Rocky Votolato & Chuck Ragan | Kindred Spirit
I love both of these guys and apparently they love each other too so I would be remiss if I didn’t write a few words about this Split EP that they put out back in June. I was initially disappointed that it was a traditional Split with each artist contributing three individual songs apiece. I was hoping for at least some Rocky & Chuck collaborations like they did on the the Revival Tour or the Cardinal Sessions. These two should really get together and record, even if it’s just a cover album like Sam Beam & Ben Bridwell did. They really do complement the shit out of each other. Musically that is I mean. I don’t think they sit around talking about how pretty each others hair is or anything. But maybe…
Anyway the album leads off with three songs from Votolato the first of which (“Sparks of Recovery”) originally appeared on his Television of Saints album. I thought at the time that it was one of the better songs from that record but I like this version even better. It has more of a full band sound that I haven’t heard from him since 2007’s The Brag and Cuss. “St. Louis”, a b-side from the same album as “Sparks” is one that I haven’t heard before, but I’m glad that I did. It’s not one of my all-time favorites from Votolato but it deserves to be on an album somewhere. Or in a music library somewhere. Streamed somewhere? Just listen to the damn song, it’s f’n good. His third offering “Let Go” is a nice change of pace and style and reminds me a little of a Gold-era Ryan Adams song which he might hate but I’m fan so at least he didn’t alienate me. My voice has a lot of power you know. (Please tell your friends about Empty Bottle Evenings)
Chuck Ragan kicks off his three tracks with “Justice and Fair Shake” an uptempo rocker backed by Dave Hause that would have fit nice on Till Midnight. It’s on this first song that Ragan sings repeatedly “I could never leave well enough alone”, but its his 2nd song from Kindred Spirit that actually provides a different version that he could have left untouched. “Vagabond”, also from Till Midnight, features Ben Nichols and Jon Snodgrass contributing lead vocals along with Ragan on this EP and while I had wanted to find this version of the song for a year, I think I like the original better. It’s weird considering how much I love hearing Nichols normally, but for some reason his voice sounds a little forced into this song. To close it out, Ragan provides the slow and beautiful “Before Dust” that more subtly features Nichols as well as some uncharacteristic, but welcome, guitar solos and pained groaning that Eddie Vedder could appreciate.
I don’t know if Votolato and Ragan (or Nichols and Snodgrass for that matter) are planning to put out music together again but they should. And if they do they should collaborate directly on a few tracks. I think a lot of others out there would appreciate whatever Revival Tour-Supergroup records can be put together. For now Ragan is touring Europe, so to my one German fan I strongly suggest you go see him. As for Votolato, he is wrapping up his US tour now to support his latest album “Hospital Handshakes” which I finally got a chance to spend some time with and will be putting up something on it this weekend. Now that’s how you tease the audience fellas. (Again, I plead with you, tell your friends about this site).
The Drink: Well, for Votolato’s first EBE post the recommendation was Maker’s to match the album, and the “The Drink” for Till Midnight was just any old whiskey so for this combo EP we suggest…. a shot of Maker’s follow by a shot of some other whiskey, dealer’s choice. And uh, drink responsibly?
Bake
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[…] this week I mentioned how the Rocky Votolato song “Let Go” from the Kindred Spirit split EP with Chuck Ragan sounded like an old Ryan Adams song. The slow pace, the presence of […]