The Famous
Light, Sweet Crude
© 2004 Laurence Scott / Victor Barclay (825346491325)
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Girded by the raw sounds of 50s-era country, but imbued with the post-punk ferocity of The Pixies, The Famous forge powerful tunes combining the intense desperation of X, the sincere melancholy of Hank Williams Sr. and the psychobilly of Rev. Horton Heat
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Formed in San Francisco late 2003, The Famous are an indie-rock/americana act whose moods range from squalling and raucous to heartfelt and sparse - all bound by a common thread of emotional intensity and arresting showmanship.
Girded by the raw sounds of '50s-era country, but imbued with the spirit of The Pixies and other post-punk pioneers, The Famous forge powerful tunes that combine the intense desperation of X, the sincere melancholy of Hank Williams Sr. and the interstellar psychobilly of the Reverend Horton Heat.
Part carnival barker, part honky-tonk crooner, vocalist Laurence Scott demands your attention with an unmistakable smoky growl straight from the heart of his native Texas. With notebooks full of abstract expressionism and wordplay, given life through an inspired and unbridled stage presence, Laurence thinks in lyrics and lives for performance.
While Van Halen and Led Zeppelin boiled in his teenage blood, guitarist Victor Barclay spit and swore an eternal hatred for country music - that is until a good buddy turned him onto Johnny Cash's Live at Folsom Prison. Soon after, Vic spent years in the woodshed soaking up the roots of country and rockabilly giants such as Scotty Moore, Jimmy Bryant and Roy Buchanan. On stage, Vic's deadpan one-liners provide the perfect foil for Laurence's manic No Depression.
Backed by longtime collaborator Chris Fruhauf on the drums and native Texan G.D. Hensley (ex- Diesel Boy) on the bass, the Famous are spreading the gospel with their incendiary live show to music lovers across the Bay Area and beyond. Their debut album Light, Sweet Crude, is an unapologetically diverse collection of 13 songs recorded at their own studio and mixed by Aaron Prellwitz (Death Cab For Cutie, Red House Painters) at Tiny Telephone.
REVIEWS
"The Famous plays no-frills country music of the Bakersfield Sound variety (that is, the old-fashioned Buck Owens style, a genre now known as "classic country") mixed up with some good old indie rock... practically everyone who's listened to the band's cheese-free, slightly punkified hillbilly jangle thinks it's the greatest."
-- SF Weekly, December 13, 2004
***** pure love for "The Famous"...
...whom I just heard for the first time last week. AMAZING alt.country/psychobilly/old-time-twang that just knocked my socks off. thefamous.net
Their lead singer, Laurence Scott, is unbelievable. Funny as hell, super-energized, and with a deep smoky drawl that weakened my knees as it stopped me in my tracks. That voice made me completely rethink my fear of all things Texas (if not of Texan politicans, who still scare me to death). It made me rethink my ethical issues with cloning, because if I could, I would steal his DNA in a hertbeat to create a cyborg alarm clock just so his voice could be the first thing that I hear, every morning, for the remainder of my days.
Their lead guitarist makes me think that maybe God ain't such a bad guy if he had the good sense to create Victor Barclay. I mean, the man co-founded legendary surf-punks The Aquamen AND studied under Jim Campilongo. His playing can either light a bonfire under your boots or slip the dress strap off your shoulder without trying. His mellower deadpan is well-partnered with Scott's revivalist energy, and the salty-sweet duo makes even a hardcore monogamist like myself think twice.
Their songs are inspired not just by the usual love, betrayal, & revenge, but also the existentialist reveries of white collar automatons and the childhood memories of second-rate carnivals. They ended their set with a blues-cum-psychobilly version of "Purple Rain" that made me, for a split second, see that there is no difference between a growly bass note hitting your root chakra, the menace behind the twinkle in the laughing buddha's eye, and the slow-burn of that first sip of bourbon as it slides its way down your long-awaiting gullet.
-- Tribe.net
reviews
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Sir Arborist
author: stevaanThis is the kind of music we need on our planet right now as eveyone becomes more and more pissed off,Look out for the uk band Lady winwoods maggot based in the south of england,Sir ARborist.
