The Lonesome Heroes

"Cosmic Austin-based band The Lonesome Heroes' album Can't Stand Still creeps under the skin, right into your bloodstream. Western Americana fans will delight in Today's Top Tune, "Steel." - KCRW 89.5 fm Los Angeles

Many bands claim Gram Parsons and Big Star as influences, but few compare to such time-tested landmarks. The reconfigured Lonesome Heroes fill the bill by drawing as much from Seventies pop ("Sunshine Come") as they do from a potpourri of country rock ("Throwing Dirt Into the Wind"). The ear-pleasing results make for one of Austin's best discs of 2015. Full of sun-streaked melodies ("Love Is Contagious") and inventive arrangements ("Whole Heart"), we'd expect nothing less from an LP produced by Li'l Cap'n Travis' Gary Newcomb. - Austin Chronicle

Can’t Stand Still is the name of the Lonesome Heroes’ second album, but it’s also the state-of-mind for frontman Rich Russell. Russell formed the band with Landry McMeans in Austin seven years ago, and the duo traveled around the country in an old trailer that perfectly captured their old-fashioned aesthetic. McMeans and Russell parted ways in 2013, but Russell soon reformed the Lonesome Heroes as a full band. Recorded at Public Hi-Fi here in Austin, Can’t Stand Still is more sprawling and bittersweet than the golden sounds on the Heroes’ debut. “Long Time Coming” recounts the past few years with more than a hint of sadness, matched note-for-note by the band’s wistful country touches.

–Art Levy - KUTX 98.9

LOVE IS CONTAGIOUS
Check it. There’s a bounty of country-psych awesomeness from this Austin band that cites Graham Parsons, The Magnetic Fields and Walt Whitman as influences. The Lonesome Heroes release Can’t Stand Still revels in that groovy cosmic American indie-pop vibe, speckled with dusky shades of golden FM road trip sounds. - KUTX 90.5fm

We have a top premiere today from Austin, TX psych-country/Americana band The Lonesome Heroes with their newest single Future Ghost Town taken from their forthcoming sophomore full-length Can’t Stand Still.

The band underwent major changes in 2014 when they reformed from dobro/acoustic guitar duo to a an expanded 4-piece incorporating electric guitar, bass and drums. Needless to say, those changes transform their sound as you can hear on Future Ghost Town. Pedal steel, vibraphone, horns and organ also feature on the album, a sure sign that a new musical chemistry is at play. It all makes for a compelling listen that left me wanting more, but fear not, Can’t Stand Still is set for release on CD and digital formats on January 27th, with a vinyl release on Whatbang Records scheduled for February 27th.


The transformation from duo to 4-piece band is an interesting one considering the publicity they received as a duo with the Austin Chronicle referring to them as “an institution of Austin’s psych-country scene”, plenty of rave reviews backed this sentiment.

Talking about the new album, frontman and mainstay of The Lonesome Heroes Rich Russell states “Can’t Stand Still is my reconciliation with the road and my response to the end of 7 years on the road with Landry McMeans”.

Russell and McMeans split up, McMeans kept the 1967 Shasta trailer that the pair had traveled in while devoting themselves to the western American roving tour that Denver Thread called their “1,974-mile-long art project,” and Russell kept the van, picking up a dynamic new group of musicians along the way. “I originally formed The Lonesome Heroes as a full band before I met Landry, but we preferred touring as a duo with her dobro and voice filling out our sound so well,” Russell explains. “After our split, I borrowed a great rhythm section from my friends’ band Fire in the Pines in San Marcos, TX, and the musical chemistry and new energy was instant. We rehearsed and learned the new songs in the spring of 2013 and played about 50 road shows that summer as the band that would record Can’t Stand Still.”

Reformed as a 4-piece in 2014 the band now makes its way across the country in a pop-up camper pulled behind a van. “We upgraded the number of members and downgraded the accommodations,” laughs Russell. “Now that we’re four smelly dudes hunkered down in a pop up camper, it’s less the romantic road trip of the past and more of a wild party on wheels.”

