Phil Shoenfelt

Blue Highway (Idiot Savant)
by Jon Sarre

At first glance, this stuff comes off as an adult-contempt-stab at roots rock a la John Fogerty (‘cept Fogerty usually pulls it off, so maybe Clapton’s a better example). Further investigation reveals that although this Phil Shöenfelt character is English, his bandmates are Czech, so they probably can’t help the fact that most of their names lack vowels and have unfamiliar accent marks that look like upside down editing carats (drummer Jorda Kvasnicka, with a circumflex on its back above the letter “i”, for one). More important, this stab at Hank Williams (and maybe William Least Heat Moon) lost, lonely & vacant trailers for sale or rent steel guitar engagement falls short even if ya can mistake rust belt E. Europe for rust belt USA heartland on a bad day.

Far be it from me to fault these cats for trying, but Shöenfelt’s “you’re draggin’ me down” etc born-to-loseisms as enunciated in his nasal Glenn Danzig meets the guy from Soul Coughing delivery backed up by an artful stumble to denouement and back again rhythm section lacks the charm of Ol’ Hank’s whinin’ or the head cut-style of the Delta-with-a-stop-in-Chi-town Chess beat. Maybe it’s just cuz the songs are way too long (shortest clocks in at 4:43, the longest exceeds 8:00), but this East-of-the-Elbe blues highway misses wherever the hell it’s tryin’ to get to by quite a few country miles. It’s time to re-check the map.
(2421 W. Pratt Blvd, Suite 1015 Chicago, IL 60645)