The Kentucky Struts

Well here it is, the end of December. The last few moments of 2011 are counting down, and yet completely unbeknown to us, right under our noses, one of the most expansive, imaginative, engaging, and inspiring projects all year is finally coming into full bloom. It is called Year of the Horse by the Cold Spring, KY-based Kentucky Struts and this isn’t just your run-of-the-mill album folks, this is a multi-layered project that incorporates music, visual art, authentic Kentucky culture, all with an altruistic aim.

When The Kentucky Struts had amassed 12 new recordings for an album, instead of releasing them all at once, they decided to release one in each month of 2011, and then have a visual artist interpret each song into a work of art. Some of the artists they collaborated with include Joshua Black Wilkins, a musician himself and a stunning photographer, and Keith Neltner, probably best known for his work on Hank3 album covers. The most inspiring part is a portion of the sale of the songs, posters, and this album go to Speak Up for Horses, a horse rescue foundation in Falmouth, KY.

You can figure out the most creative way to release your music, and have the proceeds go to a charitable cause, but in the end if the music isn’t engaging, it may all be for naught. A high-minded project like this calls for a high degree of execution in the song craft, and that is exactly what The Kentucky Struts deliver in Year of the Horse. The music is par excellence, in the songwriting, originality, and production.

It’s hard to call this music “country” in the traditional sense, it has more of a country-inspired classic rock feel to it, but in the current post-rock age where the term “roots” has come to encompass a more broad spectrum, it fits in there quite nicely. There’s also a slightly progressive edge to it, and a good amount of darkness, though the songs never stray too far from Kentucky in their themes. Call it Kentucky roots with a progressive approach. This is illustrated best on the super hit of the album “Ava Estelle”, a song whose music is dominant enough to debut on mainstream radio, and whose story is about a gun-toting Granny. This song and a few others on Year of the Horse make you shake your head from how great they are, and are damning evidence against the industry, proving the only reason songs like these don’t land all over radio is a lack of industry connections.

Front man Todd Lipscomb has a little bit of Tom Petty in him, but not too much. A sign of good roots music is when you can keep your sound fresh, yet keep a familiarity in it, and that is what The Kentucky Struts strike here. And if you’re from Kentucky, you have to be able to bring it, and bring it hard. You won’t find many average pickers or boring acts from The Bluegrass State. Bred in the region that birthed some of the strongest string-based maestros the world has ever seen, as well as some of the most dynamic performers like Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers and Sunday Valley, The Kentucky Struts hold their own, and carve out their own niche.

The originality of Year of the Horse is rabid. It’s been a long time since an album this fresh sounding found its way in front of me. It has that one important earmark of a landmark album: accessibility without sacrificing soul. I feel I have let down the sainted Saving Country Music reader by not bringing this project to your attention earlier, but I feel like since it took a whole year to release Year of the Horse, we should be given another year to be able to explore it and all it’s creative and altruistic tentacles. In fact this music is so good, I think The Kentucky Struts had no choice but to get high-minded in how they released it. Just a regular old CD release would seem insulting to the content and vision.

You should pick up Year of the Hose, for yourself, for the horses, and for Kentucky.

Two guns way up!

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Preview Tracks & Purchase directly from The Kentucky Struts

If you purchase the album on CD from The Kentucky Struts, you will receive a randomly-selected cover from one of the original artist prints that are part of this project. You can see all the prints, and follow the progression of the Year of the Horse project on The Kentucky Struts blog. - SavingCountryMusic.com

The Kentucky Struts release a marvelous debut with a little help from their friends
Interview By Ezra Waller