Rich Russell grew up in New York City, packing into small clubs to see bands like Sebadoh, Luna, Yo La Tengo, Sonic Youth. “However,” says Russell, “I was always drawn to things that had some sort of country influence like Beck’s One Foot in the Grave, or the Silver Jews, long before I knew about country music.” He began digging into classic country, and it all began to make sense when he moved to Austin and felt completely at home in the city full of musicians drawing from those rich musical traditions. Russell spent his first year in Texas living in an abandoned nursing home that became The Austin Music Co-op. Naming themselves after Leonard Cohen’s “A Bunch of Lonesome Heroes” and playing out in a 1978 VW van, the band toured through 28 states, earned a sponsorship with QSC audio and a song placement on ABC’s Nashville, packed residencies at Austin’s The Hole in the Wall, Luckenbach and Spiderhouse Ballroom, won a 2012 Independent Music Awards VOX POP Award and played SXSW 2013. After their split following SXSW, Russell finally sat down for a couple of months in Austin and, for the first time since hitting the road years before, devoted all of his energy to songwriting.

Can’t Stand Still is the result. The road continues and Russell intends to be on it. Russell has reconciled with the road – he can’t stay away, and his re-formed and expanded Lonesome Heroes travel the same roads. “I don’t think of it as a breakup record,” he says. “It’s more of a musical map of the emotions and places I traveled through the last few years. None of the songs are overtly sad or desperate. They are more bittersweet than anything. I prefer to see it as a nostalgic reminiscence of that time period, and a look forward toward a continuation of the roving lifestyle that I love.”

Can’t Stand Still is set for release on CD and digital formats on January 27th, with a vinyl release on Whatbang Records scheduled for February 27th - Folk Radio UK

Album Review: Lonesome Heroes – Can’t Stand Still

If you listen to bands like Creedence Clearwater Revival and think “they just don’t make music like this anymore,” I’d mostly agree with you… but then I’d hand you this brilliant LP from the Lonesome Heroes. It’s a vintage rock sound that’s as fresh as it would have been in 1968, except that these young, talented musicians released the album in 2015.

The twang and style of Lonesome Heroes is as original as it comes. The opening track “Sunshine Come” sounds like it could have come straight out of the 60s. It’s one of those blues tracks that sounds happy rather than sad, but still has the core of blues chord progression. It immediately puts you in a good mood starting the album.

“Steel” is a bit more soundly in the rock category. It sounds like something from the early 70s Eagles discography. The horns threw me off a little bit, but I think they work. The showcase of the band’s sound is definitely in the ability to have a vintage flavor on new rock music. It really comes through on this track, which is part southwestern flavor and part contemporary rock attitude.

The track “Love is Contagious” is pretty straightforward. It’s a rock song that talks about a woman whose love is contagious. But what you’ll find enjoyable is that it’s a chill rock song, including a really clean guitar solo, that keeps you wanting for more. It’s perfect for the background or for really thinking about it. May we all have a special someone in our lives with that kind of contagious love. “Drive to the stateline just to see your smile…” is literally something I’ve done with my now wife, so it really resonated with me.

“Western Style Saloons” might be my favorite track on the album. The guitar part is infectious and the “swing” part of the song is almost funny. The vocals come across as almost understated, but if you listen closely it’s not an easy melody or rhythmic pattern. I can’t even fathom trying to sing it while playing an instrument. Oh and those sneaky keys try to steal the show! Nice!

If you’re looking for a tried and true country song, “Shit Happens” fills the bill. “When I watched you walk out that room I didn’t think you’d be leaving so soon. I think it’s safe to assume that this is forever and not just once a blue moon.” I mean, that’s country. If you hear the steel guitar on this one and the literal two step rhythm, you’ll know it’s made for the country bar. It’s also dripping with irony and attitude.

“Throwing Dirt Into the Wind” is country as well, but with a different feel to it. Maybe it’s that Austin influence, but it doesn’t feel like the kind of country we hear coming out of Nashville. There’s a different sort of attitude on this one. “We are bound now to the spring…” launches into a hopeful, celebratory attitude toward life. I can appreciate the inherent optimism in the song about life still going on despite obstacles along the way.

