SXSW darlings, San Saba County, take us on an around-the-world bar hop from the saloon to the cantina then back to the saloon with their latest album, Its Not the Fall That Hurts. The beechwood-aged twangers’ second full-length album is thematically heavy on heartbreak and audibly represents a diversity of Texicano influences giving it a great sense of time and place (that’s Texy-can-o, not Tay-he-ka-no).
The four-piece band consists of John Saba (acoustic guitar, lead vocals), Chris Wellington (electric guitar, banjo, harp, vocals), Shawn Slack (electric bass, upright bass) and Rob Gaines (drums/percussion).
To dig into the album, start with fourth track “Medicine” whose bold guitars and drawl-laden vocals will resonate with fans of Son Volt or the Drive-by Truckers. Then move on to “New Morning”, “Oh, and One More Thing…”, “Hell to Pay”, “Springtime” and “AR” all sonically paying homage to alt-country predecessors. Whereas their 2004 release Easy Does It may have been focused on attaining a true alt-country sound, you really have to give them credit for taking some chances with this record and mixing it up with a bit of alt-country, alternative rock and a smidgen of Spanish influences. You can tell they had fun making Its Not the Fall That Hurts, here’s to hoping they’ll make many more.
For a sample, download album intro “More Than Me” (MP3) available from the 2006 SXSW festival web site which is not listed above as one of my favorites at least vocally but musically quite good.
[audio:http://audio.sxsw.com/2006/mp3/San_Saba_County-More_than_Me__really.mp3]The album is currently available online at Waterloo Records. Continue to monitor the band’s web site or MySpace profile for more details on where to purchase.
About the author: Gainesville, FL area creative by day. Music is my muse. I host Twangville’s weekly Readers‘ Pick.