Lincoln Durham
Austin, Texas, United States | INDIE
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Press
It’s guys like this that make me wish someone would offer me a job in Austin, so I could uproot my family and move there (not that I have an serviceable skill mind you). This ep is a teaser to a debut album that is supposed to hit the shelves sometime this year. Four songs of all kinds of gritty, bluesy, roll down the window and sing along fun.
It’s no surprise that Ray Wylie Hubbard has signed on to produce young Durham’s record. The talent is overfilling the cup. Slide guitar, harmonica, a hellacious backbeat and vocals that would make Muddy Waters proud. Not to say this is a straight blues recording as Durham definitely has that Texas country charm intertwined with his whiskey drenched delta sound.
I would try to single out my favorite tracks, but with only four it is nearly impossible. “Livin’ This Hard” starts the disc out right with a hard rock n’ roll sound that gets you in the right mood.
“Georgia Lee” tells the story of a rough southern woman who wears a tattered dress and plays “Hoochie Coochie Man” on a guitar “blessed by Muddy’s hand” .
The next song ” How Does a Crow Fly” slows the tempo down a little and shows that Durham is no one trick pony. It really showcases his songwriting ability with lines like “I met a girl white as snow, I turned her a shade of grey”.
The last track on the short disc also tells of a man who loves the old blues. “Reckoning Lament” references Robert Johnson’s verse and Fred McDowell’s slide guitar by name. You can really hear Hubbard’s influence on this track as it would have been quite comfortable residing on his last release A. Enlightment B. Endarkenment (Hint there is no C).
I have listened to this disc a dozen times through since receiving it yesterday and have not tired of it yet. On top of that I have viewed every Lincoln Durham video available on Youtube today. This kid is the real deal and my only complaint is that this is only four songs. Oh one more petty complaint, when his record comes out I will already have four tracks of it, so there won’t be a whole album of new ones.
If I lived in Texas, I would be going to see him as often as I could while he is still playing solo in bars just so I could soak in the feel. Learn more about Lincoln Durham on his website here.
Here is a promo video for “Reckoning Lament”. It’s just Durham and his guitar and it is fucking great. - BrokenJukebox.com
"Out of all the young apprentices that Ray Wylie Hubbard has taken under his wing, Lincoln Durham is the first to really come close to rivaling the master in the grit 'n' groove department. While Hayes Carll was coming down from Hubbard mountain with a head full of enlightenment and drunken poets' dreams, Durham was sneaking out the back door with the Wylie Lama's Resonator mojo. Or who knows? Maybe Hubbard's the one who's been gleaning a little off of Durham, because stuff this real just can't be taught overnight. Intended as a sneak-peak of Durham's full-length debut (co-produced by Hubbard and George Reiff and due out later this fall), this four-song sampler stomps and slides with bruising, bone-rattling conviction. The song titles - "Reckoning Lament," "How Does a Crow Fly," "Georgia Lee," "Living This Hard" - pretty much give away the plot, but it's not the tales so much as the telling here that really counts. There's not a trace of affectation in Durham's raspy growl of a voice, and his slide guitar cuts deep and mean. From the coiled, snarling groove of the opening "Reckoning Lament" through to the hypnotic, "Kashmir"-type stomp of the closing "Living This Hard," this is 12-and-a-half minutes of relentlessly lowdown 'n' dirty, kick-ass blues." - Richard Skanse - Lone Star Music Magazine
Every once in awhile, in the midst of sifting and sorting my way through the ridiculous amount of music that is available on the internet to sample, I come across one of those gems that makes all of the endless hours completely worth it. Luckily for me, last week was one of those times.
