By Eleni P. Austin
“Americana” and “alt.country” are terms coined in the early 90s to describe music that was “a little bit Country and a little bit Rock & Roll,” (to quote Donny and Marie.) The roots of this style began way back in the ‘60s when Gram Parsons, former teen idol, Rick Nelson and reluctant Monkee, Mike Nesmith were quietly (and separately) infusing Rock music with jolts of Hank Williams Sr., Merle Haggard, George Jones and the Louvin Brothers.
Of course, cocaine cowboys like the Eagles, as well as bands like Poco and Firefall watered down the original heady elixir and popularized a sound they didn’t create, reaping the financial rewards. It was several years before Parsons and Nelson posthumously received the accolades they richly deserved. Mike Nesmith still hasn’t received the proper recognition.
Bands like Uncle Tupelo, Jayhawks, Son Volt and Wilco proudly carried the Americana torch, (with varying degrees of success), into the 21st century. Now Cisco & Dewey have released a debut that continues this enduring tradition.
But hold up, Cisco & Dewey aren’t a couple of wide-eyed millennials, weaned on suspender and string tie-wearin’ revivalists like Lumineers or Mumford And Sons. Tony “Cisco” Marsico and Darran “Dewey” Falcone are seasoned Rock & Roll warriors who first met over 20 years ago.
Cisco is a veteran of the venerable L.A. Punk scene. He began his music career in 1980, playing bass with Latino Punk rockers the Plugz, (sometimes known as Los Plugz).
One of the first D.I.Y. bands, they released their debut record on their own label. They also appeared in the seminal L.A. Punk documentary, “The Decline And Fall Of Western Civilization.” The band is probably best known for playing a Punked up version of Johnny Rivers’ “Secret Agent Man,” retitled “Hombre Secreto” in the classic cult film, “Repo Man.”
Bob Dylan famously invited the Plugz to back him on an appearance for “Late Night With David Letterman.” Soon after, Plugz morphed into the Cruzados and released their debut in 1985. They recorded two more albums, and toured with heavy hitters like Fleetwood Mac and INXS before disbanding.
Since then, Cisco has honed a reputation as a sharp session musician recording with Dylan, Marianne Faithfull, Willie Nelson and Roger Daltrey to name a few. He also toured from 1993 to the present with Power Pop demi-god, Matthew Sweet.
Dewey’s Rock & Roll path has been slightly more circuitous. Cisco and Dewey met in the early ‘90s, during a session for veteran songwriter, Gerry Goffin. Best known for his collaboration with then wife, Carole King in the early ‘60s, He remained a working songwriter after the pair broke up. Sadly, he passed away in 2014.
Surrounded by seasoned session players, Cisco and Dewey just clicked. With the help of Chicago Blues legend Barry Goldberg, they wrote and recorded about 40 songs that remain unreleased.
Dewey became disenchanted with the record industry and he and Cisco lost touch. Relocating to the quieter environs of Joshua Tree, he focused on his passion for racing motorcycles. When he and Cisco reconnected early last year, he was ready to make music again.
After securing funding through Kickstarter, and corralling a few old friends, including Barry Goldberg, they recorded their self-titled debut. The album opens with the one-two punch of “Movin’ On Down” and “Land Of The Endless Sun.”
“Movin…” is a sharp equivocation of a musician’s peripatetic lifestyle. Splashes of lonesome pedal steel guitar wash over a sunburst melody and propulsive rhythms. Dewey’s rough-hewn vocals deliver a hesitant argument for a rootless existence. “Lots of time long since dead, memories they fill my head/But I keep searchin’ for my way to get back home.”
“Land Of The Endless Sun” is propelled by a chugging locomotion, ringing acoustic guitars and Yee-Haw harmonies. The hook-filled melody can’t camouflage this withering put-down, “You stuck around here long enough to dry up every drop of fun.”
A trio of songs tackle the specter of death from different perspectives. “The Sea We Floated On” offers a tender farewell to a loved one. The mood is wistful, directly addressing a recently departed family member. “You were the sea we floated on, you were the gift and now you’re gone.” The melody accented by prickly guitars and high-lonesome harmonica.
“Goodbye Heartache, Goodbye Moon” wraps a gorgeously desolate arrangement around a first-person post-mortem. Mournful pedal steel and feathery acoustic guitar cushion stark lyrics like “Feel the cold death rattle as my body starts to swoon, and my heart fades to a murmur /Goodbye heartache, goodbye moon.”
Over sugary harmonica fills and sly pedal steel, “Sad Sadie” offers some compassionate grief counseling: “Sad Sadie, don’t you cry, those feelings deep inside you will subside…the sun will shine again if you give it time.”
If it were possible for Bob Dylan’s “Emotionally Yours” and Bruce Springsteen’s “Racing In The Street” to have a musical love child, it might sound like “Hermosa Avenue.” A stately slice of life that surveys the action on the street. The tune is anchored Hammond B3 colors, a loping gait and a soulful harmonica solo.
Both “Eyes Of Laredo” and “The Ballad Of Cisco & Dewey” take the listener south of the border. The former is a lonely Tex-Mex ballad that blends weezy accordion and concertina with crystalline mandolin and banjo runs.
The latter is a ramshackle shaggy-dog tale cloaked in a rollicking Norteno melody and accented by stinging guitar riffs and fluttery accordion. It’s a slightly apocryphal saga about “two gringos from the Valley who got lost in Mexicali.” Tequila worms are consumed, fisticuffs ensue and the song culminates in an inept jail break.
Other interesting tracks include the minor key charmer, “Going Home,” and the yearning “It All Fades Away.” “She’s Like” is propelled by a tribal “skip to my lou” tattoo, circuitous guitar and sprightly violin/harmonica interplay, the lyrics pay tribute to a dark, mysterious and ephemeral beauty. Finally, “Goodbye Little Bluebird” is a jangly ode to independence.
The album closes with “Feels Like Heaven,” a twangy benediction that pays homage to a sweet soulmate and the arid desert landscape they traverse: A graceful end to a winning debut.
Along with Barry Goldberg on Hammond B3, Cisco and Dewey have assembled a who’s-who of session players: Joseph Harvey on cello, Julie Pusch on violin, Gia Ciambotti provides background vocals. Gary Mallaber and Joel Alpers both handle drums and percussion, Gee Rabe plays concertina and accordion, Craig Fundyga on piano, Mark Tremalgia plays slide guitar, Tom Lavin tackles mandolin, banjo and guitar, Rick Vito covers baritone, slide and acoustic guitar, Tony Gilkyson’s duties include acoustic and electric guitars and Greg Leisz plays pedal steel.
All these heavy-hitters might have resulted in a slick, overly commercial album. Quite the contrary, the vibe here feels fun and intimate: A relaxed, back porch ramble amongst friends. Cisco & Dewey have succeeded in releasing the first great album of 2015.