The final track “Darkness Towards Light” is an absolutely wonderful way to end the album. It’s downtempo and relaxing. The lead vocal sounds different than the rest of the album. It’s melodic and peaceful rather than uptempo and sometimes ironic. “I’m gonna ramble on and you’re gonna sing a purty song… and when it’s time I guess we’ll go dancing…” The spirit of the song “time just goes on and on” is the kind of “salt of the earth” reality that I appreciate about country music. It’s about “walking from the darkness towards light.” Whether they meant it or not, this is a beautiful gospel message. I could listen to this one at the end of a night, that’s for sure.

All told, Lonesome Heroes are a talented group of musicians. What I really appreciate about their approach is that they come across as the real deal. These aren’t songs for the sake of making songs; they’re real stores and expressions of life. There’s some blues, some rock, and some country here, but mostly it’s just a particular brand of western music that just feels right. I can smell the desert and the wide open spaces on each track. It’s an enjoyable album with a spectacularly pleasing final track. - Ear To The Ground

Jackson Hole, Wyoming – Not only do The Lonesome Heroes have the most stellar band name of the saturated Austin music scene, its namesake inspiration is a glove that could fit no tighter—borrowed from the Leonard Cohen tune, “A Bunch of Lonesome Heroes.” The song contains searing jaunts of electric guitar with a bed of froggy jaw harp, carried by a strumming acoustic guitar and Cohen’s singular voice: “A bunch of lonesome and very quarrelsome heroes were smoking out along the open road / the night was very dark and thick between them, each man beneath his ordinary load / ‘I’d like to tell my story,’ said one of them so bold, ‘Oh yes, I’d like to tell my story ‘cause you know I feel I’m turning into gold.’”

Much of the same impression is conveyed via the quartet that currently embodies the Heroes. Resilient troubadour Rich Russell (vocalist/songwriter/acoustic guitar) barely skipped a beat when longtime musical partner and girlfriend, dobroist Landry McMeans, parted ways with the band in 2013. While McMeans provided the signature psychedelic riffs, it is Russell’s Beck-ish vocal prowess that painted the cosmically wistful country songs adorned with hooky melodies and an indie rock edge. This earned the band an Independent Music Award for Pop Vox in 2012. He also plugs a vintage Gibson acoustic into a 1970s Fender Super Reverb, a 4 by 10-foot combo amplifier not generally associated with acoustic instruments. It gives the music a dreamy reverb and high-end sparkle that further distinguishes the rhythm bed.

The restructuring of the band includes the addition of frequent collaborator and monster guitarist Gary Newcomb, thoughtful drummer Dave Sims Jr., and longtime bassist Nick Lochman. The band soon entered the studio with the finished product coming in the form of “Can’t Stand Still,” released in January of this year. A month later, WhatBand Records released the album on vinyl. The killer album art features a Teton backdrop with paragliders in the foreground, the work of local painter Travis Walker. More than 1,000 shows in 28 states, the Heroes bring a veteran sound that still breathes enthusiasm, making their staple trip up Highway 287 from Texas to Wyoming for the eight straight year.

“I think that our first show in Jackson was at The Granary in either 2007 or 2008,” Russell said. “Oh to go back to the sweet days of Myspace and driving around in a battered old VW van. It has been so great to be a solid, steady lineup for three years now. The band is road tested and ready to rock. We are super excited to make our annual summer pilgrimage through the Tetons before we embark upon our next big adventure to Aussie land. We can’t wait to check out the new and improved stage at the world famous Silver Dollar Bar.”

Come September, the band will lift off to Australia for a 22 date run that includes the Dashville Skyline Americana Festival. - Planet Jackson Hole

Can’t Stand Still is the sophomore full-length of Austin, Texas indie/psych-country band The Lonesome Heroes.

Russell grew up in New York City, packing into small clubs to see bands like Sebadoh, Luna, Yo La Tengo, Sonic Youth.

“However,” says TLH’s Rich Russell, “I was always drawn to things that had some sort of country influence like Beck’s One Foot in the Grave, or the Silver Jews, long before I knew about country music.”

