Another week, another great new artist to introduce. This time it’s J. Isaiah Evans & The Boss Tweed from Dallas, Texas. If Evans’ name sound familiar, it should – he’s the driving force behind The 40 Acre Mule. With that group Evans gloriously explored the intersection of R&B and rock and roll, kicking up a sweaty ruckus and leaving a path of musical destruction in his wake.
Evans moves in a slightly different direction with the Boss Tweed. The in-your-face rock and roll attitude persists, but this time in the form of an organ trio with Matthew Vasquez on keys and Spud Crowly on drums. The group got off to a well-deserved fast start, making their first live appearance not even a year ago when they opened for Alejandro Escovedo. Since then, they’ve shared the stage with Silverada (formerly Mike & the Moonpies), Jason Boland & the Stragglers and, most recently, Dave Alvin’s The Third Mind.
And now they’re ready to share their debut single. Says Evans about it:
I was invited to do a guest slot with Straight Tequila Night at Granada Theater in Dallas. They gave me two Mel McDaniel songs to check out and that sent me down a rabbit hole of his work. I was very familiar with “Louisiana Saturday Night” and “Baby’s Got Her Blue Jeans On” but I had never heard “Stand Up” for some reason. Great song! I knew it could make a really solid rock-n-roll tune. So, I started working out the arrangement and took it to my backing band, The Boss Tweed. A few weeks later we were in Tennessee, laying it down live to tape at Memphis Magnetic Recording with our producer Scott McEwen. I couldn’t be happier with what we made and I think Mel McDaniel would dig it, too.
I’ll admit that I wasn’t previously familiar with 1980’s country singer McDaniel and his catalog so I sought out his original. It gave me an appreciation not only for McDaniel’s songwriting but also Evans’ ability to transform the song from its country roots into a glorious and electrifying R&B throw down.
About the author: Mild-mannered corporate executive by day, excitable Twangville denizen by night.