on 2011-07-18 Michael_Morrison Said:

RED WEATHER: "EVERY ALLEY WALL"

Red Weather is a trio from Michigan, heavily influenced by the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughn and The Allman Brothers: guitar, bass drums (and a little keyboard, too) come together to create a plain, heartfelt collection of songs, heavily influenced by '70s-style blues/rock.

Lead vocals are sung by frontman Gordy Hunt, who produced the project, along with Brent Marvin: the five songs collected on this privately produced disc are what I call "alternative authentic =-rock"...not campy, not dreary emo-style rock, but high-class garage rock. These fellows all look to be over the age of thirty/forty years old, and this is a labor of love by some dedicated men: the lyrics are simple (but not simple-minded) and they are not meant to appeal to high-minded college students or fans of electronica (though there is a youthful spirit in Hunt's voice): Hunt sings of romance, rock 'n' roll, work, fear, pleasure...he's got no fear of being misunderstood. He's not afraid of sincerity, either. Some might hear this stuff and just say "Oh, just another bar band.", but honestly, when's the last time you heard a bar band where all the songs were sung in tune, the drummer was pro enough not to try wacked-out, "experimental" licks in order to show off talents he doesn't really have, and the bass player Brent Marvin supports the guitar player, gives it all he's got, and keeps the spirit up from start to finish. The gutsy drummer Mark Kaiser plays the kind of drums that are needed on a ballad: he proves that the band has a sensitive side on the set's only down-tempo number ("I Wasn't There"). Hunt keeps that ballad from getting overly sentimental by throwing a few snarls, and guest guitarist Dick Wagner throws in a slick Ted Nugent-style solo. (Nugent's name appears on the "Red Weather Would Like To Thank" list)

Not many bands produced and played by fans of indie rock vary the style of songs on their albums, but Red Weather proves that they're are capable of such a thing. My favorite tune on the album is "Rear Apartment Blues"...Gordon Hunt has written what sounds like a classic: all of his influences seem to be the right ones. If well-produced bluesy rock is your thing, check out Red Weather.

Thomas Murphy

Rating: 8/10