Excellent Talent
author: Ron from AustinVery interesting selection of music. So heart-rendering and provocative; and yet, distant and elusive. A work of musical genius.
the Famous, they bloody well should be
author: Dennis from ScotlandWhat a brilliant cd, grade A, 5 stars, about all i can say is when,s the next one coming out the Famous they bloody well should be.
Original, non-standard, musically great, enjoyable
author: Carl StrongLight, Sweet Crude starts out with a quirky, evocative name for the album and just gets better from there. The songs are the kind that you discover on an obscure radio station and then wonder where it has been all your life. The instrumental portion is excellent and ambitious and the vocal expresses the lyrics wonderfully. Light, Sweet Crude screams ORIGINAL, AMERICAN, FRESH, and, above all, ENJOYABLE. When does the next CD come out?
They may not be Americana, but the Famous are an American original.
author: All Music GuideThe Americana tag really doesn't mesh with the Famous, at least on their debut album, Light, Sweet Crude. Although their twang roots are obvious on a handful of tracks ("Tear," "Overtime"), the Famous blow up expectations with the metallic crunch of the first cut, "Son of the Snake." While there's certainly a little bit of country in the Famous' rock & roll, this Bay Area band simply uses its roots influences as a launching pad. Laurence Scott (vocals, guitar) recalls Michael Stipe in Lifes Rich Pageant-period R.E.M. until he explodes into his ferocious psycho hillbilly howl, revealing the inspiration of the Pixies' Frank Black. Many of the songs are catapulted by Scott's wildman persona and guitarist Victor Barclay's Southern-flavored punk licks, especially the boisterous "True Believer" and "Get You Back," a pulp novel of either revenge or imminent reconciliation. Scott's words are much darker and twisted than one would expect from anything labeled as Americana. In "Lost," Scott sings, "I set myself on fire/I cut off all of my skin." Again, the Pixies, who were never hesitant in writing about self-mutilation and suicide in painfully graphic ways, are the obvious lyrical role model. The difference is that the Famous are channeling the ghosts of cowboys past, making their grim confessions more shocking in this context. "You never tried so hard/To tear my heart out," Scott croons on "Tear," and one can easily imagine him slumped on a barstool, smoking a cigarette with the clichéd lipstick smear. "Tear" is real country music, wounded singing and cry-in-my-beer sentiments presented without the group's cutting edges. Whether being traditional or iconoclastic, the Famous are successful with both approaches. And they have a sense of humor, too, best exemplified on the stirring surf rock of "Midway." "I'm gonna die unless I get to see the world's smallest horse," warns Scott on "Midway," looking back at his childhood with a demented wink in his eye at a time when there was nothing more important than obtaining a ZZ Top key chain. They may not be Americana, but the Famous are an American original.
- author: Charlene Agnew
Interesting mix of music.
ass kicking fun for your ears!
author: surlyi'd never heard of these the famous people, but their cd popped up while i was looking for other stuff to get. so, i gave them a try and i was not dissapointed. not one bit! kinday edgy and raw, sticks in my head but not in an annoying pop-py type way. you never know when you get a cd of something you've never heard of. soon, they will not be unheard of. my magic 8 ball agrees.
