There are numerous bands out there who have a love for a pure country as it was played in the ‘50s and ‘60s. They exist for the music itself and not for dreams and hopes of Nashville stardom and fame. They play for friends and fellow travelers.
Liam Fitzgerald, who grew up in Oregon but moved to Seattle, listened to country music growing up and he sounds as if he never wanted to play anything else. Supported by some like-minded and talented players in Russ Blake on steel guitar, guitarist Johnny Mercury, bassist Tyler Johnson and drummer Donnie Staff Fitzgerald has the players and he also has the songs with these ten self-written songs that are steeped in bar-room philosophy and perspicaciousness. The music takes in honky-tonk, swing and tenacious twang and details life for the lost and loved, the strayed and the Stetsoned.
The titles also tell us about the ups and downs of those who inhabit this neon tinged world; Honky Tonk Hard Times, Long Gone Goodbye, I'm Always Gonna Be In Love With You, Let's go Out Tonight and Last Call. Liam Fitzgerald has a voice that suitshis songs, full of heart, occasional happiness and a lot of human failings. The sound is warm and replicates the analog sound that was the prevalent production sound of those classic vinyl albums that Fitzgerald grew up listening to.
This could be just an academic exercise if the music hadneither life or relevance to his contemporary audience, an audience that, in reality, has little time for what they hear on country radio these days. Liam Fitzgerald is the real deal for those who want to keep alive a musical form that has been written off, for a whole variety of reasons, but won’t lie down and die. This is a call out for those who understand the hardwood honky-tonk floor and how it continues to support them.