Album Notes

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DeSoto Rust Expands American Roots Music

With the release of their third album, Highway Gothic, Philadelphia-based DeSoto Rust takes their interpretation of American roots music to a new level. Recorded in February 2009 and produced by Joe Carroll (Tom Gillam, Ben Arnold, Joseph Parsons), the album takes its title from the typeface used by the Federal Highway Administration on highway signage since the 1950’s. The band has continued to hone its sound in diverse venues across the East Coast, expanding its sonic pallet to include acoustic guitar and mandolin, as well as more complex vocal arrangements. The studio renderings of the eleven new original songs preserve the energy and spontaneity of the band’s live performances.

DeSoto Rust formed in early 2004, recorded its debut album over the following summer, and, without the benefit of a label or promotion engine, made its first showing on the Freeform American Roots (FAR) chart the following year.

Some of the band’s accomplishments:

· Continuous airplay on broadcast and internet radio across the United States, Canada,

Europe, Australia, and New Zealand

· Inclusion on several DJ’s “best of” lists for both 2005 and 2006

· Ten months on the Freeform American Roots (FAR) chart (as high as #11) in 2005 and 2006

· Five months on the Euro-Americana chart (as high as #12) in 2005 and 2006

· Nominations for song and CD of the year in 2005 by contributors to the FAR chart

· Songs featured on RaceHour, a syndicated radio program dedicated to NASCAR

· Shared stages with Bill Kirchen, David Allan Coe, Commander Cody, and Dickie Betts

Here’s what the critics have said about DeSoto Rust:

“Great road trip music!” – Shayne Hollinger, Program Director, Mandatory FM, Stephenville, Texas, April 2009.

“…this one showcases a group that’s developing its own identity…a solid piece of work by a band with real potential.” – John Conquest, 3rd Coast Music, June 2006.

“Immediately the band sounds like a cross between Creedence and Steve Earle with powerful drawled vocals and a killer riff. Several other songs continue in this vein with stories of hard-drinking men, hard luck stories and trucks, with great riffs and soaring vocals.” – Paul Kerr, Americana UK, March 2005

Discography:
Highway Gothic (October 2009) – The newest release marks a return to the group’s bar band roots with a hard-driving rhythm section and thick guitar sound, sweetened with harmonies. Eleven original tunes continue to explore the theme of the American road using the FHA’s signage font as a metaphorical springboard. Produced by Joe Carroll, the album also features a cover of Bob Dylan’s New Morning.

Greene Country Towne (April 2006) – With a title referring to William Penn’s lofty vision for Philadelphia, Greene Country Towne is a varied yet cohesive collection of original songs, with themes of heartbreak, isolation, disappointment, and the promise of redemption on the American road. The instrumentation, still centered around the twang of the guitar, is more layered and sophisticated than the group’s debut, while remaining true to its Americana roots.


DeSoto Rust (October 2004) – The debut release features twelve original tunes, along with a cover of Red Simpson’s classic Close Up the Honky Tonks. Recorded mostly “live” in the studio with few overdubs or gimmicks, the CD captures the sound and energy of a live performance – hard-rocking with an unmistakable twang.


DeSoto Rust:

Ray Hunter – vocals, rhythm guitar

Dave Reeve – vocals, drums, percussion


Steve Savage – vocals, bass, lap steel

David Otwell – vocals, lead guitar, mandolin