\"Crazy Coyote\" documents live, blue-collar rock and roll at it\'s finest.
Lewi Longmire has built a reputation as Portland\'s multi-instrumentalist \"go to guy.\" In the years since relocating to Portland from Albuquerque, New Mexico, he\'s been included on shows and recordings by many of the Northwest\'s finest bands and songwriters. He\'s worked with national acts Michael Hurley, Victoria Williams, Jerry Joseph and Tara Jane O\'Neill as well as local luminaries Fernando, James Low, Little Sue, Casey Neill, Michael Jodell, the Freak Mountain Ramblers and Annalisa Tornfelt. His presence is so ubiquitous in the Portland music scene that REM\'s Peter Buck commented recently, \"It\'s funny... I actually went to go see a band in Portland the other night and was surprised to find Lewi WASN\'T in it!\"
More recently, though, Lewi has taken all the things he learned from working with these fine performers and has been spending his time leading a roots rock/americana band of his own, singing the songs he has written himself. The group owes much to the American tradition of good songs played with high energy, deep roots, and an unpretentious sense of fun. Their sound finds the connection between the basement feel of The Band, the raspy blue-eyed soul of Joe Cocker\'s \"Mad Dogs & Englishmen\" Band, the desert space of Giant Sand, the \"without a net\" deep space improvisations of the San Francisco ballrooms, the punk abandon of The Stooges and the quiet contemplation of Johnny Cash playing solo.
Helping Mr. Longmire achieve this sound is a band of stalwart Portland musicians. Bill Rudolph (bass and vocals) played with the Crackpots and Little Sue for years, driving their home crowd into an energetic frenzy with his low tones. Ned Folkerth (drums) has toured the world over with many groups, including the midwest\'s Pinetop Seven, always laying down the perfect groove to cure whatever ails ya. During this project the band was joined by Portland expatriate Kevin \'Bingo\' Richey of guitar and vocals, whose presence in the Pacific Northwest still reverberates through his founding of Portland heroes the Freak Mountain Ramblers, as well as the singing of his own tunes.
From the liner notes:
\"As a music fan, I\'ve always felt that i was born about 20 years too late. My dad\'s generation had the good fortune to witness the heyday of jazz, the pinnacle of soul and the birth of rock & roll. While I\'m not knocking lip-syncing, auto-tune and pro-tools (my generation\'s \"contribution\" to music) I can\'t help but feel that I missed most of the best and truly real musical experiences. Miles Davis. Jimi Hendrix. Coltrane. Musicians who understood the value of art, who worked painstakingly to achieve new heights and push themselves and their audience to expand their boundaries and sensibilities. Musicians who walked on stage every night and created something spontaneous and brilliant. Inspiration. Virtuosity. Heart and soul. Everything i wish i hadn\'t missed out on.
\"Here\'s what you need to know about Lewi Longmire and his band. They are the chance we thought we missed. The chance to witness something real, something from the heart, something unique. The chance to be there when \"it\" happens. And believe me, when these guys lay into it, its happening. Bill Rudolph (bass) and Ned Folkerth (drums) hold the rhythm section down with subtlety, soul, simplicity and power. Think early Al Green records without the stomping on the amp-crate bit. Bingo (or Kevin Ritchie on guitar if ya wanna get technical) seems to pass back and forth effortlessly between thick, solid rhythm and going bat-shit lead-guitar crazy. Go see the show, you\'ll get it. As for Mr. Longmire; he writes from his heart, sings from his soul and plays guitar like Bruce Lee kicked people in the face. By that I mean he\'s a bad-ass. Lewi has taught me more about being a real musician than a lifetime of lessons, school and unsolicited advice from Southern California. Watching Lewi and his band kick the crap out of some soulful, sweaty rock & roll you can\'t escape the realization that, whatever it is, they\'ve got it, they know how to use it and they\'re nice enough dudes to share it with us. Something spontaneous and brilliant. Inspiration. Virtuosity. Heart and soul. Everything we wished we hadn\'t missed out on. Wish no more.\"
-Ezra Holbrook, Portland musician, songwriter, producer and the tallest short man ever.
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