Wednesday, May 20, 2009

My Denton Music spotlight: A.M. Ramblers

By Josh Hogan of My Denton Music

A.M. Ramblers

One of the truest tests of a successful band is authenticity. It is something that cannot be faked. You either have it or you don't. And by authenticity, I mean the ability to stay true to who you are without diving into some forced or staged persona, and still have the ability to connect with people. It is the reason everyone loved Johnny Cash - well, one of the reasons anyway. He was the "Everyman" and you could tell that just by looking at him. Or take Bob Dylan, for instance. He made a name for himself as a political activist singer-songwriter, even though most of his songs had little or nothing to do with politics. But in those songs where he did open up and speak out about what he thought was wrong with the world, he did so with such genuineness that he could carry the persona of a political leader. He was real, his emotions were real, and people could connect with them. Adversely, authenticity is the reason why I (or my fellow carpet bagging friends) just can't seem to wear cowboy hats and boots. I just feel a little bit strange doing so, as if I am doing some great injustice to the real Texas cowboys when I don a Stetson hat and a pearl snap shirt with a Chicago Bulls tee underneath and an Illinois license plate on my hybrid sedan. See what mean? It is just not authentic. Fortunately, the guys who make up the A.M. Ramblers don't have to worry about such things.

It may be a bit too soon (ok, WAY too soon) to mention them in the same breath as Cash or Dylan, but the six piece Denton group already has one of the most important pieces in hand. They are a truly authentic bunch, and their music reflects that fact. Their sound is a down home blend of Texas Country, Bluegrass, Americana and Southern Blues in the same niche as Old Crow Medicine Show, a group that has had some great success shortly after starting their band on the streets of New York City. Now Denton is no Big Apple, but it has suited the A.M. Ramblers well so far. Last summer, the band released their first full length album, which is a sultry compilation of hootin' and hollerin' that would make the fictional Soggy Bottom Boys proud. The self-titled album was released by one of the area's most interesting and accomplished young labels, TXMF, whose stable includes the likes of Record Hop, The Spitfire Tumbleweeds, and 100 Damned Guns, to name a few.

The future is bright, I think, for the A.M. Ramblers. They opened up one of the most anticipated shows of the year at the Boiler Room for The Tennessee 3, the long time band behind the aforementioned legend Johnny Cash. Their album is still fresh, even after nearly a year since its release, and the band continues to tour, holding down the great, and often underappreciated genre of music that has become the band's staple sound.

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• Arts > Popular Music > Folk