I couldn’t stop listening to Al Scorch to save my own life right now. I find it increasingly rare to stumble upon an artist that captures the soul of old-time and bluegrass music in a new and exciting way. Trampled By Turtles, The Devil Makes Three, Spirit Family Reunion, and now Al Scorch.
This first track, Working Dream, has been stuck in my head since the moment I first heard it. Featuring a great intro banjo riff, nice fiddle work, and a capella verses about economic disparity it resonates with generations both past and present. Give it a listen.
Board Up The Windows is a fast rattlin’, full speed clawhammer banjo driven rant against the commodification of city development. This track really shows off the raw energy Al Scorch is capable of playing with. And this live video does an even better job of it.
Keep a weather eye peeled for future Al Scorch shows and updates. He has already played all over the USA and shows no signs of slowing up. For those of you in Wisconsin he will be playing at the Bremen Cafe with Pay The Devil this coming Saturday. Other upcoming dates include:
May 3 – Milwaukee, WI – Bremen Cafe
May 6 – Chicago, IL – Hungry Brain
May 7 – Peoria, IL – Warp Zone
You can learn more about Al’s future goings on alscorch.com. I’ll leave you with the lyrics to Working Dream, because they are awesome.
Al Scorch – Working Dream
I wish I had a pair of golden cufflinks
I wish I had a suit that’s woven fine
so I could take you to your daddy’s funeral
and I could mend your heart as well as mine-o
I could mend your heart as well as mineBut all these things I wish for they cost money
you won’t find that in a factory or a mine
all you’re gonna find at the day’ end
is you’re a little close to your time o
you’re a little closer to your timeI wish that we didn’t have to do it
if we didn’t have to do it we’d be dead
nine thousand days of your daddy’s life
just to put a leak roof over your head-o
just to put a leaky roof over your headand we all know what it was that killed him
and you and ma will never see a dime
to the man that put the cancer in him
a man ain’t but a number on a line-o
a man ain’t but a number on a lineNow that you’e grown son and have your own son
won’t you teach him that money isn’t right
and if there ever comes a great reckoning
the world will burn a dollar at a time-o
the world will burn a dollar at a time
Ivan
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