Will Maranto and Wes McKinney front a rockin', singin' quintet called Gypsy Mountain. Listening to their new cd, Roadhouse Quintessential, I keep finding songs that make blackberry pie out of the moldy hashbrowns of my rock and roll memories.
Catch them Friday, June 17, at Lil Joes Tavern.
"Racina, wearing those high heels and sexy hose," is the story of a pixillated woman composed in a style that evokes the Doobies, the Beatles and the Association. As I review the album I keep going back to Racina and floating on the harmonized vocals and twin guitars of McKinney (Retroverb) and Maranto (EST, Retroverb) and the thick organ of Mike Gauthier (Stepping Stones). Bryan Shelby and Don Echols, to be sure, are doing their part. But the guitar/organ/vocals scheme of Gypsy Mountain is evocative of all the best pop/rock I know.
Quintessential Roadhouse is immediately listenable.
"Lonely lover" is a channeling of the Eagles and LynrdSkynrd. The Steve Miller Band is all over "Back side of the way." "Lady of the night," has Van Morrison energy. Some of the compositions start off clunky and literal-minded and a bit stiff, such as "Not giving up" and "Melanie makes a choice." Somehow partway through each song the Gypsy sound has wrapped me up and I'm getting up to move round the floor.
"I like them!" exclaims my excitable partner and connoisseur of 60's rock, Talbot, as I turn up my favorite cut, "Racina."
You are not going to wrap your arms around "Racina" unless you buy the album. But you can audition four nice cuts at myspace.com.
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