There's truth in the phrase "The best luck befalls the hardest workers." Country rockers The Kentucky Struts embody this notion. For all their toil, a great deal of their ongoing good fortune has come down to meeting the right folks at the right time. Meeting each other was, of course, a good start.
Singer/songwriter Todd Lipscomb has been making waves in the Roots scene for years, as a solo act, then fronting the groovier T-Lips & Combs, whose lineup was as diverse as its style. Childhood friends Brian Teismann (guitar) and Adam Pleiman (guitar/keyboards/pedal steel) were anchors, along with bassist Brian Mahan, whose brother Greg met Lipscomb through open mic performances and introduced them.
This core began tracking songs in 2002 with Toby Ellis, at which time the band evolved into a cohesive Americana act. Lipscomb's harmonica and trademark delivery stayed, but the band took a turn toward a more Country sound, akin to what the Heartbreakers might sound like if Tom Petty made no attempt to temper the twang.
"We're starting to learn how to make the stage rumble," Lipscomb says of their rockier moves of late. "That's the direction we're going, and it's exciting."
Last year, as the newly-christened Kentucky Struts were essentially wrapping production on their debut full-length, Pleiman got a job as a Pro Tools assistant with well-known producer (and recent Northern Kentucky transplant) Erwin Musper. Pleiman had hoped to get a good deal on mastering from his new boss, but got much more.
"He listened to the album and loved it," recalls Pleiman, "I said, 'Great, what are the rates?' " Musper countered with an offer to produce the band as part of his new venture, Yea Yea Yeah Productions. The Struts were more than willing to accept a delay in releasing their CD for this opportunity.
"As a band, we're three times better than we were when we started," says Mahan, "so Erwin helped us play catch up, re-tracking guitars and vocals as necessary."
The songs on their self-titled debut range from the simple acoustic beauty of "Wisdom of the Wise" to the meticulously arranged "For Kisses." Book-ending the Struts' style, both are gems in their own right, and sound fine playing back-to-back. In fact, the continuity of the disc is superb.
Engaging songwriting is also a source of consistency. Most of Lipscomb's subjects hold no mystery, but the life he breathes into them with understated wordplay and raucous vocalizing makes you feel like you're sitting next to him on his porch in Cold Springs as he writes them.
Another stroke of luck came following the departure of drummer Derrick David. While a solid player, his exit opened the door to working with two of Cincinnati's finest, The Ass Ponys' Dave Morrison and former Over The Rhine drummer/current Medic skinsman Brian Kelly. Kelly's textural work behind the kit would provide the catalyst for the band to finally Rock their Folk foundation, but Morrison's greatest contribution would be behind a camera.
As part of the production deal, Musper wanted the band to include a DVD to put faces with the music. Enter Morrison, who has been working in video production for years. The result is an impressive documentary and video for the song "See Ya' Through." Like the Struts, the videos are completely unpretentious but professional. The extra disc also offers the album tracks in DTS and Dolby Digital formats.
With the release of this package, the Struts can confidently take their next step. Lipscomb concedes that while local shows are fun, they'll have to perform regionally to get the word out. "Original music is basically underground here. This city is built around P&G and the Reds and Bengals. People go out to hear their favorite songs and drink a shit-ton of beer, and we don't play 'Brown-Eyed Girl.' "
CityBeat Magazine
- CityBeat Magazine

by Kari Wethington

When I walk into their basement practice space in Highland Heights, the members of Kentucky Struts are pressing out every last bit of steam in their Thursday night practice with a jam.
It's not a fully formed song, but an experiment. It's a moment where nothing exists outside of that small, sweaty basement - and the important thing is not the band's upcoming CD release or the impending task of booking a tour, but that it all feels so good.
The last 21/2 years have been challenging for the band - recording, mixing and searching for the right drummer, while also dealing with the details of personal lives.
"It's a gypsy decision," says lead singer and guitarist Todd Lipscomb of music-making. But all Kentucky Struts agree: Playing music full-time would be nice, indeed.
The band finally releases its self-titled debut on Saturday at Southgate House.
MUSIC IN THE BLOOD
It must be in Lipscomb's genes to be a frontman for a folksy rock 'n' roll band: He's got the look, the voice, the songs. Originally performing as a solo acoustic musician, Lipscomb eventually took his arsenal of songs to a group format, enlisting trusted musicians and friends to round out his sound. Now, the Kentucky Struts is a solid group: Lipscomb, Adam Pleiman (guitars, pedal steel, keys, backing vocals), Brian Teismann (guitar, backing vocals), Brian Mahan (bass) and Brian Kelley (drums).
Some members of the group have played together off and on for years (Teismann and Lipscomb started playing together around sixth grade). But Lipscomb sings Kelley's praises for organizing the sound.
"Brian Kelley has really been a solid core - glue for us," he says. "We've all got a certain amount of rhythm to where we can play together and stay together, but to be able to hitch onto his engine, his locomotive, and go with him, it's so much easier. You always can tell when there's a good groove on because it's easy to play. You don't have to fight against anything, and that's when it becomes fun."
WORDS AND GUITAR
When the group formed, Lipscomb brought a lot of songs to the table. "But (the challenge was) to figure out what's good, which songs have legs," he says. "The ones that seem to be more effortless are the ones that seem to stick around a little bit."
Lipscomb's songs are always heartfelt, never easy-to-digest pop. "The ones that you write and you can't get out of your head for the first day are the ones that I don't play because those are the ones that get tired," he says. "But I pretty much wear my heart on my sleeve when I'm writing. I try to stay conscious of that, of what are real lyrics and lyrics that I'm trying to be cute about. There's a fine line, a fence that you walk on there that you could fall either way."
AN ALBUM AT LAST
Those songs have finally made their way to the band's debut, a 12-song journey through Lipscomb's aches, pains and loves. Many of Lipscomb's early songs made it to the disc. "There were certain (early) songs that sounded cohesive," Teismann says.
But new songs popped up along the way too. "Since the process was longer than we expected, there were newer songs that we'd come up with and we'd want them on the album too," Pleiman says. (The upbeat, flirtatious "Break that Key" is one example.)
The final product - old songs, new songs, happy songs, sad songs - is a stellar listen from beginning to end. There are songs with "hit" potential, such as wild, country-tinged "Sure Shot" and laid-back, heartwarming and twangy "Lucid."
What shines throughout is Lipscomb's voice, not too sweet and not too gruff, and the magnetic instrumentation - guitars, harmonica, pedal steel. Nothing's too alt-country, folksy or "roots." (The band doesn't like that word anyway.)
The Kentucky Struts have a fresh sound that could as easily fit into my country-loving dad's iTunes as it does my indie-heavy playlist. Just think of it as rock with a heavy dose of Americana.
CINWeekly
- CinWeekly Magazine

