BELLE STARR: Far As The Wind Blows

Belle Starr

Far As The Wind Blows

© 2003 Bjam Records Inc. (634479174797)

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Kip Loui's winning melodies and the amazing guitar and lap-steel work of John Horton propel the disc's 13 grain belt rock flavored songs while the tradeoff vocals provided by Lynne Reif and Loui are reminiscent of a Cash and Earle duet.

notes

Belle Starr Ride's Again

During the recording of Far as the Wind
Blows, pushers sold crack in the alley behind
Premier Studios on Olive Street in Midtown St.
Louis.

We observed the deals by peeping through
small holes in the corrugated-steel doors in the
buckram. When told of the criminal activities,
recording engineer David Torretta nonchalantly
referred to the area behind the building as "the
end of the world."

The front entrance of the place wasn't much
safer.

A cluster of automotive parts wholesalers are
located on this part of Olive, and in the daytime
there is a bustling commerce. But at night, it
reverts into a district inhabited by the
dispossessed, who frequent the nearby Salvation
Army Harbor Light. On the first evening of the
recording session, Fred Teutenberg, the bass
player for Belle Starr, had a window smashed out
of his car and an expensive amp stolen. This led
Paul Boeger, Bjam's president, to negotiate with
the neighborhood crack heads for the return of the
equipment. Unfortunately, his diligent efforts
failed.

Inside, the studio, however, the band
performed admirably. This record is the evidence
of a lot of hard work by everybody involved: Rock
steady rhythms by Teutenberg and drummer Spencer
Marquart; piercing lead and harmony vocals by
Lynn Reif and Kip Loui and the powerful but
understated lead playing of guitarist John Horton
combine to create a lasting impression. Listen to
this record once and you will be humming the
tunes for a long, long time.

Because what you hear in songwriter Kip
Loui's melodies and lyrics is really a synthesis
of American popular and folk music. It is at once
distinctly unique, and, at the same time, an
assimilation of many idioms -- country, blues,
and rock melded in a way that could only be
achieved here in St. Louis.

Far as the Wind Blows is the first
recording effort by a group of talented young
musicians. It deserves a close listening. What
you hear may very well be the sound of the future
wrapped in the past. Don't let outlaw Belle
Starr's anachronistic image on the CD cover fool
you.
C.D. Stelzer
Bjam Records


"Far As The Wind Blows"

Bjam Records

Country-alt with a more traditional country and early rock and roll flavor.

Think Hank Sr., Patsy Cline, Rosanne Cash, Steve Earl and you'll start to get a picture of the Belle Starr sound.

But, don't get too hung up on comparisons. Songwriter Kip Loui keeps the melodies fresh and John Horton will not only reach into the twangy recesses of your soul with his guitar work but, will also amaze you with his lap-steel work. Add to the mix the vocal interplay between Loui and vocalist Lynne Reif and the package is complete.

Belle Starr carries on the fine tradition of grain belt rock that St. Louis and international favorites like Uncle Tupelo, the Bottle Rockets and One Fell Swoop are known for.

All 13 songs from the album are here for your listening pleasure. You be the judge. You won't be disappointed.




Belle Starr

Kip Loui ::: vocals & acoustic guitars

Lynne Reif ::: vocals

John Horton ::: electric guitar & lap-steel

Spencer Marquart ::: drums

Fred Teutenberg ::: bass



Produced by the Bjam Staff :

Paul Boeger, C.D. Stelzer & Harry Stefanyszyn

Assisted by : David Torretta & Belle Starr

Mastered by Larry Nix at Ardent Studios, Memphis,TN

reviews

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  • author: Jim Cox / No Depression

    Perhaps St. Louis is uniquely positioned as the nexus of musical influences (country, rock, blues, boogie, pop, punk) that created bands such as Uncle Tupelo and the Bottle Rockets. If so, then Belle Starr leader and songwriter Kip Loui has extracted a different blend on this impressive debut from a band that really doesn't sound a thing like its more famous predecessors. Full of country music, pop hooks, girl vocalists, fun rave-ups, harmonies, pretty ballads, steel guitar and unassuming attitude, Far as the Wind Blows features lead vocal and harmony tradeoffs between Loui and Lynne Reif, John Horton on lead guitars and steel, and the rhythm section of Spencer Marquart and Fred Teutenberg. The highlight is the title track, a sweet ballad that showcases Reif's voice, the band's easy tightness (dig that steel!) and Loui's song writing, but it's far from the only high moment on the record. For catchy pop, check out "Stolen Glances", "Magnets" and "Cry, Cry Again". For a feel-good romp, there's "The Gang's All Here", with its references to Ike Turner, George Jones and the Bosstones, and it's lyric: "Drink up but don't get near/The Kool-Aid and the Everclear/Most leave and then reappear/Hey, hey, the gang's all here." There's also "Sante Fe", an epic country story song over a bounding rhythm; the rockabilly pace of "Hook, Line, and Sinker"; and the motor city drive of "Too Bad." The quieter moments hold the record together: On "Slowing to a Stop", Reif sings, "But now I'm living elsewhere/Nowhere near where I began/And I reached a peak that I never did top/Like a tired old train I'm slowing to a stop." JIM COX

  • author: The Riverfront Times,

    BELLE STARR WINS "BEST COUNTRY BAND" AWARD The Riverfront Times, a St. Louis publication, presented its 1998 "Slammies" award for "Best Country Band" to Belle Starr. "What once seemed like the easiest music genre to define, or know what to expect from, country now ranges from polite Nashville conformity to reverent liberty-taking, a la the No Depression sect. In the best possible way, this year's winner for best country band, Belle Starr, falls somewhere in the middle. Kip Loui has been on the St. Louis scene as long as just about anyone (save Bob Reuter of the wonderul Kamikaze Cowboy, who rode in at second) and his growth from starry-eyed popster to urban cowboy has been as beautifully gradual as that of a yellow rose. The St. Louis area has established itself as the holy land of the new alt-country, and Belle Starr proudly take the torch - but they run with it in a brand new direction."

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