Lincoln Durham's gritty voice and gripping blues grooves take about 5 seconds to jump out at me as something special. About 10 seconds into listening, I realize that it's not only special, it's downright dirty and badass. 30 seconds after that, I'm scrambling to find this guy's album so I can buy it. That's the only downside I come across… His debut album is being finished and should be out sometime in the spring. But my luck has not run out yet, because I see Lincoln is from Texas, and happens to be playing at the Saxon Pub this Sunday. I'm now about 2 minutes into listening, and I'm sending my wife a text about the show. It takes her about 10 seconds of listening to confirm that we are definitely going to see this guy.
We roll into the Saxon Pub just after 6PM and Lincoln has already started his set. It's a tiny crowd as expected on a Sunday night. With only a few people in the main part of the room, my wife and I have our choice of seats in the venue...
We are then bombarded with 45 minutes of blues-gritty goodness. Lincoln's voice is a cross between Ray Lamontagne, Ryan Bingham, Bob Seger, and our buddy Jay Buchanan. It's soulful grit matches perfectly with the slide acoustic blues grooves that he's laying down on the guitar. Durham's guitar work is a perfect blend of blues riffs, slide soul, and John Lee Hooker bass line walks. He also has his foot mic'd to keep a steady four to the floor drive behind the groove and is locked in throughout the set. It's definitely a nice touch and ends up being a great compliment to what is going on with the guitar and harmonica in the solo sections.
All in all, I knew I was catching this guy way before his break, which makes me smile. With Ray Wylie Hubbard producing his soon to be released debut album, I know that 6 months from now, there's no way he's going to be playing to this few people on any night of the week, especially in Austin. Judging by the live performance, I fully expect to be seeing Lincoln Durham on much larger stages in the future. For now though, I'll catch him as much as I can on a small intimate scale. - Shannon Hudson - No Depression
Lincoln Durham (www.lincolndurham.com) is a young songwriter/guitar player who exciting to watch. I saw him recently at Cheatham Street Warehouse (www.cheathamstreet.com) twice, and was really impressed by the talent of this young man. I picked up a copy of his EP, and really enjoy listening to it. His new Cd will be out soon, and is being produced by Ray Wylie Hubbard (www.raywylie.com ). "If you dig Son House and Townes Van Zandt...Lincoln Durham is your man. Don't come no cooler. "
-Ray Wylie Hubbard
Lincoln recently opened two shows at Cheatham street, once for Midnight River Choir ( www.myspace.com/midrivchoir ) and once for Radney Foster (www.radneyfoster.com) Both shows were very good performances that almost stole the shows from more experienced performers. His dirty sounding guitar playing, along with his thoughtful lyrics, won over both crowds. He also recently played at Ray Wylie Hubbard's Grit and Groove Fest in Luckenbach. If you get a chance to go see this young man live, you should do it. There will be numerous chances in the next few months in the Hill Country, as he's playing in Spicewood, New Braunfels, and Austin this month.
Lincoln started playing the guitar at the age of 4, and at ten he won the Texas State Youth Fiddle Championship. He also plays the harmonica, and many different guitars, including slide.
The EP is only 4 songs, and is a great listen. "Living this hard" kicks off the EP, a bluesy look at the life of a hard working man. "Georgia Lee" is next, follwed by "How does a crow fly" and "Reckoning Lament". All the songs show the greasy,nasty sound that led Ray Wylie Hubbard to want to produce the record. I can't wait for the new cd to drop, I'll be buying a copy the day it comes out. - Thomas McAleer - examiner.com
Discography
Lincoln Durham - The Shovel vs. The Howling Bones
Releases Jan 31, 2012
Lincoln Durham - EP (4 song promo to the debut album coming out this fall produced by Ray Wylie Hubbard and George Reiff)
Lincoln Durham - Live at Saxon Pub
Photos
Bio
Drivin' down Purgatory Road just outside of Wimberley as the sun's goin' down casting a vibe that's angelic, yet suggests the hint of something slightly demented, as the hills of southwest Texas begin to glow in the last light of day. There is something cool and sweet, nasty and hot; I start to get a notion of why such amazing and distinctive music comes out of this place.
