Photo Credit: Kelsey Barth Photography
A lot of what passes for decent original music strives to represent the collective experience of the writers involved and hopes to convey that experience in ways their audience will understand and gravitate toward. With their latest release, Decade, Tangled Lines manages not only to hit that mark, but to do so with a strong command of harmony, good arrangements and glove-tight playing that can turn on a dime when needed.
Favoring a familiar, country rock-rootsy Americana style recalling perhaps the Gin Blossoms or the BoDeans, as well as with a nod to the Everly Brothers, Decade finds the Milwaukee band in great form. It features well-crafted country-pop styled tunes that touch on relationships, growth, hopes and fears and other personal experiences, with classic hooks that will pull you in at every turn. Singer-guitarist James Davies and bassist Ryan Kutz recently shared their excitement over their latest release.
“When we started, we had no intention of playing out live in front of people,” says vocalist-guitarist James Davies. “For me, it was just cool to have someone else to play with. Now we’re writing our own songs, we’ve got two CDs out, and we’ve played in a bunch of places, including clubs, county fairs and outdoor festivals.”
The current lineup—with John Bonner (keyboards), Brent Manor (banjo, electric guitar) and Dan Somers (drums)—came together two years ago when they added bassist Ryan Kutz and began to record. Their first CD generated some excitement, and with their new release they hope to continue to build on this.
“We came up with the title Decade for the new CD from the overall sound of the songs and the decade that influenced them,” Davies says. “Some are definitely styled from the ’80s and ’90s, and one even has an almost disco beat, like from the ’70s. The title is also reflective of our band members, who range in age from early 20s to 50s, and the various influences we’ve had.”
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Decade starts strong with “Pollyanna,” a full-tilt country rocker, while the autobiographical “My Streets” could seem right at home in a set by the E Street Band. “A Little Time” rocks and sways along, offering both availability and vulnerability, and on “Catalyst,” the band come into their own with a Beatles-esque pop-rocker that manages to highlight the best side of their overall sound.
“Brent and I do all the songwriting,” Davies adds. “On our first CD, it’s a good healthy mix, but on this new one, it’s mostly my music with Brent’s lyrics on most of them, which is why the sound kind of went the way it did.”
Tangled Lines’ CD release party takes place at Twisted Path Distillery, 2018 S. First St., on Friday, Dec. 6, at 8 p.m.