Can’t Stand Still is set for release on CD and digital formats on January 27th, with a vinyl release on Whatbang Records scheduled for February 27. The album was tracked at Spoon’s Public Hi-Fi in Austin by Brad Bell and Z Sound Recording in Austin by Ben Galloway, produced by Gary Newcomb and mastered by Grammy-winning mastering engineer Brian Lucey at Magic Garden Mastering (Black Keys, Beck, Arctic Monkeys).

The Lonesome Heroes have played with countless bands over the years, including Thao and the Get Down Stay Down, Deer Tick, Phosphorescent, Jim James, Mariee Sioux, Shovels and Rope, Wayne “The Train” Hancock, The California Honey Drops, Black Joe Lewis, and Gregory Alan Isakov, and will be back on the road this February with their new album.

Today, Ghettoblaster has the pleasure of sharing a stream of the record, which you can enjoy below. - Ghettoblaster

10 Locals You Didn't Hear

1) Grace London, Brains

2) Gloves, Get It Together

3) The Lonesome Heroes, Can't Stand Still

4) The Happen-Ins, Glamour Shots (Fuzz Recordings)

5) Charlie Pierce & Choctaw Wildfire, Nowhere (Young Cubs)

6) Kinky Friedman, The Loneliest Man I Ever Met (Avenue A/Thirty Tigers)

7) Kiko Villamizar, La Remolacha (Discos Peligrosa)

8) Knest, Honorary Bachelors of Arts (Self Sabotage)

9) Abram Shook, Landscape Dream (Western Vinyl)

10) Crooks, Wildfire (Seafoam) - Austin Chronicle

A lineup change re-energized this longstanding local alt.country outfit. Now a quartet fronted by Rich Russell and featuring guitar wizardry from Gary Newcomb, their new release Can’t Stand Still slots them between the cosmic cowboy strains of Gram Parsons and the guitar pop of the Bottle Rockets. A recent gig demonstrated the Heroes’ ability to capture that same spirit of the two-step meets roots rock. - Austin Chronicle

The Lonesome Heroes are ready to fit right in Down Under. “Wired” is the only way to describe Rich Russell’s state of mind. The Lonesome Heroes mainstay has just made a mad, thousand-mile, eyes-pinned-to-the-road-drive to get home to Austin, Texas. Bed beckons but, being Austin, there’s a show to see and beer to drink. “I feel I fit Austin way better than I ever did in Brooklyn, where I grew up,” Russell explains. “All everyone does here is swim, play music and go to shows. It’s a slacker musician paradise. And not everyone drives a pickup truck with a dog in the back.” - Rhythms Magazine

Jackson Hole, Wyoming – Not only do The Lonesome Heroes have the most stellar band name of the saturated Austin music scene, its namesake inspiration is a glove that could fit no tighter—borrowed from the Leonard Cohen tune, “A Bunch of Lonesome Heroes.” The song contains searing jaunts of electric guitar with a bed of froggy jaw harp, carried by a strumming acoustic guitar and Cohen’s singular voice
Much of the same impression is conveyed via the quartet that currently embodies the Heroes.
Resilient troubadour Rich Russell (vocalist/songwriter/acoustic guitar) barely skipped a beat when longtime musical partner and girlfriend, dobroist Landry McMeans, parted ways with the band in 2013. While McMeans provided the signature psychedelic riffs, it is Russell’s Beck-ish vocal prowess that painted the cosmically wistful country songs adorned with hooky melodies and an indie rock edge. - Planet Jackson Hole

An institution of Austin’s psych-country scene, The Lonesome Heroes came to life in a ‘78 Volkswagen van over the course of a 100,000 mile journey of music making across the country. Their passion for classic Country and Americana is as pervasive as their live performances are captivating. - DO 512

Sound Check III Festival.
Not the square kind of country, nor outlaw country, or even contemporary country would fit what The Lonesome Heroes from Austin bring to the stage. Reverb-heavy electric dobro underneath a playful boy-girl vocal blend from Landry McMeans and Rich Russell often pushes the indie rock quintet into psychedelia—but not without the songwriting sensibilities of classic country and folk.
Planet Jackson Hole
Jun 23, 2010

