Irreverence can have many forms. There’s the quiet humor in the face of strict authority. The passive-aggressiveness of simply ignoring a direct order from a superior. And then there’s the kind Michael Quinn & the Bourbon Kings sing about in their latest release, Whiskey Rebellion. Having had one more toke for the road, they tell the cop that pulls them over to “have another moon pie, fat ass” in the song Moon Pie. That probably crosses the fine line between irreverence and stupidity. The other side of that line is represented by Tazer Night, an ode to the hapless partier who has nothing to say but “no, no, no, don’t taze me bro!” Topical and comical in the same song.
The record gets started with Perfectly Content, a funky number with some good background horns. Next up is Emily, with a tin whistle in the background that gives a Celtic lilt to the song. The tracks continue a meandering route of musical exploration with the strings of Hey and the Ornette Coleman-like dissonance that layers into Siren Song. The rock and roll finish of Sunday Dress reminds you why Quinn gained his reputation as a drummer.
The real strength of this album is how well Michael and his collection of adroit instrumentalists cover such a wide variety of Americana styles. Furthest on the edge is Road To Hana, complete with ukelele and slack key guitar. There’s also the George Thorogood style of the aforementioned Tazer Night. Continuing in the bluesy theme, the Bourbon Kings get nasty with NOLA and Hollywood.
In this day and age, it’s not all that unusual to find an unsigned band with a ton of talent. Nonetheless, this is a group with too much talent to stay under the radar too long. Consider getting a couple of tracks of Whiskey Rebellion so you can say you were listening to Michael Quinn & the Bourbon Kings back in the day.
About the author: I've actually driven from Tehatchapee to Tonopah. And I've seen Dallas from a DC-9 at night.