Asteroid No. 4 - Honeyspot FLAC

After five hours on the weatherbeaten roads of Texas I sensed that I was floating through the roadside diner, unable to feel my legs take even one step as I stumbled into the back booth, pulled the blinds shut and buried my face into my arms. I’ve know idea how long my head was on the table, half asleep before the waitress tapped me on the shoulder saying, “Darlin’, management says this isn’t a motel, you’re gonna need to buy something.” I turned to look at her through half closed eyes and pointed into the air saying, “That’s ‘Runnin Away’ by Asteroid 4 playing, who even knows Asteroid in Texas?” “I do” she shot back, “Honeyspot is my new favorite album.” “I know them” I said, while sitting up, still resting my head in the palms of my hands. “I mean I know them personally, from Philadelphia, I even worked their merchandise table one time at a club called KungFu Necktie of all things,” and rubbed my eyes with the heels of my palms.

Then as she came into clear view I went on saying, “Others have said that there must be hundreds of bands in Santa Fe, Albuquerque, and all over the southwest who sound just like this, and have gotten nowhere. I mean they un-shamefully lift all the best from the alternative country classics from the 60’s, recycling the sounds of early Dylan, George Jones, Buffalo Springfield and The Flying Burrito Brothers, creating a sort of SunVolt Redux.” I could see that she didn’t appreciate my critique, so I waved my hands in the air, as if I could wash it all away. “No no,” I said, “that’s not what I mean. Asteroid have a longing for the great music of the past, and they’ve manage to update the genre giving it a fresh attitude that sparkles with neo-psychedelic paisley edges, giving songs like ‘Runnin’ Away’ [again pointing into the ether] a whole new perspective. I won’t swear to it, but I’ve even heard that the guys say that the ghost of Gram Parsons was lurking about in the shadows during the recording sessions, that he lightly touched them on the shoulders when they got the chords just right. Honeyspot may not be brilliant or anything, but it’s like comfort food ... sometimes it’s just what you need, and for sure it’s always satisfying.”

She just stood there as I rubbed the corners of my dry mouth and continued, “Take the song ‘It’s All OK,’ it’s a short docile instrumental that could easily pass for an outtake from Dylan’s ‘Nashville Skyline,” and that’s saying something grand. Their harmonicas are warm and filled with feeling, their finger picking is flawless, their vocals are tender and laced with passion, while their guitars breath life into their countryfied musical stylings. Asking to describe this album, Vitt said, ‘It’s simple music for complicated times.’ And that’s saying a lot. That’s the same thing the Byrds could have said, or Lucinda Williams, it’s all truth, it’s all timeless, and while others might want something more grandiose, this is how it’s done, you don’t mess with success.”

With that I exhaled and laid my head back in my arms. “You really know the band,” she asked? “Yep,” I said without lifting my head, “got a handful of signed albums.” Then the world went quiet for I don’t know how long, ‘til the smell of a plateful of pork-chops, eggs and home-fries wafted across my sleepy face, causing one eye to open, and then the other. In front of my stood my waitress who said, “Doesn’t matter what management thinks, I decided to let you sleep.”

“Well then,” I said smilin’, “put Honeyspot back on, and turn it up cowgirl.”

*** A word of warning … your vinyl albums will be shipped without being shrink wrapped, this will allow the albums to shift inside of the slipcase, and that in turn will cause a split to the seam of the slipcase. I have not hear of one person who has not had this problem, other then those who've purchased the records at shows.

Review by Jenell Kesler