With Great Music Comes Great Responsibility.
Experimenting with their big-city-meets-country-roots style, Austin, Texas, duo the Lonesome Heroes add a psychedelic twist to the standard alt-county genre but with the heartfelt poignancy and lyrical sensibility of a road-weary crooner. Their rhythmic vocals layered over acoustic guitar and reverb-heavy steel has been described as a chance meeting between Yo la Tengo and Patsy Cline.
Flagstaff Live!
May 20, 2010

Show Review: NX35 Festival.
They refer to themselves as “psychedelic country”, and they really aren’t joking. The groovy elements that helped make up a good chunk of the great 1970’s country rock that came from the Golden State are put to use here, as well. But, it was when McMeans told the crowd that, for their last song, they wanted to bust out a “spacey, hippy song”, that I finally heard the substance to back up their lofty claims of being more than just your average country rock band from Austin. “Constant Vacation” was in fact, a dreamy, trippy ode to their life on the road. McMeans even dropped down practically to her knees in order to finagle a little distortion from her Dobro. Now, that’s, trippy, bro.
Best of Texas
April 19, 2010.

Flagstaff Hot Picks!
Like a hooker at the church bake sale, Austin, Texas, duo The Lonesome Heroes don’t quite belong solely in the country scene with a sound that walks the line between psychedelic rock and alt-country.
Flagstaff Live!
February 18, 2010.

CONTINENTAL CLUB. AUSTIN, TX.
“... The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Magnetic Fields, and The Flaming Lips. The group clearly has a wide range of musical interests, perhaps only surpassed by the number of instruments you could hear on any given track. The 7-plus band members bring everything from pedal steel to saxophone to fiddle to melodica into their twangy indie Americana.”
The Austinist
Jan 16, 2010.

Show Review: Silver Dollar Bar, Jackson, WY.
“Just when you thought country-rock’s boundaries were maxed-out, Austin’s Lonesome Heroes added a psychedelic-indie edge. The free-spirited Heroes are a diamond in the saturated buffet of what people are calling country these days.”
Jul 22, 2009
PLANET JACKSON HOLE

"CROOKED HIGHWAY"
“The group’s debut full length flourishes in its ability to be a guiltless revelry that extends beyond alt country. Evoking sounds from the Cowboy Junkies to a twangier version of Alison Krauss the album draws the listener in with ease. An excellent offering from a talented duo that intertwine their talents to perfection.”
Jan 13, 2009
AUSTIN SOUND

"CROOKED HIGHWAY"
“The debut full-length moves in more focused, if experimentally flourished, directions. Russell's playful drawl shading Lyle Lovett. McMeans' soft trill on "Canary" and "Stardust" lifts the album into airier climes that balance Russell's earthier tones, like Alison Krauss with a Texas twang, the best songs marrying the two vocal impulses in duet.”
Oct 31, 2008
THE AUSTIN CHRONICLE

"Don't Play to Lose" EP Review
Balancing on the slide of Landry McMeans' lap steel, the Lonesome Heroes' sad and forlorn country cry walks the dirt road from West Texas desert to a poor man's urban dwelling. Singer Rich Russell's Brooklyn upbringing marries Willie Nelson to Will Oldham on the Heroes' debut EP, and when McMeans' delicately airy voice opens up "Oyster," tears roll.
Austin Chronicle
July 21st, 2007.

Austin Daze: "Don't Play to Lose" Review
The Lonesome Heroes are on a mission to make a different kind of country music. With its “Grapes of Wrath” era feel soaked in reverb, you get the feeling you are listening to a long distant echo of something that once was. The drifting melancholy and bittersweet style is beyond the range of their youth, and yet it seems totally natural to them.
The Austin Daze
July 2007 - Reviews Available @ www.thelonesomeheroes.com

"CROOKED HIGHWAY"
“The debut full-length moves in more focused, if experimentally flourished, directions. Russell's playful drawl shading Lyle Lovett. McMeans' soft trill on "Canary" and "Stardust" lifts the album into airier climes that balance Russell's earthier tones, like Alison Krauss with a Texas twang, the best songs marrying the two vocal impulses in duet.”
Oct 31, 2008
THE AUSTIN CHRONICLE - Austin Chronicle

CROOKED HIGHWAY
“The group’s debut full length flourishes in its ability to be a guiltless revelry that extends beyond alt country. Evoking sounds from the Cowboy Junkies to a twangier version of Alison Krauss the album draws the listener in with ease. An excellent offering from a talented duo that intertwine their talents to perfection.”
Jan 13, 2009
AUSTIN SOUND - The Austin Sound

Like a hooker at the church bake sale, Austin, Texas, duo The Lonesome Heroes don’t quite belong solely in the country scene with a sound that walks the line between psychedelic rock and alt-country.
February 18. 2010
Flagstaff Live! - Flagstaff Live!