...shatters the pastoral tedium of alt-country
author: West Coast PerformerLike an Old West duel between ‘50s country and ‘90s indie rock, Light, Sweet Crude shatters the pastoral tedium of alt-country. The Famous arrange a standoff between the Pixies in a cowboy hat and Hank Williams on speed, six-shooters loaded with punk and rockabilly, and whaddya know - that bastard alt-country genre gets shot square in the forehead, with a stray bullet no less. Band members Laurence Scott and Victor Barclay draw a fine line in the sand with Light, Sweet Crude - a line to cross for all those who can’t stand Wilco and wish X were still around to save West Coast punk. On the back cover of the album, Scott and Barclay pose like a pair of young Johnny Cashes, while the inside sleeve is lined with photos of old cars, a vintage clothing store, and an oil derrick. It’s a meeting of the Wild West and the modern West if ever there was one. Scott’s vocals are quirky, uninhibited, and coarse, yet when he wants to he can croon like a whiskey-chuggin’ angel. But Barley’s instrumental contributions make this album what it is - he knows how to play and he knows what to play, both on electric guitar and stand-up bass. He keeps the music intriguing by abandoning the comfortable conventions of genre - except for the hackneyed ballads “Tear” and “Overtime.” For a local indie debut, this album’s got one heck of a roster of collaborators and contributors behind it. Light, Sweet Crude was recorded at John Vanderslice’s Tiny Telephone studio and mixed by Aaron Prellwitz (Neil Young, Death Cab for Cutie, Red House Painters). Before joining the Famous, lead vocalist Scott sang with Frank Black. Lead guitarist Barclay produced and recorded early incarnations of local groups Vue and Oranger and was a founding member of the Aquamen. But big names don’t mean a thing here, and they should soon become a footnote to the Famous story. After all, Scott and Barclay were the only ones to walk away from the duel without a bullet in the arse. —Nate Seltenrich
Reveals more about American life than any of Bruce Springsteen's last few albums
author: Shotgun ReviewsIf history is going to repeat itself, then it may as well do it all the way. Back in the ‘80s when new wave music was one of three well-circulated rock & roll styles alongside AOR and heavy metal, there was a flashback roots-oriented movement with bands such as Jason & the Scorchers and Green On Red courageously showing off their love for country. Now that new wave has returned with Franz Ferdinand, the Killers, and the Bravery and the Darkness are fitting themselves in tight spandex and doing histrionic AC/DC imitations, it’s perfect timing for roots-rock to be resuscitated. Now called “Americana,” it’s actually a genre that’s been bubbling underground since the early ‘90s and welcomed again by college-radio stations. The Famous are perhaps the most creative of this league of not-so-extraordinary Southern gentlemen; it helps that they aren’t from the South as the group isn’t afraid to give traditional country a good-natured spanking. In fact, the opening cut “Son of the Snake” doesn’t even sound like Americana. Judging from that, I thought the cover art and pictures were possibly a joke to reel in unsuspecting customers not expecting a Big Black CD. But it’s not a gag; these guys have country in their blood, and they are damn good at bending its clichés. Vocalist-guitarist Laurence Scott can write some hilariously twisted lyrics like on “Midway” and “Get You Back”; humor is best served black, after all. Those songs epitomize the Famous’ unrestrained expression of artistic freedom. They’re not trying to be adored by the masses, just being themselves, and “Midway” reveals more about American life than any of Bruce Springsteen’s last few albums. Light, Sweet Crude has its share of twang and Southern accents; more importantly, it is filled with heart. And even when it’s broken, the Famous continue to beat with relentless enthusiasm and endless joy. I reckon these boys will be Famous one day.
This audacious album is both out of control and expertly crafted.
author: The Owl MagThe Famous' debut release Light, Sweet, Crude masterfully showcases the roots of rock 'n' roll. Distilled from the grains of traditional country but infused with power chords and scorching lead guitar, this audacious album is both out of control and expertly crafted. Equal parts haunting, overdriven, and succinctly heartfelt, the album's tales are steeped in literate Americana from top to bottom. It slyly navigates a twisted path with ghostly riffs, unshakeable melancholy, and pondered revenge...before ultimately ending up on an open desert highway with a full tank of high octane. And a score to settle. It's around this time that Light, Sweet, Crude finishes off the Jack Daniels, smashes the bottle, and lights up a cigarette. So throw on a pair of jeans, grab your own bottle and call shotgun. Be warned though, it may already be taken. --Joel Doss
Back to the Basics: Rock and Roll
author: CHINASKI (http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/chinaski2)This is what rock and roll is all about. Laurence and the boys have delivered an album full of tight harmonies, driving guitars, and hooks galore. All this delivered with a pinch of attitude that's so missing in today's rock.
crack for the ears
author: bobbyi feel like frickin' lewis and clark: discovering a kick ass thing before the rest of everyone else clues in. at the very least - give these guys a listen - especially tracks 1, 2, 5, 9, 10 - they rock - no pretensions - just good original music
From start to finish, it's all fuel and fumes.
