[Today: Fred Eaglesmith puts the pedal to the metal...]
Fred Eaglesmith hails from South Ontario, Canada, which is the same neck of the woods that produced four-fifths of The Band. No surprise then that he’s figured out how to make songs that sound as old as the hills and reverberate with the twang and defiance of the Old West. Of his rustic upbringing, Eaglesmith says “We didn’t have a lot of money. We were religious and we were farmers, which is the formula for rock’n'roll: agriculture, poverty and religion.”
Automobiles obviously fit into the equation as well. Cars show up in no fewer than six songs on Lipstick, Lies & Gasoline, and it’s no secret that machinery is Eaglesmith’s favorite metaphor for describing the human condition. And he gets a lot of mileage out of it, using vehicles to riff on broken down people, sputtering relationships, and the allure of moving too fast. “I like the speed, I like the motion, I like the rocking machine/I like to drive at a hundred and five/Better hurry up if you want to catch me” he sings, sounding like a man who’s found religion through a V6 engine.
Eaglesmith is one of the most successful independent musicians going. His relentless touring schedule has resulted in a dedicated cult of followers that refer to themselves as ‘Fredheads’. With 14 albums to his credit, including the poetically titled Lipstick, Lies & Gasoline, Eaglesmith has built his fanbase the old-fashioned way: one outstanding song at a time. The next Fredhead is but an MP3 click away…
Listen: 105
Listen II: Time To Get A Gun
27 February 2008 at 1:57 pm |
hey man, many thanks for stopping by and checking in. i REALLY appreciate it!
27 February 2008 at 2:01 pm |
I’ve been a “Fredhead” for years having been introduced to his music on a ski trip to British Columbia in ‘99. Two weeks ago I had the honor of meeting him in person. If you twang, listen to “Water in the Fuel” and you’ll likely be a Fredhead too.
29 November 2008 at 9:15 am |
[...] Eaglesmith | Lipstick, Lies & Gasoline – Eaglesmith’s music sounds like the American heartland, all twang and tales of people [...]