Montreal's beloved six-piece, THE UNITED STEEL WORKERS OF MONTREAL, have wowed audiences from coast to coast with the infectious draw of their unique brand of blue-collar alt-country. A potent mix of blues, jazz, country and swing, The USWM’s live performances are filled out with dry wit, tall tales and some outright lies. Dancing is optional but hard to avoid.
Following in the wake of their critically acclaimed albums, Broken Trucks and Bottles and Kerosene & Coal, THREE ON THE TREE sees the band branching out from their earthy, acoustic-country-punk roots to experiment with gospel (Jesus We Sweat), historical ballads (Mary Gallagher), Spanish horn arrangements (Glen Jones) and thundering premonitions of death (Three Hard Knocks). Lead singer Gern f., guitarist Shawn 'Gus' Beauchamp and electric guitar master Matthew Watson each pour a diverse helping of tunes into the mélange. Rockabilly bassist Eddy Blake and banjo/mandolin player Chris Reid's combined upbeat, energetic stylings give the album an unmistakable pop and swing. Huge in heart, narrative scope and emotion, THREE ON THE TREE swoops down over the industrial grimness of Shot Tower sashaying through the street-level social turbulence of What a Riot and peers into a delicate room where lead singer Felicity Hamer's velvety vocals balance the melody of Little Girl like a frail tea-cup on her saucer. All of the most loved conventions of The USWM's previous work are represented, from the stirring rallying cries of Rise Up and The Line to light hearted foot stomping romps like Making Babies and Lorelei.
THE UNITED STEEL WORKERS OF MONTREAL were voted Montreal’s #1 Folk/Roots Band and #2 Best Live Act, and have been recorded live by CBC Radio 2 and CBC Radio 3. The band has been receiving critical acclaim, playing SXSW, NXNE, CMW, Pop Montreal, Toronto International Film Festival, Festival de musique émergente, Quebec City’s 400th anniversary, Ottawa Bluesfest. Berlin’s Popkomm, Nancy France Jazz Festival and received nominations for the Quebec Independent Music Awards and the MIMIs. They have released two stunning videos for Émile Bertrand and Meaner than You. THREE ON THE TREE is being unleashed upon a rapidly swelling international audience, all hungry to hear more, and will see the band touring extensively across Canada, the US and Europe.
RECENT PRESS QUOTES:
-- Their live gigs have achieved a legendary cult-like status…they sing about you and me, and to you and me. It’s real, it’s about a good time, it’s about life. – Nightlife Magazine
-- The USWM are the quintessential Montreal band...one of the best, hardest working and most loved bands in the city. Possessing a blue-collar charm that's impossible to fake and a punk-country sound impossible to mistake – The Hour
-- A fantastic band… Good people, good music. Highly recommended - CTV
-- The hoot-and-holler meter went highest when the United Steel Workers of Montreal thundered through a set of urban hillbilly -- or "citygrass" -- music…with the fierceness of a Tom Waits-Shane MacGowan knife fight. – Globe and Mail
-- The United Steel Workers of Montreal will kick your ass. I’m not really sure what else needs to be said about the urban hillbillies from Montreal, but seriously, one listen to their new record – Three on the Tree – will leave you battered and bruised and emotionally spent.
I could start with the basics; banjo, squeezebox, guitar, and double bass that make you want to stomp a hole in the dance floor or talk about Gern’s gruff, whiskey sloshed vocals. I could even mention the tender ballads the band routinely adds to the mix (the old-time feel of Little Girl is a great example of how they control the tempo of the record) or how perfectly Felicity Hamer drifts into falsetto, but trying to dissect this record takes away from the end result.
I know bluegrass has become increasingly popular over the last few years (thanks in large part to the rise of the Avetts) and naturally that will lead to a ton of bands throwing their hat in the ring, but the USWM are the real deal. Even with multiple song writers with different styles (Shawn Beauchamp, Gern, and Matt Watson), they all manage to pay tribute to the past with classic imagery, sounds and themes - hearing the epic tale of of a man defending the honor of the woman he loves, even if she doesn't love him back on Son, Your Daddy Was Bad or the way they transport the listener to the seedy underbelly of society on Shot Tower will appeal to any longtime fan of the finger picking, as will the familiar sounds of What a Riot - but it's the experimentation they use that will help the Montreal sextet touches a much bigger audience.
Obviously, USWM write songs that take new life once the whiskey and adrenaline start flowing, but they avoid the disconnect that so often plagues energetic bands when they hit the studio. Shot Tower starts as a slow burner, but they change pace midstream and when they break into full gallop (the banjo, mandolin and percussion that clip clops for the last minute surge forward) a charge pulses through your body. Three Hard Knocks sizzles, but they don't rely on frantic finger work to set the tone. The Ballad Of Mary Gallagher could easily find a home on a more radio friendly effort (think Be Good Taynas) and Rise Up sounds like a traditional Irish pub standard. Even as the harmonica and blues guitar rip over the images of heaven and hell on the album closer, Jesus We Sweat, they add Gern’s radio Pasteur pontification to freshen the sound.
But at the end of the day, the thing I like most about the album is how adaptable the band is. You might expect Hamer to focus on the softer touches on the record, leaving the grit and grime for Gern, but the rage she sings with on Glen Jones makes the song. On the flip side, Gern is able to control his gravelly pipes (like the way he shows compassion and control on the lovely duet The Line) and those moments are what transforms the United Steel Workers of Montreal from another fantastic bar band not to miss into a complete band that packs a record full of surprises. – Herohill
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