Roll Call: Two Cow Garage

Monday, for free at Galaxy Hut. Looks like they go on first. Sound quite a bit like Slobberbone. Or maybe a Replacments/Uncle Tupelo combo, for those with tastes stuck in the 80's/early 90's.

Cleverly described as Uncle Tupelo's nephews, Two Cow Garage takes strong cues from Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy's punkier sides. Not easily pigeonholed, the band also digs deep into the honest country-rock of Slobberbone and Drive-By Truckers, but somehow still manages to maintain their own soulful sound. Young vocalist Micah Schnabel gives the impression that he's smoked a pack a day since elementary school with his gritty rasp, aptly fitting their songs of heartache and leavin'. Bassist Shane Sweeny's gently shouted backup vocals add depth to the tearful "Girl of My Dreams," while Dustin Harigle's drumming is the only thing that holds the manic "River" together. Every song on Please Turn the Gas Back On burns with the amber light of the heartland â?? hungover and heart-wrenching, sweetly fumbling and furiously pounding, gritty as barn doors and sweaty as a backseat in August.

They are at the Mojo in Baltimore Saturday night, although knowing the club it will be a late night affair.

Originally posted by Rhett Miller:
Young vocalist Micah Schnabel …

Any relation to Julian?

Here is the allmusic review of their new album. Should be a good show.

Review by Stewart Mason
It's really a shame that the Bob Stinson edition of the Replacements never did much more than flirt with country music. If they had, the results would have sounded an awful lot like Two Cow Garage's The Wall Against Our Back, and that's intended as a compliment to both bands. Recorded in appropriately garage-like conditions by Slobberbone's Brent Best (who infuses the proceedings with the same ragged-but-right feel as his own band), the Columbus-based trio blast out 14 songs â?? ending with an unexpected, unlisted cover of the Beatles' "Don't Let Me Down" that toys with grunge-era soft/LOUD dynamics â?? at a thrashing pace. The relentless forward motion is broken once â?? again, just like on a Replacements album â?? by "Saturday Night," a solo acoustic ballad by singer Micah Schnabel that gives the otherwise Westerberg-hoarse singer a chance to be a bit more gentle to his vocal cords and the listener a chance to rest up a bit for the seething revved-up country two-step of "If This Is Home" and the flat-out punk fury of "Smell of Blood," which wouldn't sound out of place on a Husker Du album. Cowpunk (as opposed to the more polite and rootsy alternative country) lives on in these grooves.

Originally posted by Rhett Miller:
Should be a good show.

awww man, sounds like a wild night in Suburbia. sorry I'll miss it

Rhett, did you go? If so, what did you think? I'm considering seeing them tonight.

Here are my thoughts, which pretty much concur with my wife's.

I had listened to the numerous samples online (and purchased both their cd's after the show), and I'd say I really like about 2/3 of their stuff…the faster, punkier country stuff on the new one, and the alt-countryish stuff on the first one…and don't care much for when they veer into slow song or non-alt-country stuff (They introduced the worst song of the night as "This is our emo song."…though it wasn't really emo.

Anyway, they're guys in their early 20's with a lot of potential. But they aren't there yet. Right now, they're lacking stage presence, and their song selection managed to incorporate more of the songs that I don't like and less of those that i do. At times they sounded like the Truckers or Slobberbone…that's when they were at their best.

And the lead singer (ironically) wore a Travis Tritt t-shirt, and had the same hairstyle as me.

So overall, maybe a B or B- show…flashes of excellence, but still need for quite a bit of growth.

Originally posted by Rhett Miller:
Here are my thoughts, which pretty much concur with my wife's.


Anyway, they're guys in their early 20's with a lot of potential. But they aren't there yet. Right now, they're lacking stage presence, and their song selection managed to incorporate more of the songs that I don't like and less of those that i do. At times they sounded like the Truckers or Slobberbone…that's when they were at their best.

So overall, maybe a B or B- show…flashes of excellence, but still need for quite a bit of growth.

I'd agree strongly with this assessment - they're one to watch.

And they are much better when Brent Best performs with them.