Now that is more than a week from my birthday I have had time, not to read the books I got (Salute 2012 and work keeps me slaving!), but to listen to the music I was kindly gifted by friends and family.  Among the various CD’s was one eagerly awaited and wanted by my and that was ‘Middle of Everywhere’ by Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three.  You learn all about Pokey on his website but I have known of him and followed his efforts since New Years Eve 2011 when he appeared on Jools Holland’s Hootenanny just before midnight.  For those not in the UK this programme is easily the best for ringing in ‘the bells’ of a new year as far as TV goes, showing live music for an hour or so by varied acts.  Pokey and his band played a song from their previous album ‘Riverboat Soul’ which had me and my best buddy Jim Brittain hooked right away.  In fact as soon as the shops opened we went and got the album and played it for a week solid!

Sure enough its the second decade of the 21st century but when you listen to Pokey you are transported back to the earlier parts of the previous century with his use of tune, harmony and lyrics emotive of times gone by in the Deep South of America.  In fact his whole persona in public is based around this and many of his publicity stills are in black and white!  He and the band dress in clothes of the period which is quite endearing too.  Damn good music which cuts its own path through the bubblegum and broads mainstream of current tastes.  Check out the YouTube video performance!

I own all of Pokey’s works including his rare 2006 album ‘Marmalade’ (got in a good deal!) but this post is all about the current set and as you see above its what I got on the magic ‘now you is 33’ morning.  So what is ‘Middle of Everywhere’ from and like?

1. So Long Honeybee, Goodbye
2. Ain’t the Same
3. Head to Toe
4. Sunny Side of the Street
5. Shenandoah River
6. Mississippi Girl
7. Feels So Good
8. River Rock Bottom
9. Weedwacker Rag
10. Drinkin’ Whiskey Tonight
11. Good Country Girls
12. Coffee Pot Blues
13. Keep Your Hands Off My Gal

This is Pokey LaFarge’s 4th full-length album. It is a folk / country / bluegrass / dixieland jazz / ragtime / St Louis / Mississippi rooted offering but there is no sense of the band resting on their previous abundant accomplishments. The 3rd album 2010’s ‘Riverboat Soul’, won the 10th Annual Independent Music Award for “Best Americana Album”. This time around though there is slightly more of a New Orleans early jazz feel than before due to the addition of tenor banjo, cornet, trombone and drums to the South City Three’s backing.  Track listing is above.

Though traditional-sounding the songs are in fact all self-penned by Pokey and the recipe is the same as before – i.e. the world inhabited by good-time girls, philandering men and illegal whisky. As usual it is all delivered with customary flair and in the rootsy, bright, brash and raucous upbeat western swing style that we are beginning to recognise as the band’s trademark. The rhythms are impeccable and the feel is reminiscent of Jimmie Rodgers (without the yodelling). Rodgers is often referred to as the father of American country/folk music and did arguably more to bring blues to a wider audience than anyone else in the late’20s and early 30s. He was also a huge influence on the likes of Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and Mississippi John Hurt. All of which might give you something of a gut-feeling of where Pokey and the guys are coming from.  For me the stand out track is ‘Weedwhacker Rag’…two kinds of people in the world, those who pick up sticks before they mow and those who do not…but Pokey he just stays in the weeds!

I wholeheartedly recommend that whatever your music tastes that you get along to the Pokey website and listen to some tracks for free.  If you like…then go along to Amazon and invest!

GBS