The Smokey Lonesome
Desert Run
The Smokey Lonesome is a garage country duo from Southern California. The band is made up of Dave Porter on lead and rhythm guitar and Natalie Fratino on standup bass. They both sing, and they have respect for Bakersfield Country viewed through a prism of punk rock and alternative sounds. What they do is way too stripped down and elemental for modern Nashville, so it’s a good thing they’re hiding away from that rat race in the Mojave desert.
“I got my party hat on / going down to Frontera” Dave sings, about a no-luck cowboy who runs into nothing but trouble when he goes into town for some fun, Natalie takes lead on “Sleep Cowgirl,” which almost sounds commercial with its loping rhythms and fiddle breaks.
The title track is the one that really catches my attention. Dave sings in a slightly demented manner that reminds me of the Meat Puppets. I bet Dave has a dollar and a quarter and a razor in his shoe.
If you’re looking for a soundtrack to a crazed road trip with a Hunter S. Thompson disciple in tow, Desert Run is for you.
