When I was an impressionable youth, one of the things that drew me deeply into rock and roll was the twin guitar and Hammond B-3 combo popular with the southern rock crowd. Â Whether it was Dicky, Duane and Gregg, or the front line of Skynyrd, the sound went to the depth of my soul. Â When I fired up the latest disc from Jeff Przech, and his band The Outfit, I rekindled that aural lust.
The guitar assault hits you right off with Maribelle, the first track on the record. Â It continues with Cold November and Under Your Skin, although both of those come off a lot more alt country than southern rock. Â A little further down they mine that same vein with Second Favorite Memory, where Przech sings that “you’re my second favorite memory…and all the rest are tied for first.” Â There’s a break-up line for you.
Not everything on the album is a driving tempo. Â Coy is slower and nearly anthemic with its building crescendo and final guitar solo. Â The Willows is a ballad about self-destruction, and the aching in Przech’s voice points to the loss of a close, close friend. Â Checking In has some of that ache as well, but is a slightly different take on the life-on-the-road theme.
 Jeff Przech and his bandmates live, and hold day-jobs, in Connecticut.  That domicile far away from some of the country’s musical hubs seems to have enabled them with a sense of self in their music.  They certainly haven’t subscribed to any of the popular music bandwagons making the rounds today.  Instead, they’ve put out a timeless rock and roll album that would have sounded as good 40 years ago as it does today.
About the author: I've actually driven from Tehatchapee to Tonopah. And I've seen Dallas from a DC-9 at night.