Geography doesn’t always dictate what a record should sound like, but there are instances where it can add a feeling of authenticity to a project. That’s the case for the latest from singer/songwriter R. Boyd, who captures a timeless Midwestern Americana feel on High Country Skyway. With a knack for catchy harmonics, Hammond organs that drench songs with nostalgia, and persistent toe-tapping backbeats, the record sounds like it could be found in a stack of vintage vinyl rather than streaming on Bandcamp.
Boyd has the assistance of Appleton-based country band Dusk to thank for much of the atmosphere of the album. The band has gained considerable traction in the Milwaukee market over the last few years, with regular gigs in town while they were able to be played. In many ways, the band seemed to absorb their rural surroundings into their sound, complete with twangy guitars and harmonized layers of backing vocals that play nicely with Boyd’s arrangements. It’s a formula for success that has worked for country legends, but not necessarily the easiest to recreate in 2020. Fortunately the band was up to the task.
“I had known Amos Pitsch (of Dusk) from the music scene that I was part of locally. He’s filled in for various bands” said Boyd. “I heard some of Dusk’s demos that came out, and I was really into them. I didn’t have a backing band, so I sent a Facebook message to see if he was interested. He got back to me a few months later, actually, and we were ready to go.”
The key is nuance, and the combination of Boyd and Dusk do that well, incorporating everything from jaw harps to sandpaper and pedal steel guitars to get tones that feel like they should come from America’s heartland. There’s also a brilliant duality of personal, lonesome sounding lyrics with amplified, rock-influenced energy to keep listeners engaged. Trace influences of Boyd’s previously associated acts, including The Midwest Beat and The Goodnight Loving, shine through in moments. In many ways, those experiences were building blocks to get to this album.
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“I kind of wanted to continue what I was doing with The Goodnight Loving” said Boyd. “Those songs were really more of the way that I wrote, and that’s what really came naturally to me as a songwriter.”
High Country Skyway is available now on streaming services as well as vinyl via Crutch of Memory. You can also order it via Bandcamp.
