Artist description Jim Wurster: country Bob Dylan with his woolly, reedy voice and poetic lyrics. The Atomic Cowboys: a sweet slice of Western charm.

Music Style alternative country-flavored roots rock

Musical Influences Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly, The Beatles

Similar Artists Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly

Artist History In 1994 Jim Wurster decided to take a leave of absence from the popular alternative-pop group Black Janet to record an album of roots oriented music at L7 Studios in Deerfield Beach, Florida. The recordings were produced and engineered by studio owner Bob Wlos. Backing Wurster was the highly acclaimed band Roosterhead of which Wlos was a member. The finished product, Goodbye Paradise, contained ten original country-flavored roots rock songs. The album included a country duet with Mary Karlzen. Upon its release the album received rave reviews both locally and nationally. The Denver Post’s Steven Rosen said that Wurster’s songs "had the same haunting qualities as (Buddy) Holly’s did."Later that year Wurster returned to the stage with Black Janet and recorded what would be that band’s final album, She. After a short tour in support of that disc, the band members decided to call it quits.Following the demise of his former band, Wurster, along with former Black Janet members drummer Frank Binger and bassist Dave Thompson, was joined by Roosterhead alumni Bob Wlos and Black Janet co-founder Peter Campbell. The quintet began playing live shows throughout the South Florida area.In 1998 the band entered Wlos’s L7 studios to record Wurster, which included twelve original songs and a cover of Neil Young’s "Cowgirl In The Sand." One of the tracks, "Loping Vampire Blues," made its way onto a roots and blues compilation produced by City Link Magazine and received considerable airplay on local blues shows in South Florida. The Wurster CD was well received by music critics. Jam Magazine said that, "Wurster’s music is embedded with character and a singular vocal guitar style that serves as the extension of the man, calling to mind a New Wave Dylan."The band returned to the stage playing clubs and festivals and earning a reputation as crack live act. Thompson, tired of playing the club circuit decided to call it quits and was replaced by veteran musician Gary Proses. In 1999 the band once again would return to L7 Studios. Eight originals and two covers, Johnny Cash’s "Folsom Prison Blues" and John Prine’s "Paradise," were recorded. Newcomer Proses contributed his song writing skills to the opening track, "Two," which he co-authored with Wurster. The collection, Dangerous Men, was critically acclaimed by writers throughout Florida. Wlos’s masterful pedal steel and mandolin playing gained special recognition by the critics. Said Jake Cline of City Link, "Wlos, especially, in his mesmerizing self, coaxing leads from his pedal steel and mandolin as smoothly as a hand passing through water." Cline also noted that "Dangerous Men showcases Wurster’s ongoing growth as a songwriter." Once again a track, "Appalachian Dream," made it to another compilation of roots music produced by City Link Magazine.Later in the year, the band’s "barnstorming" performance at Fort Lauderdale’s City Link Music Festival was singled out as one of the highlights of the event.This year - 2000 - the band continues to perform live and plans to enter the studio by year’s end.

Group Members Jim Wurster: vocals and guitar - Bob Wlos: Pedal Steel Guitar, Guitar, Mandolin, Vocals - Frank Binger: Drums - Gary Proses: Bass, Vocals and Guitar

Albums Dangerous Men

Press Reviews Jim Wurster & the Atomic Cowboys - Dangerous Men This is a fine collection of eight original tunes, a swell cover of John Prine's "Paradise," and a pedestrian cover of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues." Jim Wurster's vocals are wry, understated, and slyly effective. Bob Wlos' accomplished guitar - and pedal steel guitar playing heightens the classic country and occasionally old-timey Appalachian ambiance of the material. With several nods toward more commercially viable styles of contemporary American roots music, Dangerous Men adds up to a strong, promising entrant in the very crowded alternative country field. - David Pullizzi _______________________________________Jim Wurster & the Atomic Cowboys - Dangerous Men Jim Wurster has always reminded me of a country Bob Dylan with his woolly, reedy voice and poetic lyrics. He's assembled a crack band and this disc is a sweet slice of Western charm. Bob Wlos MVP here, spicing up the proceedings with springy pedal steel guitar and feathery mandolin breaks. The men cover a range of traditional styles, from the Blue Ridge bluegrass of "Appalachian Dream," with it's saucy fiddle work by Robin Roslund, to the up tempo rock 'n' roll of "Lisa's Lucky Star." There's a '60s rock-cum-Angelo Badalamenti drippiness to "In Love With A Lie," which features the lyric "and now it's comin' back to haunt her as she puts you through hell / but you knew she was no angel / she had the devil in her eyes." Frank Binger rocks steady on drums and Gary Proses fills in on four and six strings with passion. The mix is a mite unsteady, but that's a small kvetch for such a lovingly crafted album of country goodness. - Bing Futch _________________________________________________CITY LINK MAGAZINEMen in blackThe four smiling middle-aged white guys looking out from the cover of the new Jim Wurster and the Atomic Cowboys CD don't look particularly dangerous. But anyone who remembers Wurster from his days leading the longtime South Florida alternative group, Black Janet, or the self-titled effort that proceeded the new Dangerous Men, knows that the songwriter's deep-country baritone can be gloomy enough to rouse even Vincent Price from his big sleep. And when Wurster admits that he "shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die" on a faithful cover of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison," you're tempted to believe him. Despite the warning inherent in the title, the new CD finds Wurster and the Cowboys - Drummer Frank Binger, bassist Gary Proses and guitarist / mandolinist / pedal steel wiz Bob Wlos - a bit more playful and relaxed than they were on their debut CD. Dangerous Men has none of the leftover Black Janet elements of it's predecessor, and instead presents the group as a fully developed roots-rock outfit.Wlos, especially is his usual mesmerizing self, coaxing leads from his pedal steel and mandolin as smoothly as a hand passing through water. In addition to a well-chosen and well-executed update of John Prine's "Paradise," Dangerous Men showcases Wurster's ongoing growth as a songwriter, particularly the down-home and up-tempo "Appalachian Dream" and the Western-swingin' "Love Ya So." - Jake Cline

Location Sunrise, FL - USA

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