Rev Neil Down
American Friend
Burn Barrel
If Jim Morrison and Captain Beefheart could’ve had a baby and moved into a Nashville railer Park to raise it, It might’ve grown up to be the Mighty Rev Neil Down.
This fine release didn’t come from Nashville though. This was recorded, engineered, and mastered in the Yukon Territory. Who would’ve thought we’d have an emerging music scene in the up there? Well, maybe we don’t, but I really do hope that there’s more like the Rev Down. Even if there’s not, he probably would qualify as a one-man scene.
Down’s influences appear to include Captain Beefheart on a couple of levels, Jim Morrison on a couple more, and maybe even a helping of Tom Waits on some others. Mix all these influences with a broad mix of musical styles in both vocals and instrumentation, and you end up with something that sounds like it’s been around forever, yet it’s distinctly different from anything I’ve yet heard.
Standout cuts include “Finish Your Dreams,” “American Friend,” and the unforgettable “The Trench,” with lyrics like “Horseshit and gun smoke, I’ve seen my share. Up to my neck, concrete in my hair. I made it through that gauntlet, never got me no scratch. When it come to love, I was just no match.” Who out there could not relate to this?
Burn Barrel Records, Box 121, Skagway, AK 99840; http://www.revdown.com