They refer to themselves as “psychedelic country”, and they really aren’t joking. The groovy elements that helped make up a good chunk of the great 1970’s country rock that came from the Golden State are put to use here, as well. But, it was when McMeans told the crowd that, for their last song, they wanted to bust out a “spacey, hippy song”, that I finally heard the substance to back up their lofty claims of being more than just your average country rock band from Austin. “Constant Vacation” was in fact, a dreamy, trippy ode to their life on the road. McMeans even dropped down practically to her knees in order to finagle a little distortion from her Dobro.
April 19, 2010
Best Of Texas - Best of Texas

Not the square kind of country, nor outlaw country, or even contemporary country would fit what The Lonesome Heroes from Austin bring to the stage. Reverb-heavy electric dobro underneath a playful boy-girl vocal blend from Landry McMeans and Rich Russell often pushes the indie rock quintet into psychedelia—but not without the songwriting sensibilities of classic country and folk.
June 23, 2010
Jackson Hole Weekly - Jackson Hole Weekly

Experimenting with their big-city-meets-country-roots style, Austin, Texas, duo the Lonesome Heroes add a psychedelic twist to the standard alt-county genre but with the heartfelt poignancy and lyrical sensibility of a road-weary crooner. Their rhythmic vocals layered over acoustic guitar and reverb-heavy steel has been described as a chance meeting between Yo la Tengo and Patsy Cline.
Flagstaff Live!
May 20, 2010. - Flagstaff Live!

It is hard to imagine the Space Country sound through description alone, for you certainly don't hear it on the radio or even very often on the indie scene. But when you do, and it's done as perfectly as it is on this EP, it registers to the bone. It would be hard to find a more perfect exemplar of this crazy coupling that turns out not to be so crazy than this band. The subject matter is likewise a perfect blend of indie space rock and classic country, the abstract neurotic and the concrete pathetic
- Austin Sound

The Lonesome Heroes are on a mission to make a different kind of country music. With its “Grapes of Wrath” era feel soaked in reverb, you get the feeling you are listening to a long distant echo of something that once was. The drifting melancholy and bittersweet style is beyond the range of their youth, and yet it seems totally natural to them.
The Austin Daze
July 2007 - The Austin Daze

Balancing on the slide of Landry McMeans' lap steel, the Lonesome Heroes' sad and forlorn country cry walks the dirt road from West Texas desert to a poor man's urban dwelling. Singer Rich Russell's Brooklyn upbringing marries Willie Nelson to Will Oldham on the Heroes' debut EP, and when McMeans' delicately airy voice opens up "Oyster," tears roll.
Austin Chronicle
July 21st, 2007.


- The Austin Chronicle

From Feature Article: Lonesome Heroes rewrite the rules of alt.country.
Since taking up residency at the Hole in the Wall last September, the Lonesome Heroes' alt.country nights have become one of the most popular weekly events in Austin. As a genre, alt.country hardly begins to characterize the eclectic lineups. All musical directions ultimately converge in the Lonesome Heroes' easy psychedelic twang.”
Apr 4, 2008
THE AUSTIN CHRONICLE - THE AUSTIN CHRONICLE

SILVER DOLLAR BAR, JACKSON, WY.
“Just when you thought country-rock’s boundaries were maxed-out, Austin’s Lonesome Heroes added a psychedelic-indie edge. The free-spirited Heroes are a diamond in the saturated buffet of what people are calling country these days.”
Jul 22, 2009
PLANET JACKSON HOLE - Planet Jackson Hole