We're in an old white van filled with guitars and amps, mic stands and assorted musical paraphernalia, swapping war stories about the good ol' days, when we were young and wild, talking up a storm about the music that has shaped our respective lives: down and dirty blues and endless nights of rock and roll.
"Hey, man. Check this out."
The driver takes his hand off the wheel and hands me a CD.
Lincoln Durham.
He's an intense-looking young man with an old bastardized Gibson acoustic. Worn-out blue jeans and a crop of long, wavy hair. But there is something in his eyes, something that suggests he knows something most people don't. The eyes of an old soul. The soul of an old bluesman, withered, weathered, worn but primed and ready to burst out of this young man and preach the news of some new kind of depraved music.
"He any good?" I ask.
The driver of the van, Ray, looks over at me with a huge smile and says, "The real deal, man."
That dangerous smile of Ray Wylie Hubbard speaks volumes!
Ray starts to tell me about Lincoln Durham, whose EP he had recently finished co-producing, which is some kind of an endorsement coming from a Texas music legend. He tells me about this kid who had become an accomplished fiddle player around Arkansas and Oklahoma and who had won the Texas State Youth Fiddle Championship by the age of 10. Lincoln had afterward followed the path so many musicians have, finding his vice in the seductive, siren-like callings of the electric guitar. Or really acoustic slide guitar with gnarly pickups screwed into it. I popped the EP into the deck and I’m immediately hooked. It is as if I’m walking through the hills and a nasty old rattler springs up and bites me. The venom rushes through my body and settles in my gut and head. I see visions of a shadowy figure off a ways in the distance digging a hole, hard to tell, could of been a grave...
I ask Ray, “did you see that?”
“See what?”
“That guy diggin' in that field.”
Ray says, “No, try to keep my eyes on the road when I drive these days.”
I get real quiet while the song continues. I keep my music-induced hallucinations to myself.
When we get to our destination, Ray Wylie looks over and says,
“The Shovel vs. The Howling Bones.”
“Say what?”
“The name of Lincoln Durham’s new album.” And he gives that RWH smile. One bite, venom flowing, visions in the twilight, something deep and outrageous is coming at you. Lincoln Durham.
Lincoln had already sunk the fangs of his intoxicating gritty blues guitar and voice into me, and I wanted more. Hadn't had a drink for over 30 years, but I was feeling more than a bit tipsy. I knew this was something out of the ordinary.
Everyone who has heard Lincoln Durham's EP or has had the pleasure of seeing him perform live, wants the same thing: More. But the good news is the debut album is finished. “The Shovel vs. The Howling Bones” is an album of self-destruction. “It is my agony put into words and music via 11 songs,” Lincoln explains. “It is the story of building dreams and tearing down those dreams all in the same moment. I am both the shovel and the howling bones. Burying while at the
I'm still living in the mountains of northern California and have yet to make it back down to Texas. But I have nearly worn out Lincoln’s EP. I have watched every video clip of his live performances I can find on the Internet. And if you like what you hear on the disc, you will be blown away by his live performances.
Lincoln Durham simply owns the stage! Equipped with old, makeshift 1950s amps, resonators, fiddles, harmonicas, tin can microphones, slides, stomp boards and you name it, Lincoln gives birth to a sound that transcends genres. His dark, poetic and raw writing style is reminiscent of his mentor R.W. Hubbard, telling tales that Poe would have been proud of. His guitar work is like a locomotive pumping and driving the runaway train that is Lincoln Durham and his music. This is not to imply that any of it is in any way out of control. On the contrary, he never stops driving that train.
Face it, bios are usually a bunch of facts about someone's life. Admittedly, I do not know a lot about the life of Lincoln Durham, aside from what I have been told and read in various places. But this is not a bio, not even much of a review; this is a testament to the rare talent of a young man who has gone against the grain of his peers. If what this songwriter/musician is doing makes him some sort of black sheep or seems in some way off kilter, good. Make no mistake, it takes something beautifully “off” to
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