by Daniele Pfarr

The Kentucky Struts have honed in on a sound that is becoming generously accepted and widely sought out in the local Cincinnati area. Roots country and rock is what they dish out, and after listening to their anxiously awaited debut disc, I'd be willing to bet that you will file this one next to your Johnny Cash, Tom Petty, or Bob Dylan. Todd Lipscomb has captured the essence of country music, and his old soul tells stories that will take you back to Old Western saloons and barnyard hoedowns.

The Kentucky Struts are Todd Lipscomb, Adam Pleiman, Brian Teismann and Brian Mahan. The self-titled disc was produced and engineered by Erwin Musper and has a seamless sound quality. The instruments sound beautiful, and Lipscomb's voice is so distinct and edgy with raw talent that it will be impossible to believe that you haven't been hearing him on the radio for years. With appearances from the pedal steel, trumpet, trombone, cello, mandolin and piano, the wide array of instrumentation flawlessly gives the disc its intended country sound. The presentation of the disk even solidifies their county inspiration—the band photo is old and faded, hung to old decaying wood with a rusty nail. It's charming when the premise of the band is tended to on all levels.

Lipscomb had a vision for the CD and I think he hit the bull's eye. His thin, wiry frame exudes a cowboy demeanor, so it's only fit that each song he writes suits that representation. "Sure Shot" is a surefire pleaser to open the disk. I can already see the ladies dancing and the fellas downing their beers. Anyone who has been in a relationship based mainly on support (musician's significant others, perhaps?) will have no problem enjoying "Break That Key." The song can be interpreted many ways, but in relation to being a local musician, it caters very well to the supportive attitude that exudes from many different avenues, whether it's fans attending shows, loved ones giving encouragement, or as Lipscomb sings, "You ain't done nothing wrong but believe in me."

Included in the package is a bonus DVD which features a video for "See Ya Through" and an intimate documentary. You can also play music from the disc with the option of adding photos or lyrics in the background. The video and documentary add flavor to the hometown characteristics of The Kentucky Struts. The video takes place in someone's front yard and the whole neighborhood was invited to take part in the filming. There are old people, young people and the Struts playing their instruments while everyone is dancing around them. No glitz and glitter. It's just another day in Cold Spring, KY with The Kentucky Struts.

The documentary offers a closer look into the tight friendship and camaraderie that the boys share with one another. They grew up together and take pride in the fact that they remain close and can make music in an agreeable and tacit way. Their allegiance to their hometown and their families is evident and it's quite admirable to see such gentlemen nowadays. The DVD defaults to DTS 5.1, which will make it appear as though there is no sound, but don't fear, there are audio options that offer stereo and Dolby Digital.

The Kentucky Struts have the ability to make the damsels swoon and the cowboys rock. Lipscomb's subject matter is able to bridge any generation gap and that's very admirable. While a lot of country artists are singing about hot, sexy cowgirls, Lipscomb is singing a very heartfelt song about his wife. While artists like Tim McGraw are using simplistic, vague and vacuous lyrics, Lipscomb is writing about being a supportive parent or learning from growing older. He is no stranger to intelligence, and this self-titled disc is very important evidence of that. Just listen to "Wisdom of the Wise" and you'll see what I'm talking about. - Cincymusic.com