I’m going to put something out there and you can take from it what you will. Black people are cooler than white people. You can say that’s a “racist generalization” and then make claims that not all black people are cool by pointing out Steve Urkel or something, but come on dude….Urkel was the shit and you know it. Guy was dealing with sciences that the government hasn’t even begun to tap into. If that’s not cool then I don’t know what is. If only Laura had cared enough to notice.
Since white guys especially tend to lack in cool points, we try to catch up by getting in on cool black guy culture stuff. We stole the sweet R&B songs back in the day and marketed them as our own. When hip-hop blew up, we sagged our pants and threw Vanilla Ice at the masses.
Side note: White rap was and will always be pretty lack luster with the exception of Snow and Eminem.
And now we are trying to get in on blues. English dudes did it back in the day (The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton) but we White American guys are giving it a shot now. This modern era of Blues definitely feels like it’s lacking brothers. With the exception of the recent Gary Clark Jr., for the most part, blues is being played at festivals by old white dudes with pony tails, doing their best to cover an old Son House song in between stories from the old days when they backed B.B. King once in Tucson in 1983.
Some mainstream bands are trying to keep the genre alive (Black Keys, Jack White, Mofro). What do they have in common? All white guys. And now, the WHITEST OF WHITE GUYS (Justin Vernon) has a blues album. Vernon is more recognized by his band name Bon Iver. That’s right. The sleepy dude from Bon Iver has a blues album. It doesn’t get much whiter than Bon Iver. Prior to listening to the record I was considering sending my friend a long email about the “bastardization of black music,” but then I played it. Low and behold, it’s good. This week’s ARTIST OF THE WEEK: The Shouting Matches.
Actually formed in 2006 in Eau Claire Wisconsin
(This is BIG for Eau Claire. I’ve been there. It’s a whole lot of nothing. You either leave after high school and never come back or you die there. Take your pick)
The Shouting Matches are a bit of an indie super group. Comprised of Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Brian Moen (Peter Wolf Crier/ Larrks), and Phil Cook (Megafun/ DeYarmond Edison).
Vernon links up with his old buds for a good old fashioned rowdy down. Their first album Grownass Man not only has a great title, but is loaded with fun tracks that you could feel comfortable throwing on at any summertime BBQ, unlike Vernon’s work with Bon Iver which would in fact kill a party dead. Not to say Bon Iver isn’t a good band. It’s just the things they are good at 
aren’t conducive to day drinking. They are best for lulling people to sleep. But that just isn’t my thing.
The Shouting Matches are very different. They sound like Tom Petty got together with The Derek Truckers Band, drank a bottle of Old Crow, and decided it was time to play some down ass Southern style tunes. That’s good news for the general public for a few reasons. One being that it means Justin Vernon lacks self-importance which has become an epidemic in the indie world and prevents artists from doing fun things. Two being; these guys can really play.
Their Song Mother, When? is a driving song that is perfect for kicking a road trip off. You can really appreciate the musical talents of Justin Vernon here. I never appreciated his guitar playing abilities until now. I’m gaining loads of respect for the guy. The drumming is also superb. Reminds me of The Sonics, liberal use of the snare. I dig it.
This version is of the band’s initial EP Mouthoil.
This isn’t Vernon’s first foray into another genre. Last year he dabbled in a bit of hip hop with rapper POS. It’s good to see the man isn’t afraid to try new stuff. Too many times, guys from the indie scene keep putting out the same songs over and over again. It gets old fast. One trick ponies seem to have a longer lifespan in that genre than any other due to the fact that fans hesitate saying anything negative about it for fear of being mocked for “not getting it”.
When I said earlier that the band has a Tom Petty-esque sound, I meant it. Their song Seven Sister sounds like a lost Heatbreakers song from 1991. It’s an easy jam to throw on and vibe to. Sure this song isn’t gonna change the world, but not every song needs to strive to do that. Sometimes I just want something to drink a cold beer to. This is that type of song.
One of my favorite things on this album is the inclusion of the organ. Rarely is there the right amount of organ. It’s either way too much, or not nearly enough. Can you say that about any other instrument? I guess the Theremin. But really, when have you been listening to a song and said “Man this could really use some more Theremin”? New Theme Song features the perfect amount of organ. I’m happy about that
I hope my opening to this won’t be considered wildly racist. It’s just fact. Most white guys like myself came to terms with it a long time ago. Black guys are just cooler in every aspect of our pop culture. Music, fashion….black guys did it cooler first. Robert Johnson, Howlin Wolf, Honey Boy Edwards; these guys will never be matched in the blues world, especially not by the cat from Bon Iver. But they did give everyone else something to strive for. Go check out The Shouting Matches. Worth it.
