The interview that came out of that night was published by CMJ’s Progressive Media magazine, possibly the first article on the Scorchers published on a national level. When we wrapped things up and Warner had driven off, Jason haltingly and embarrassingly asked me if I minded giving him a ride down to Kroger’s; I seem to even remember loaning him a couple of bucks to buy some fish sticks. Considering the great music and entertainment that Jason has provided since that night, it might have been the smartest investment of my life.
Jason’s all-around good nature makes his survival in the notoriously cutthroat music biz – an industry populated by sharks and sinners, snake-oil salesmen, bullies and thieves – all the more amazing. But survive Jason has, for some 30 years now, and he’s not only gotten by, he’s actually thrived in a business known for broken dreams and discarded souls. Amazingly, Jason actually seems to get nicer as the years fall off the calendar.
Ringenberg came to Nashville in 1981 with the goal of finding like-minded musicians to pursue a shared musical vision. With a little help from the visionary Jack Emerson (R.I.P.), Jason was introduced to the guys that he’d spend the next decade playing alongside. Jason & the Nashville Scorchers unwittingly gave form to an entirely new genre of music. They didn’t set out to do so, but somewhere down the line, the Scorchers begat Uncle Tupelo, which in turn begat Son Volt and Wilco, which begat a glut of raving twang-bangers and roots-rock revivalists dubbed forever as the alt-country (a/k/a Americana) movement.
Jason Ringenberg’s Best Tracks and Side Tracks 1979-2007
Two more Jason solo efforts followed A Pocketful of Soul – 2002’s All Over Creation and 2004’s Empire Builders, along with a pair of children’s records that Ringenberg recorded under his “Farmer Jason” nom de plume, as well as a Scorchers retrospective, Wildfires & Misfires. When the dust had settled and 2008 loomed on the horizon, Jason Ringenberg had survived three decades in the most dangerous bloodsport of them all – the music biz – and did so with talent and integrity both intact. With that in mind, Jason and his buddies over at Yep Roc put together Best Tracks and Side Tracks, a collection of Ringenberg solo material, outtakes, collaborations and rarities from 1979 to 2007. This two-CD compilation is divided into two parts: “Best Tracks,” featuring 20 songs culled from Jason’s three solo and two Farmer Jason albums, including a trio of new recordings; and “Side Tracks,” offering 10 rare, obscure songs and a couple of surprises that’ll have the hardcore fans running down to their local music vendor to procure a copy, pronto.
The “Best Tracks” side of things kicks off with a pair of new recordings. A re-written version of the Scorchers’ gem “Shop It Around” suffers little from its reworking; if anything, the lyrics are more wistful, more pointed that previously. Featuring the always-reliable George Bradfute on guitar and Webb Wilder on backing vocals, this is Jason’s equivalent of Dylan’s “Positively Fourth Street.” It’s not as raucous, perhaps, as the original Scorchers’ version, but it has lost none of its power.
One Foot In the Honky Tonk
“One Less Heartache,” a musical collaboration with England’s unpredictable Wildhearts, reminds me of the Del Lords or the Long Ryders, a solid roots-rockin’ tune with just enough twang to remind you that it’s Jason singing. In a good and just world, this could have been a big radio hit ‘cause it hits all the right chords and sounds great no matter what speakers that it’s blasting out of at the moment. “The Price of Progress,” from A Pocketful of Soul, is a favorite of mine, a mournful folk tale of a lone farmer versus the forces of profit, the song’s chilling lyrics supported by appropriately eerie fiddle and guitar tones.
“Prosperity Train,” a song by Illinois singer/songwriter Stace England with vocals by Jason and guitar by Bradfute, was pulled from England’s excellent 2005 album, Greetings From Cairo, Illinois. A rockabilly rave-up in Scorchers’ finery, it’s a fine way to familiarize oneself with the considerable lyrical talents of Mr. England. Offering a truly inspired vocal turn from Mr. Ringenberg, the song is part of a larger conceptual song cycle. A couple of socially-conscious songs from Empire Builders, “Tuskegee Pride” and “Chief Joseph’s Last Dream,” tackle sordid stories from America’s past with intelligence and emotion. Bradfute’s inspired guitarwork on “Tuskegee Pride” highlights Jason’s passionate vocals with an atmospheric tone. Ringenberg’s simple finger-picking on the latter song sets the stage for this tragic tale as Bradfute, Kaplin and drummer Steve Ebe create a moody thunderstorm behind Jason’s sorrowful vocals. A new recording of another Scorchers’ favorite, “Broken Whiskey Glass,” is performed by Jason and Illinois band the Woodbox Gang, the song transformed into a hillbilly romp with Appalachian instrumentation and dueling vocals from JR and the Gang’s Alex Kirt.
The Sailor’s Eyes
Although there are several shining moments among the first disc’s 20 tracks, the second disc, “Side Tracks,” is the sort of hambone that brings flavor to the soup, if you know what I mean. “Lovely Christmas,” an odd duet with the lovely Kristi Rose is, as Jason readily admits, the most eccentric song that he’s ever put to tape. A country-punk mashup that alternates between Rose’s silky honky-tonk drawl and Jason’s manic, hurried vox, it’s a fun song that insightfully tramples over the holiday’s frenzied consumerism.
A new, unreleased song “The Sailor’s Eyes” may or may not be about Jason’s tenure with the Scorchers; it’s a fine lyrical metaphor nevertheless, with wistful vocals and a great Bradfute guitar line. With musician friend Arty Hill, Jason re-creates the Scorchers’ rockin’ “Cappuccino Rosie” live onstage as an acoustic country tearjerker complete with weeping fiddle. Years before the Scorchers, Jason fronted a band called Shakespeare’s Riot (great name!) in Carbondale, Illinois; that band’s original recording of what would become a Scorchers’ live fave, “Help There’s A Fire,” is a hoot – a sparse ‘50s throwback with a Duane Eddy beat and, as Jason describes it, a “cornpone Elvis rockabilly vocal.”
Another very cool Jason rarity here is a cover of John Prine’s classic “Paradise,” taken from a radio broadcast. A group effort, including R.B. Morris, Tom Roznowski and Janas Hoyt, the four vocalists do the song proud with a soulful, reverent reading. The set closes, appropriately, with another performance by Jason and the Wildhearts, a previously unreleased rave-up on “Jimmie Rodger’s Last Blue Yodel.” Evoking the Scorchers at their sweatiest, most raucous Exit/In performance, Mr. Ringenberg and the Wildhearts drive the train right off the tracks, smiling and rocking all the way into the abyss that lies below...
The Reverend’s Bottom Line
...and that, folks, is why Jason has remained so damn nice all these years. No matter the ups and downs, the hard knocks and career disappointments, the music is what has pulled him through. Jason has always sounded like he is sincerely happy and honored to be playing his music for us. His attitude is infectious, and it’s all over the 30 songs that you’ll find on Best Tracks and Side Tracks. (Yep Roc Records, released November 12, 2007)
Review originally published by Cashville411.com
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