Old Blind Dog

MUSIC REVIEW:
29 MULES
80 FEET DEEP
By: Eric Rasmussen
FarWest Almanac
May/June 2009

29 Mules are unabashedly ballsy and rowdy as f--k. Some people run screaming immediately upon the sight of their bulging pants, and others are attracted much like a pornophile will slither through the gutter for a peep.

The thing is, they actually write some f'ing good songs (full disclosure: they are good friends of mine). They take their Texas roots seriously and their style is straight up country and ain’t scared of it, but they bring a californiacated and hard punching twist to it with the occasional infusion of the rap inspired stylings of harmonica player and backup vocalist Dave “Hillside” Spangler.

Their brand new album, 80 Feet Deep is a worthy follow up to 2007’s No Rules for Mules, and they continue in the tradition, showing no signs of letting up. They are not new to this, and have been a fixture on the LA scene, holding it down every Wednesday at Ireland’s 32 in Van Nuys for the past several years.

On the surface these guys appear to give less than a sh*t what anybody might think of them, but it doesn’t take much digging to reveal the sensitive boys they really are. Lead singer Casey Cannon is like a wild wounded Mustang who wears his soft spots tucked just beneath his sleeve. And the boy can sing. He and lead guitarist Xavier Gonzalez form the creative core of the group and handle most of the songwriting duties. On the new album the sensitive side comes through in such tracks as the loping _ time “lifetime Away” which laments the long and hard road they have been down, and what has been lost along the way. Yet they are at their most potent when they stick to the dark and loud side of things, the best track on 80 Feet Deep is the spooky and pissed off “Devil Stole My Last 10 Dollars” which proclaims: “It don’t matter what I done/ ‘cause everything means nothin’, anyway/ I hate the world, it hates me/ I don’t need it’s rotten company.” Another standout is “Hell Don’t Want to Ride” which is a new sound for them if only because they deviate from the root-5th bass lines, opting for one which almost reminds me of the catchy appeal of a good 80’s pop song complete with adrenaline-pumping chorus.

They even lay down a version of Tom Waits’ “Get Behind the Mule” which has become a signature track in their live shows. “Stopped Drinking Whiskey” is a vintage rockabilly jam bejeweled with an intro featuring a bona fide gospel choir for backup. 80 Feet Deep is a strong offering which is sure to please core fans of the FarWest Almanac sound ™