Easton, Stagger, Phillips is a super group. The good kind. 3 of the best singer-songwriters in alt. country music come together on this low key collection of originals. Though each of the three can certainly rock out, One For the Ditch is the sound of “3 friends playing songs on the porch”. They keep it simple and mainly acoustic with splashs of pedal steel and other instrumentation to flesh out a couple of songs. The album never sounds forced and always sounds fun, finding a rich middle ground between the Jayhawks and Gillian Welch-David Rawlings best work.
Tim Easton (Joshua Tree, California) is a tremendous solo artist, whose last album Ammunition featured none other than Lucinda Williams and Gary Louris. He’s a great songwriter and a terrific live performer. He has 4 solo records to his name, each with a different take on his folk rock sound. 2001’s Truth About Us featured Wilco (2000 line-up) as a backing band.
Leeroy Stagger (Victoria, Canada) is one of my new favorite artists of all time (how come no one told me about this guy before?). His rough and ragged alt. country record Depression River and the limited release EP Tales From the Back Porch are like a combination of Neil Young, Steve Earle, the Drive-By Truckers, and all that is holy in this world. If your a fun of the punk rock meets country meets Neil Young guitar freak outs, you need to check this guy out.
Evan Phillips (Anchorage, Alaska) is a member/songwriter of the Whipsaws, an alt. country type band that I’ve heard good things about, but have yet to really listen to (note to self: must get on that). However, his songs are some of my favorite on this record (”Highway”, “She’s Gone”). He even channels Big Star on the beautiful ballad “Walk Away”.
Sorry for the short review, just wanted to get this out there. On my blog too, www.deaddrunkandnaked.com
About the author: DJ at WUSC-FM 90.5 in Columbia, SC. All americana show entitled Dead, Drunk, and Naked. 
September 19th, 2008 at 2:17 am
Hi, I found your blog on this new directory of WordPress Blogs at blackhatbootcamp.com/listofwordpressblogs. I dont know how your blog came up, must have been a typo, i duno. Anyways, I just clicked it and here I am. Your blog looks good. Have a nice day. James.
September 19th, 2008 at 10:08 am
I got to see Easton perform with the Whipsaws as his backing band at SXSW this year. Good stuff. I cant wait to get up on this album!
September 24th, 2008 at 6:11 am
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