of the
evening was the affection and pride the band feel for their most recent release
2010’s HALCYON TIMES. Constant references were made to this album and included
in the set were ‘Golden Days’, ‘Moonshine
Guy’, ‘Better Than This’ (with Hodges taking over lead vocals) and ‘Fear Not Gear Rot’. The band also paid
tribute to their late drummer Perry Baggs, who laid the foundation of the song ‘Somewhere Within’ and on this evening
current drummer Pontus Snibb stepped forward to deliver lead vocals for its performance.
The rest of the main set
consisted of crowd favourites including ‘Absolutely Sweet Marie’, ‘Last Time Around’ and, what has become
the Jason and the Scorchers signature track, ‘Broken Whiskey Glass’, with Ringenberg turning the mic towards the
audience for its sing along chorus. One other song that impressed during the
evening was ‘Thanks for the Ride’
where the band showed their true appreciation for the support they have enjoyed
over the years.
So all that was left was the
finale and to fill the band’s two encores there was great delight in the much
shouted out popular songs ‘White Lies’
and ‘If Money Talks’, although the
third track of their extra stint ‘Crashin’
Down’ from the STILL STANDING album was one of the highlights of an
extremely enjoyable and loud evening. No doubt Jason and the rest of the guys
would have been in much demand for the after show meet and greet, but for those
of us experiencing our inaugural Scorchers live exposure, just the satisfaction
of witnessing a performance of one this genre’s great innovators would suffice