author: CliffArtists who can take varius genres, mix it together and make it sound good are far and few between. Besides Alejandro Escovedo, the only group I can think of are The Famous. Take the best parts of country, the best parts of alternative and Americana, oh yeah and add talent, and you have The Famous. Now tie that all together with songs that tear at your heart strings and you not only feel each song but you live each song. From start to finish the album doesn't quit, if you're not wanting to run around in circles (like me) one minute, you'll be crying in your beer the next. Few cd's are great from start to finish. This is one album that leaves you wanting more. The album starts hard with Son of the Snake and seems to lighten up on Tear. But before you can drown yourself in sorrow, True Believer makes you forget you're lonely and gets your heart racing faster than a stock car at the Indi 500. After that it's all just fuel and fumes. I was excited about this album coming out and I was NOT disappointed and you wont either. And if this album leaves you wanting more, like it did me, go to their shows.
combine the transcendent roar of punk with the brutal honesty and black wit of t
author: Trouser PressBridging the gap between classic country and punk rock is no longer a radical idea; X and Social Distortion long ago proved that both genres have more in common than purists of either style would care to admit. Formed in San Francisco in 2003 by vocalist/guitarist/percussionist Laurence Scott and guitarist/bassist Victor Barclay, the Famous successfully combine the transcendent roar of punk with the brutal honesty and black wit of traditional country on Light, Sweet Crude. The Famous dip their toes in the psychotic anguish of the Pixies and the lovelorn narratives of Hank Williams Senior without going overboard on either. The record is a surprisingly balanced fusion of the group's influences; none of it feels contrived or sounds like a marketing gimmick. "Tear" and "Get You Back" are midnight confessions of heartache with such darkly humorous revelations as, "I'm so mad / I curse at the TV." Driven by Scott's penetrating growl and Barclay's gritty riffs, "Get You Back" is either a song of vengeance or an optimistic view of reconciliation; it all depends on how much whiskey you've swallowed. For the most part, Scott's vocals more closely resembles Michael Stipe's than Johnny Cash's, but there is no doubting the authenticity of his country affections, best exemplified on "Overtime," the only track on the album without any modern-rock touches. The Famous aren't afraid of expanding the boundaries of Americana -- the serrated, metallic guitars of the opening rocker "Son of the Snake" and the spellbinding surf groove of "Midway" venture beyond the usual perimeter of roots-rock. Their deep-seated knowledge of what makes country and punk work as separate entities have given them a high level of confidence and skill to pull them together without force, enough to make their first record a knockout punch to the chin.
combine the transcendent roar of punk with the brutal honesty and black wit of t
author: Trouser PressBridging the gap between classic country and punk rock is no longer a radical idea; X and Social Distortion long ago proved that both genres have more in common than purists of either style would care to admit. Formed in San Francisco in 2003 by vocalist/guitarist/percussionist Laurence Scott and guitarist/bassist Victor Barclay, the Famous successfully combine the transcendent roar of punk with the brutal honesty and black wit of traditional country on Light, Sweet Crude. The Famous dip their toes in the psychotic anguish of the Pixies and the lovelorn narratives of Hank Williams Senior without going overboard on either. The record is a surprisingly balanced fusion of the group's influences; none of it feels contrived or sounds like a marketing gimmick. "Tear" and "Get You Back" are midnight confessions of heartache with such darkly humorous revelations as, "I'm so mad / I curse at the TV." Driven by Scott's penetrating growl and Barclay's gritty riffs, "Get You Back" is either a song of vengeance or an optimistic view of reconciliation; it all depends on how much whiskey you’ve swallowed. For the most part, Scott's vocals more closely resembles Michael Stipe's than Johnny Cash's, but there is no doubting the authenticity of his country affections, best exemplified on "Overtime," the only track on the album without any modern-rock touches. The Famous aren't afraid of expanding the boundaries of Americana — the serrated, metallic guitars of the opening rocker "Son of the Snake" and the spellbinding surf groove of "Midway" venture beyond the usual perimeter of roots-rock. Their deep-seated knowledge of what makes country and punk work as separate entities have given them a high level of confidence and skill to pull them together without force, enough to make their first record a knockout punch to the chin.
