And the Finalists Are...
Meet Sweetwater Abilene and Trash Angels, the final entries in our 2008 GO Music Awards.
By Trey George
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photo Charles Lindley Sweetwater Abilene |
What do they play: Indie rock with a twinge of rock and roll.
Influenced by: Credence Clearwater Revival, Pedro the Lion, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie.
At one point it might have been a little too easy to cast off Sweetwater Abilene as the band that always seems to open for Someone Still Loves you Boris Yeltsin at The Outland. But it just takes one live show or one listen to The Giant Ate the Rainbow (last years’ editors’ pick for best lyrics) to realize the band’s well-received songwriting takes a sturdy stance all its own.
J.R., the band’s centerpiece, says Sweetwater, like most bands, has been through various member changes since its origin in 2001, but the current line-up has stayed as is since May of 2005. Being only three members provides a tight live show but might leave a thin-bodied sound. Much to my delight, Sweetwater’s baritone vocals and dusty guitar tones overcome this with ease with its own take on “exploring the space.”
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photo Stephanie Turek Trash Angels |
What do they play: Blues rock.
Influenced by: The Cramps, Elliott Smith, Cocoa Taylor.
In the age of MySpace when everyone with a pirated copy of Nuendo has a band, it’s rare to come across a band that didn’t at least start as a group of friends who happened to learn instruments. Granted, as the bands develop and friendships sharpen, member replacement becomes a game of music connections.
Trash Angels, however, takes that classic approach to starting a band: coming together as musicians first. Starting in 2004, Donnie heard Tiffany’s vocal talent at a blues picnic and asked her to help him start something that let him write originals. The product is something Tiffany describes as pure rock. “No matter what we play, if it’s blues, rockabilly, pop, it’s very energetic and very raw,” Tiffany says.
To read more about Tiffany and Trash Angels, check out our archives at springfieldgo.com and find last December’s “Women Who Rock” issue.
