Music Style Rock n' Americana

Group Members Bryan Hurst: vocals, guitar- Butch Morgan: guitar, vocals- Woody German: drums- Jim Baugher: bass- Randy Shipley: pedal steel- Peter Rhee: violin, mandolin

Albums Waiting For Favors (ear X-tacy Records)

Press Reviews FAVORED 'FAVORS' By MARTY ROSEN Special to The Courier-Journal "WAITING FOR FAVORS" Bryan Hurst & The Lolligaggers (ear x-tacy) Format: CD The dirty little secret of music criticism is that writers (quite naturally) find it quicker and easier to deal with music that's orderly and obvious, music that can be comprehended in one or two listens and handily summarized in a few hundred words. More than a few CDs are perfectly suited to that need. Then there are CDs like this collection from Louisville-based Bryan Hurst. "Waiting for Favors" is so sprawling in thematic scope, and so varied in perspective that it stands as a personal and artistic manifesto that won't be quickly grasped. But lest you think "manifesto" must mean "dull" or "pedantic," think again. When it comes to words, Hurst's wickedly ironic pen rarely falters; he never takes the easy way, even when dissecting his own persona. He's most direct and vivid in a handful of tunes about coming of age, getting a grip and letting go. In the title track he writes bitterly about being stuck in the artistic queue: "Now I'm stuck in line behind some guy that I know / He knows which way the wind blows just by lickin' his thumb / He don't look bright, but the people pay to see him / He's just like an art museum / Who says that kid is dumb?" Elsewhere, Hurst is an effective satirist. In "The Fall of the Summer of Love," he calls the aging hippie generation to account; first he quotes some psychedelic sitar music, alludes to Rowan and Martin, Sonny and Cher and finally tosses in abrilliant little barb to the tune of "California Dreamin": "All their tans are brown/And their hair is gray. . . ." Musically, the album pulses with pop vigor and rewards attentive listening with abundant, lovingly detailed musical craft that hints deftly at a variety of influences without submitting to any. Take "Spanish House." It's a perfect little essay in the power of pop instrumentation and intelligent production. It begins with crisp acoustic guitar chords, then adds layers of sound as each verse proceeds. First a fussy little pizzicato string melody appears; piano filigree evolves into sunny blocks of ringing harmony; an ever-so-slight crunch of electric guitar outlines a chordal figure. Then just as Hurst's vocals reach a climax, the piano surges into animpressionistic solo that toys perfectly with the guitar's counter-melody. Hurst and co-producer Jeff Carpenter could hardly have done better. Throughout the CD they manage to make the most of a crack group of musicians, among them some of the best around: Dave Barrickman on piano and organ; Butch Morgan, lead guitar; Peter Rhee; violin; Jim Baugher, bass; Gene Wickliffe, drums; and cameo appearances by folks like Tim Krekel, Laura Shine, Michael Murphy, Randy Shipley (a nice turn on steel guitar) and others too numerous to mention. Page 4 Courier Journal SCENE / March 20, 1999

Location Louisville, Kentucky - USA

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