CONTINENTAL CLUB. AUSTIN, TX.
“... The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Magnetic Fields, and The Flaming Lips. The group clearly has a wide range of musical interests, perhaps only surpassed by the number of instruments you could hear on any given track. The 7-plus band members bring everything from pedal steel to saxophone to fiddle to melodica into their twangy indie Americana.”
The Austinist
Jan 16, 2010
- The Austinist

If Maryrose Crook and the Renderers are the jaded souls playing to the barflies as closing time looms, then The Lonesome Heroes are the still-hopeful opening act. The haunting lap steel belies that hope, however, lurking beneath strummed guitars with a lonely yearning. In the title track, Rich Russell declares, "country songs ... have got a strange hold over me." With their roots firmly planted in Hank Williams territory, The Lonesome Heroes structure their songs well, blazing their own path through alt-country style. – Meredith - www.75orless.com

www.smother.net
The debut EP from country folk group The Lonesome Heroes are bar tales that are elbow to elbow with some of the legendary lyrics spun by the best in the country world. Salty vocals with numerous harmony parts soar into a high ledge of abandoned folk guitar and twangy hollow body guitar swagger. With psychedelic underpinnings, “Don’t Play to Lose” is a tasty morsel of modern country folk that was extraordinarily produced and engineered by Scott O’Gara. Perfect.
- J-Sin
- Smother Magazine

AMERICANA UK MAGAZINE
www.americana-uk.com
A sixteen minute psychedelic steel trip. The eerie, liquid noise that Landry McMeans pulls from her lap steel and dobro is the defining sound on this five track EP. It’s a desert sound, reminiscent of what the late great Rainer Ptacek might have produced if he’d taken a little more peyote. Smooth and multicoloured, like oil in a rock pool, it alternately leads the songs and slides in behind them, always there, always nibbling away at the psyche.
- Americana UK Magazine

Sleepy, weepy, cowpunk from the
Foxy Digitalis
www.digitalisindustries.com
Artist: The Lonesome Heroes
Album: Don’t Play To Lose
Label: Floodwater
Austin duo of Rich Russell and Landry McMeans, whose lap steel and dobro drags these alt.country twisted tales through the barren Texas desert with a faint Neil Young aroma wafting through the sagebrush and mixing with Chicago cultists, Souled American. “Steel” sashays across the horizon, leaving a dusty aftertaste of Jonathan Richman’s attempts at going country in our ears (cf. “Jonathan Goes Country”). McMeans takes center stage on “The Moon and The Sun,” and her vocals leave a sweet, honeysuckle variety to Russell’s good ol’ boy, downhome grooves. Russell’s echoed lap steep and dobro add a haunting, full-moon quality to the track that contrasts nicely with our heroine’s litling voice.??The duo end on a high note with the spooky, “Oyster,” with McMeans’ faraway vocals riding the dusty prairie winds across your mind on a magic carpet ride buttressed by her lap steel and dobro. This is the perfect soundtrack for hunkering down in a sleeping bag under the stars somewhere out in the wild expanses of America’s vast hinterlands, counting shooting stars and cowering from coyotes howling in the night.- Jeff Penczak?? - Foxy Digitalis

Bigstarlet.wordpress.com
The Lonesome Heroes
Posted in Music at 11:40 pm by bigstarlet
Hubster and I took in music night at Walden’s Coffeehouse this evening (I used to do the open mics there before my temp job from hell took over my life last year; I swear I’ll be heading back there again, but I digress). We caught two bands; the Paula Kelley Band and the Lonesome Heroes. I thought both were good for different reasons; Paula and her fellow performer were both extremely talented, and composed some pretty catchy material, for the most part (tho’ I found Paula’s voice a little offputting at times - funny, she seemed a lot dowdier in person than she does on her myspace page.). The hubster liked the Lonesome Heroes better, tho’, and I had to agree; they seemed genuinely happy to be there and their performance felt a little more genuine, rather than the previous act running through songs they hope to use when showcasing their big debut hit CD in front of fussy record execs.
I thought “Skylark” was a more than able slide user and dobro facilitator. And Rich Russell was quite the engaging showman.
Check their myspace, peeps!
- Big Starlet Wordpress