The Famous deliver the goods straight up with no filler
author: Whisperin' and HollerinFrom the cover you'd expect some old-fashioned country music, not Johnny Cash or Willie Nelson, but something of real vintage like singing cowboys such as Roy Rogers or Tex Ritter. However, those preconceived notions are blown apart like the gas tank of a Pinto after hearing the opening track, "Son of the Snake." This ain't your poppa's country music, pardner. Neither blasphemous nor reverent, the Famous have their mud-soaked boots planted in both punk and Southern twang. "Son of the Snake" sets the table - relentless Pixies howl with a redneck accent, scarier and more challenging than anything on Metallica's last two records. While it's easy to drop the Americana tag on these boys, what I usually hear from the genre is never this aggressive and lyrically stinging. The Famous are a thinking man's Reverend Horton Heat or the Violent Femmes gone electric. Some of the words bite like rattlesnakes, especially the bitter singalongs "Tear" and "Get You Back," but there are drop-dead hilarious narratives as well such as vocalist Laurence Scott's yearning to see the world's smallest horse on "Midway."
frigin fantastic
author: AKThe album light sweet crude by the Famous is definetly a must have in your collection. I got the cd last weekened, and it has not left my cd player since. The songs are extreemly creative and the raw talent is very noticable. Even my girlfriends 4 year old sings along with the music.
- author: CD Baby
It's like The Stones, The Doors, The Cramps all mixed in with Iggy Pop for an arse-kicking mix of swampy, swaggery classic rock-americana-roots rock-country drinking music. Think whiskey-soaked, cigarette-smelling, beat-up southern spirit with an emphasis on perfect hooks, aggressive guitar, irreverent attitude and cackling, "lemme tell you some'in.." vocals. If you're any kind of roots rock fan, you'd be a eejit to miss this album
SUPER awesome...
author: BeckieI always know a CD is great when I listen to it sober and it's still that good. That's why I know this CD is good, I put it in while walking to work one day and I rock-n-rolled my way all the way there and back and then everyday after that. You can definitely hear a Pixies sound in some of the songs, and a lot of rockin' old country twang. It should be in everyones CD collection if they know what's good for their ears.
The Famous combines the trueness of country music with the attitude of southern
author: Impact PressLaurence Scott and Victor Barclay are The Famous, a band that combines the trueness of country music with the attitude of southern rock. Elements of blues and Americana are present during this album of solid, up-tempo songs that pick apart a man's past, his relationships, and the paybacks along the way. Backup musicians do their part to add the majority of drums and bass guitar, to help create an album with highlights such as the pulsating "True Believer" and "Lost." (J.C. Carnahan)
The Famous strikes black gold with "Light, Sweet Crude"
author: Tribe.netAlthough barely two years in the making, the Famous are a tight, cohesive band, and their debut “Light, Sweet Crude” is a relentlessly clever joyride of an album. You should be buying it right now rather than wasting precious moments reading this review. The carnival paean “Midway” and soon-to-be country classics “Deconstruction Worker” and “Overtime” will have you rolling on the floor laughing with colorful tales of iniquity in childhood, academia, and general whipped-ness. The psychobilly-infused “Son of the Snake”, “Nothing”, and “True Believer” will then get you back on your feet and pounding the air with any available limb, be it yours or someone else's. “Get You Back”, “Better Things”, and the positively addictive “Tear” are the songs you want to hear when you may not be at rock bottom but you can see it looming at your feet. Artfully disguised as an easy Sunday afternoon country standard, “Tear” is, in reality, a painfully accurate homage to the impotence of the jilted that sets your heart awash in the sweet dark acid of ruined love. How can you say no to that? Ya can’t. It would just be wrong. Like the favored love child of Hank Williams Sr. and Chris Cornell, lead vocalist and acoustic guitar player Laurence Scott fills the room with a palpable charge when he steps up to the mike, seamlessly alternating between classic county crooning and neck vein-throbbing, wailing rock. He and lead guitarist Victor Barclay serve up the Famous’ own unique brand of perfectly harmonized indie-americana twang like organically-grown rib-eyes at a Texas BBQ. This twang can talk you out of church and into the hayloft with a quick stop at an existentialist bookstore on the way. Drummer Chris Fruehauf reportedly created his own version of time to beat to after leaving a trail of broken metronomes across this great land of ours. However he counts it, his drum work is tight and perfectly punctuates the solid foundation laid down by bassist G.D. Hensley, formerly of famed punk rock band Dieselboy. Whatever alchemy got itself a-brewing in the universe created solid gold by putting these guys together. Lucky you. God bless Americana.