One of roots music’s best bands returns as leader Eric Brace rounds up his bandmates in Last Train Home for the band’s tenth, perhaps most fully realized album on Daytime Highs and Overnight Lows. It’s quite a cast, numbering eleven with three additional guests. The three principals, Brace, bassist Jim Gray, and drummer Martin Lynds formed the unit in D.C in the late ‘90s but all relocated to Nashville sixteen years ago. As you probably know, Brace has been recording and performing mostly with fellow journalist Peter Cooper and string man extraordinaire Thomm Jutz for the past decade. Since all three, mostly Brace, share writing credits on these 14 songs, in one sense it’s like the work they’ve done as a trio. However, in another sense, it’s a very different and more expansive sound given the large ensemble that includes trumpets and saxophones, harmonica, accordion, pedal steel, glockenspiel, electric guitars, full rhythm section, and the keyboards of long-time member Jen Gunderman. Of course, banjoes and mandolins find their way into the mix in places too. Jared Bartlett, another long-time cohort, played guitars, co-produced with Brace, and proved to be a vital catalyst for the reunion.
The subject matter is as American as it gets with these titles for example, “Floodplains,” “Hudson River, “Old Railroads,” “B&O Man,” “Caney Fork” and “Taking Trains.” It’s a mix of covers and originals, eight from Brace. The harmonies echo and shimmer with four band members contributing along with stellar spots from guest Lindsay Hayes who is heard on four tracks, beginning with the opening bluegrass-flavored “Sleepy Eyes.” Some like “Hudson River” express awe at natural beauty while others like “Dear Lorraine,” with Gunderman’s elegant piano, its elegiac trumpet, harmonic, and pedal steel solos, mines more personal emotional themes. “Old Railroads,” by Jutz and Tammy Rogers, is in a similar vein, tapping into nostalgia (‘my mind’s been stuck on those old trains’), again with stunningly gorgeous harmonies and instrumental textures.
There are a few curves too, most notably covering Barry White’s “What Am I Going to Do With You,” a horn-driven showcase steeped in glorious soul. The rootsy country vibe permeates most of the tune but the band favors jangly Monkees-like (“Last Train to Clarksville”)merged with Tijuana Brass pop on the closing “Wake Up, We’re in Love.” There’s a trace of pop in “Happy Is” as well, punctuated by Gunderman’s piano. Throughout it’s the blending of sounds, especially trumpet and pedal steel, that define Last Train Home’s singular sound, with “I Like You” being a prime example. Brace collaborates with his partner Cooper in the writing of the banjo-driven (Justin Moses), bluegrass-flavored “B&O Man” with soaring pedal steel and proud vocal harmonies taking hold. Brace and Cooper also co-wrote “Sailor,” which has a riveting melody, punctuated by the two horns and swirling pedal steel. Brace’s “Taking Trains,” with its piercing electric guitars and swirling B3 may well become a requisite kind of theme song – “Taking any train at all/Taking any we can find/Taking any train at all/Gotta leave this town behind.”
On his website, Brace gives descriptions and backgrounds on each song but given the enormity of the project, it’s interesting to hear about how the project was done. Over two days in June, I popped up the street to Eric Fritsch’s Eastwood Studios with fellow Nashvillians Martin Lynds (drums) and Jim Gray (bass) to lay down the rhythm tracks. After that, we recorded Jen Gunderman’s keyboard parts, along with my vocals and guitar, at Thomm Jutz’s studio outside Nashville. Then it was up to D.C. where Jared tracked his guitar parts, my brother Alan’s harmonica and voice, Kevin Cordt’s trumpet and Chris Watling’s saxophone, Bill Williams and Scott McKnight’s vocals, and Dave Van Allen’s pedal steel. As Jared began mixing, Scott and Bill were also recording parts in their home studios and sending them to him – guitars, banjo, mandolin, keyboards.
There were final touches added by guests Justin Moses (banjo), Thomm (acoustic guitar), and Lindsay Hayes (backing vocals). (Lindsay for many years was the indispensible cog in the Red Beet Records wheel, basically running the label for many years. It’s a joy to have her on the record!)Jared took all these sounds and mixed them into a record that I think is truly a treat for the ears. Headphones recommended, but I just hope the world will give it a listen.
As he listened down to Daytime Highs and Overnight Lows for the first time, Martin texted me: “Holy crap! Did we just make our best record?” I’d say the answer is “Yes, we did.”
Brace is a songsmith and together with Cooper’s co-writes on a couple, and his wide choice of covers, all would expect the songs to be well-crafted. That combined with the gleaming horns and layers of steel, keys, and blending of acoustic and electric guitars form a singular sound that can rival any roots band. Now that the train has returned to the station, it would be great to know this is not their last stop.
