Page 31 - BiTS_12_DECEMBER_2023
P. 31
BiTS: It's absolutely fabulous that sound. It says on the album as well, and what I've
read, that they're all resonators, but there are a couple of times when it sounds like
a cigar box to me. Is that just because of the auditory stuff?
DSR: No. I used one resonator guitar for all the tracks except one. It was ‘Each Night
I Say A Prayer’. I used an acoustic guitar on that one. It probably comes off because
all these songs are in open tunings.
BiTS: Sorry, say that again. It's all open tuning, is it?
DSR: Yes, all the songs are written in open tuning.
BiTS: Okay. Do you have a favourite song on the album?
DSR: I got a couple. Probably the one I really enjoy playing live these days is ‘These
Hard Times Come To Pass’. I really enjoy that one. I really enjoy playing ‘Lead Me
Home’. That's kind of one of my next-to-last
‘These Hard Times Come To Pass’ closing songs and I've been getting a really
good response from that one. I really enjoy
playing that song. ‘Or The Devil Will Get
You’ is another favourite of mine. Those
three are probably my top ones.
BiTS: Your voice has been described in
reviews as care-worn or road-worn, I think,
more specifically because you've been
doing it for a long time with a number of bands. Tell me something about the band
called Spearman Brewers, which actually to me sounds like one of those
microbreweries that are around in the States. What does Spearman Brewers consist
of?
DSR: I started that as I didn't want to come out as a solo artist. I wanted to have a
band at the time I started doing that, and I initially had just a drummer with whom
I was playing out, but then I added an upright player when the drummer quit and
that was pretty much the basis of Spearman Brewers. Occasionally, we'd have a
harmonica play with us as well, but we toured around all through the southeast of
America. Put out, I think, two albums and a live EP and another EP. We got the name
– I got the name. There used to be an old Spearman brewery here in Pensacola back
in 1920, and it was one of the original microbreweries, I guess you could say, back
in the 20s. It eventually got bought up by Schlitz, I think, in the 60s or 70s. They've
torn that whole thing down, so there's nothing left. I said, well, in honour of that,
we'll just name it Spearman Brewers. It kind of made sense.
BiTS: I have listened to some of the music from that band. Absolutely excellent stuff.
It matches the strength and the style and skill of the solo album.
DSR: Yeah, all those, I wrote those as well. All the songs for Spearman Brewers.