Showing posts with label Luke Tuchscherer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Luke Tuchscherer. Show all posts

Saturday, June 7, 2014

Luke Tuchscherer - You Get So Alone at Times That it Just Makes Sense



2014 - Luke Tuchscherer & The Little Red Recording Company

By Phillip Smith; June 7, 2014


Alt-rock drummer Luke Tuchscherer of the Whybirds, has ventured out with a little help from his friends, to record a dozen wonderfully written and beautifully performed treasures on his debut album, You Get So Alone at Times That it Just Makes Sense.  Its title so aptly named after a book of poetry by Charles Bukowski, the album consists of extraordinary songs about ordinary people with ordinary thoughts and problems, performed in an alt-country, rootsy story-teller fashion. 

Tom Peters keeps a steady bass drum beat running in the background, while Chris Corney tackles dobro and banjo, accompanying Tuchscherer who plays acoustic guitar on opening track “(Lord Knows) I’m a Bad Man” about infidelity and maneuvering around the guilt-filled baggage tagging along. I love the thick swampy sound the dobro and banjo bring to the song.  This one is definitely one of my favorites. 

Tuchscherer shows off his song-writing chops on “One of Us” as fellow Whybird, Dave Banks joins in with both mandolin and banjo.  Tom Petty’s “Mary Jane’s Last Dance”, comes to mind when I hear this poppy bluegrass tune that tells the despairing tale of an innocent youth from a broken home and the twists and turns which will lead him to a gangster’s life of crime. 

I love the ironic way Tuchscherer can set lyrics seemingly delivered by a henpecked, sad sack drunk directed at his nagging fishwife, to such a pretty melody.  This song of self-awareness, pent up feelings and unconditional love, “I Don’t Need You to Tell Me” features Edwin Ireland on cello and ZoĆ« Robertson on both violin and viola.  

Tuchscherer walks a fine line between alt country and coffee-house rock.  I hear a lot of influence from The Traveling Wilburys, as Tuchscherer sports the songwriting skills of Bob Dylan and Tom Petty, and possesses a voice that is somewhat of a cross between Roy Orbinson and Jeff Lynne. With credentials like that, you can’t go wrong.