Four critically acclaimed albums along, Mark & his band, the Dead Setters release their first live album. Recorded during their 2009 Festival appearances, Eat at Joe’s celebrates 5 years of residence at Joe Maguire’s Pub during the Tamworth Country Music Festival, capturing a great vibe with a mix of old and new including four previously unreleased tracks. This recording introduces new dog Jake Lardot (Lee Kernaghan band) on guitar & is a snapshot of a group of experienced & talented musicians who draw on a broad range of influences- from bluegrass to swing, dusty bar-room honky tonk to rocking country blues, all flavoured with a distinctly Australian edge and an earthy feel for character & narrative.
Also released with this package is a bonus dvd, Live at the Cooks River Motor Boat Club”, shot at the Sydney launch of their Sideshow Alley album in late June 2008. Showcasing the new record and drawing from Mark’s now extensive back catalogue as well as unreleased material, on this occasion with Damien Odell on pedal steel replacing Jake Lardot on guitar, the Dead Setters prove once again what a versatile bunch they are. There’s no fancy audio processing here or ’fixing it in the mix’ - it is as it was on the night - so turn it up & sit back & enjoy some great original Australian roots music.
The Dead Setters are a roots music band with a distinctly Australian approach to what is often described as Americana. Firmly grounded in the narrative tradition popularised by the likes of Paul Kelly and Neil Murray, these are songs of substance and music that walks its talk, performed by musicians with a wealth of experience and a wholehearted commitment to the spirit of the song.
If you like your roots music to have that edgy, lived-in quality that keeps a foot in both the traditional and the contemporary, Mark Lucas & the Dead Setters, armed with a broad musical palette and an insurgent but humorous demeanour, should be right up your alley….
“This guy was born to write songs that you’d want to hear on your car stereo as you hit the road”
–Brent McKean, Revolver
“A seamless mix of country & folk from Down Under…encapsulates perfectly the appeal of the true singer-songwriter.” ****–MM, Maverick Magazine (UK)
“one of Australia's premier songwriters” - Ken Date krdcountry.com
“...check him out as he offers something unique in a world populated by clones and yesterday’s music.” - Jon Wolfe, Tamworth City News
“Mark Lucas remains one of the country’s most interesting and literate songwriters, and his band exemplifies the hard edged inner western honky tonk that always goes over well.”
- Ken Date, krdcountry.com, 2008 Tamworth Festival Report
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