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Music Review - `Goin’ Down To Meet The Devil ` by Barnyard Stompers (lz)
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Barnyard Stompers -- Goin’ Down To Meet The Devil (click on image to watch video)
8 June 2019
Suffice it to say, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to find a band that better lives up to its name that the Barnyard Stompers. What’s especially remarkable is that this band is not an entire ensemble, but rather a dynamic duo, one consisting of husband and wife Casey Miller and Megan Wise. With Miller responsible for vocals, guitar and harmonica, and Wise holding down the rhythm on drums, they manage to make a ferocious noise, one that combines gritty rock, stoic country and solid blues, all immersed in an unapologetic and insurgent attitude. And though the album is only nine songs long, the music it includes is amplified well beyond any thrifty set-up.
Likewise, just as there are no other musicians involved other than the two mainstays, Miller and Wise effectively make up for any shortfalls through their instrumental arrangements. Miller parlays a mighty vocal throughout, from the rowdy rave-up of “Road Dog” and “Hog Slop Holler,” to the edgy stomp of “Same Old Song & Dance” and the ruggedly assertive, bluesy and blustery ”On My Way To Meet The Devil.” For extra measure, the latter is conveyed with full fury before being reprised in a decidedly stripped-down setting.
Nevertheless, for all its intensity, there are occasional moments of respite. The first is found in the jaunty road song “500 Miles From Home,” and later, in the darkly defiant and decidedly downcast “Demons I Carry.” It’s also clear that this Texas twosome boasts a reverence for their roots. The album’s sole ballad, “My Woman’s Man” reflects that devotion and determination bound up in a sturdy stance that aptly reflects the Barnyard Stompers’ embrace of a sound that’s as sprawling as the state from which it’s spawned. Likewise, their ability to incorporate a diverse array of influences -- one that manages to give Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash equal footing alongside ZZ Top, Soundgarden, and the White Stripes -- is admirable in itself. These spouses don’t necessarily parlay a sound synonymous with domestic bliss, but they pull together as partners and do it remarkably well.
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