STRAWFOOT: Chasing Locusts

Strawfoot

Chasing Locusts

© 2007 Strawfoot (837101324144)

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Dirge-Country Pioneers, Strawfoot create a sound steeped in the dark history of America and beyond. Haunting, cautionary tales of outlaw scarecrows, wayward preachers, falling pianos and the devil soothe yer weary ears and save yer wretched souls

tracks

1 Wayfarin Stranger
2 Achilles Heel
3 Cursed Neck
4 Strawfoot Waltz
5 My Dog
6 The Lord's Wrath
7 Damnation Way
8 Cloth
9 Fiddle And Jug
10 The Sky Is Falling
11 Effigy
12 Wayfarin Stranger

notes

During the Civil War, many soldiers didn’t know their left from their right. To teach them to march, hay was tied to their left foot, straw to their right. Rather than calling out “Left, Right, Left,” Soldiers marched to the cadence of “Hayfoot, Strawfoot”

It’s about marching forward.

Bubbling under the surface, there is a musical revolution. Creeping through the shadows, a collection of musicians and artists are gaining attention from the public eye as they push through the pre-fab world of pop, finding their way into the light. They look to the past with reverence, all the while pushing forward towards the future. As vast as the Mississippi , this revolution encompasses a melting pot of styles and influences.

Some call it Alt.Country, others call it Gothic Americana. Many have tried to categorize the sound, but the influences are far too expansive. This dark folk music takes listeners on a journey through time and circumstance with violins, banjos, harmonicas, accordions and mandolins mixing with electric guitars, powerful drumming and upright bass to create a dynamic, raw sound. Like a medicine show without the snake oil, the shows are filled with an incomparable energy.

Dirge-Country pioneers Strawfoot brings a dark sound of candy-coated salvation and hellfire damnation to the stage, weaving a dark tapestry of haunting, cautionary tales. Songs of outlaw scarecrows, wayward preachers, falling pianos, and the devil paint a dark and menacing landscape, creating an original sound steeped in the rich, dark history of America and beyond. A seven-piece band consisting of violin, banjo, harmonica, upright bass, guitar, percussion and mandolin, the Strawfoot congregation has quickly become a fan favorite wherever they take the stage, gaining fans across America and abroad.


"Strawfoot has created their own genre and accomplish this rare feat with blues guitar riffs, the country pluck of the banjo, fiddlin' and harp blowin'. The lyrics and vocals oscillate between humorous rants and painfully poetic pleas. These cats have always been a favorite in the Lou..Come one come all to the congregation!" --Shane Signorino

"Old-time revival and spirited dirge country band (Strawfoot) make fire and brimstone sound sweet." --Paul Sturtz

“Preaching to a choir of local converts, the Reverend is flanked by his alt-country brothers and sisters. His songs flirt with damnation and sin, yet he always ends his sermons with a hearty Amen!" –Andrea Noble, Riverfront Times

"The feverish nightmares of an ordained reverend from the soggy banks of the Mississippi river and his debauched congregation paint a menacing portrait of the world we live."-- Curtis Eller , New York 's Angriest Yodelling Banjo Player

reviews

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  • Great!!!!
    author: Georgia

    It's a great album, the music and the lyrics either. Some of the songs make me feel some kind of extra energy, some of them start my imagination. My soul wings when I'm listeing to it or makes me calm. Thanks for the experience! I'm looking forward to the next album!!!!

  • Amazing!
    author: Jake

    Pure art in its finest form. This group has stayed in touch with the true roots of country/americana music like no other. Every member plays their instrument like its their last time to play. Also, the lyrics took me to a place I never thought possible. Musically, lyrically, and most of all soulfully, this CD has Pure Greatness written all over it.

  • Honestly
    author: Paul Lazano

    Purely a gift from God. Who could ask for a more perfect album. The worlds greatest storytellers unit in the creation of an album so profound generations will enjoy. I applaude all there efforts and expect nothing but greatness.

  • Fantastic Storytelling
    author: Miss Westerveldt

    I have driven a few people crazy listening to this, over and over again since I bought it a month ago. The story cycle is dark, funny, and oh-so-human. Wandering from friendly to deliciously sinful to proud and furious, it holds together as one album but each song is good enough on its own to be enjoyed uniquely. Get in the right mood and the penultimate song might make you weep or rage with the force behind it. (Then just listen to 'My Dog' again to get out of any funk, if wallowing darkly isn't what you're in the mood for.)

  • Intoxicating
    author: Josephus

    Since purchasing this album I have not been able to stop listening to it. Every song is just fantastic! With a sound that is closer to country than I would have imagined they still make a very unique identity for themselves. Strawfoot brings back tales long forgotten and gives those songs a much needed edge. Keep up the good work Strawfoot, I look forward to hearing more lyrical concoctions from the angry preacher and his band of merry sinners.

  • A wonderful breath of fresh air
    author: The Dread Pirate Bob

    Chasing Locusts is a beautiful piece of gothic (as compared to goth) Americana/folk/country. The songs range from tales of betrayla and woe to amusing upbeat laments for a missing dog. The album as a whole flows beautifully and there's not a wasted song in the bunch.

  • this is a great album!
    author: Tom

    from beginning to end this is a complete album, a must have for anyone who is a fan of gothic-americana music.

  • A Blueprint for America
    author: sepiachord

    Like Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Th' Legendary Shack Shakers before them Strawfoot are outlaws. These Missourians are musical rustlers unafraid to plunder from americana, rock, blues or bluegrass... whatever it takes to make a great song. Here they've created not just one great song but an entire album's worth. I'm not sure how Strawfoot got saddled with the label "dirge country". True, this is a dark set of songs. While "Chasing Locusts" may be dark it is rarely down. Not a single recording drags and there is too much danger, too much menace lurking here for this CD to be a collection of dirges. It has too much attitude to be anything but a sinister revival. So let's just drop the "dirge", what Strawfoot are is Country. When you hear the term Country Strawfoot are the type of artist you should think of, not that watered down pop that seeps out of "Nashville". No, this album doesn't drag (unless it's to drag a river looking for bodies). It's generally a breakneck barnstormer/barnburner that should make you want to take a spin around the room with your best beloved in your arms. Though you should probably leave one hand free to hold your drink. Ah, love and liquor. As with any great Country album love and loss (and how to deal with both) are the corner stones of the songs. Like the founding fathers of outlaw acoustics Strawfoot have tales of love and it's consequences aplenty. Murder, heresy, revenge... this is practically a blueprint for America. This exploration of the unsettled can be found in the best Country albums, and they can be found here.

  • Absolutely amazing.
    author: Greg

    This is exactly what modern country music is supposed to be. The two versions of Wayfarin' Stranger are two of the best I've ever heard. The stories of sin and loss of redemption are compelling, horrifying and, at times, heartbreaking. A definite must-own.

  • Haunting
    author: Jackson Sykes, music.com

    Chasing Locusts takes the listener on a dark journey down a long, dusty road with the devil lurking in the shadows, and salvation waiting in some far off place. Beginning with a sparse and haunting version of wayfaring stranger, this album paints a portrait of desperate characters facing down demons of all shapes and sizes. Their songs range from melancholy pleas to charged anthems, blending bluegrass, country, blues and alt-rock to create a stirring sound all their own. Chasing Locusts is a prime example of why Strawfoot is considered one of the top up and coming gothic-americana/alt-country artists in the genre today.

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