weewerk release 010: Kerosene & Coal
Kerosene & Coal is the second album by Montreal's kings of citygrass, The United Steel Workers of Montreal, following up their outstanding debut, Broken Trucks and Bottles. Showing how raucous and affecting this blues-y, urban, alt-country band can be, the songs on Kerosene & Coal start from the grit of Montreal's south-west neighbourhoods before tearing down truck routes to move past highway pit stops for gas-station melodramas and back-road drag races, with a bank robbery thrown in for good measure. Well stocked with twelve 80-proof tracks that explore true love (both requited and the other kind), the fringes of the workaday life, love's desperation, redemption, and the camaraderie of a neighbourhood bar at last call, Kerosene & Coal handily captures the infectious draw of The United Steel Workers of Montreal.
The six-piece band takes off from varied influences, giving Kerosene & Coal their own unique sound. Gern f.'s gritty voice trades off growls and whispers, providing a boisterous counterpart to Shawn 'Gus' Beauchamp's earnest, emotionally raw vocals on songs such as "Ask Me To Stay" and "Union Man". But it's Felicity Hamer who delivers the knockout punch, revealing the emotional power of the Steel Workers as she turns a sultry rasp into a satin-smooth drawl. Gern and Gus have perfected their two-guitar attack, while Matt Watson's soulful telecaster roots you to the speaker. Roger Dawson's stand-up bass provides deft backing and Kevin McNeilly plays banjo and mandolin with feverish intensity.
The twelve tracks on Kerosene & Coal were written by Gus and Gern, developed by the band, and recorded at Montreal's artist-centric UrbanHanded Works Studio, where they were able to retain control over recording and production, allowing this album to be a true follow up to the success of Broken Trucks and Bottles.
United Steel Workers of Montreal are
Gern f : lead vocals, rhythm guitar, harmonica
Felicity Hamer : lead vocals, accordion, higher math
Matt Watson : tele, mandolin, banjo, backing vocals
Roger Dawson : double bass, backing vocals
Kevin McNeily : mandolin, banjo, guitar, backing vocals
Shawn 'Gus' Beauchamp : rhythm guitar, mandolin, tele, vocals
and pig harmonies
weewerk release 006: Broken Trucks and Bottles
The United Steel Workers of Montreal have forged themselves a unique sound that has been described as "rousing, old style cowboy punk with an urban edge." Undeniable musical virtuosity as well as the band's forceful stage presence and always endearing stage banter have helped make USWM one of Montreal's top live bands.
Broken Trucks and Bottles was recorded at the UHW Studio in Montreal, which was founded by band member Gern f. and has become a recording hub for many of the same bands USWM has played beside in the Montreal music scene. The album mixes original songs written by Gern f. and Shawn 'Gus' Beauchamp with a few covers of independent bands that have inspired USWM along the way. It features Gern f. on lead vocals, rhythm guitar and harmonica; Felicity Hamer on lead vocals; Shawn 'Gus' Beauchamp on rhythm guitar, banjo and vocals; Matt Watson on telecaster, mandolin, banjo, and backing vocals; Roger Dawson on double bass and backing vocals; and Sean b'y Moore on mandolin, accordion, banjo, rhythm guitar, and backing vocals.
Broken Trucks and Bottles also includes guest performances by talented artists such as David Macanulty (The Subhumans, Paperboys, The Hardrock Miners) and Andrew Horton (Notre Dame de Grass).
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