Album Notes

Josh Lederman y los Diablos bring it all home on the new full-length CD, "The Town's Old Fair." The CD traces Josh and the boys journey through Appalachian towns, across several decades of rootsy musical influences, and through their own personal histories.

Sprawling over 16 tracks, "The Town's Old Fair" is most reminiscent of the heyday of 70s folk-influenced rock, recalling Van Morrison's "Tupelo Honey," Lowell George's "Thanks, I'll Eat it Here," and even Bruce Springsteen's "Darkness on the Edge of Town."

The CD kicks off with the Cajun waltz of the title track cruises through up-tempo rockers, trips over some punk-country, glides through a little folk balladry, and crosses the finish-line with the beautiful, rambling "Listen to That Train Whistle Blow." The 56 minute journey is a complex one, but well worth it. "The songs were clearly influenced by the places we've been over the past year," says Lederman. "When you're touring, you have no choice but to open up to all of these influences; everything is different and exciting, but you still want to be home where it's safe. It's great songwriting material. Besides," he adds jokingly, "I think it's impossible to travel through Virginia and not write a song called 'Virginia.'"

For these reasons, "The Town's Old Fair" is somewhat of a departure from 2001's darker, more cynical "It's a Long and Lonely Time Until the Train Will Bring You Home" (NMR 041). Lederman's narratives are laced with nostalgia, hope and sharp wit. "There are a lot more upbeat themes (on this album," says Lederman. "We spent the bulk of 2002 in bars and clubs honing these songs, (The band played over 100 shows that year), so there's a lot of fun and less angst. People at shows won't let you get away with too much angst."

Now that they've been home for some time, Josh Lederman y Los Diablos plan to hit the road again in 2004, playing up and down the East Coast to support "The Town's Old Fair."