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From the classic rock echoes that hang heavy like the smoke in the rafters of Detroit's Cobo Hall, to the soul reflected in the alleys and small faces of London's Heavy Load scene to the exile off Main Street, few bands channel the sonic groove generated at the headwaters of our rock-and-roll DNA like Deadstring Brothers.
They know that rock 'n' roll is both disease and redemption, penalty and reward, intoxicant and hangover. They know that a powerhouse hook exhilarates even as you're getting kicked in the heart. The Detroit-native Deadstring Brothers, in their leather boots and frayed jeans, tenaciously trudge through the oil slick puddles of a dying city, the hard light splitting into prismatic rainbows, finding beauty in decay.
Not unlike Exile-era Stones, Deadstring Brothers deliver a menacing sound that draws equally on the melancholy of country ballads and the abandon of rock and blues. The band's music is deeply rooted in the storytelling and instrumental traditions of Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, and the American Outlaw Movement, but is also informed by the song structure and understated aggression commonly associated with Detroit bands.
Their haunting melodies reveal the influence of early 70s rock icons like The Band and Gram Parsons and The Faces. Deadstring Brothers' live performances have the energy of guitar rock, but sophisticated arrangements, a Hammond Organ and a focus on traditional American music separate them from many of their contemporaries.
The band has been touring steadily since the 2004 release of their eponymous debut and have shared the stage with acts ranging from Shooter Jennings, Cat Power and Jesse Sykes to Giant Sand, My Morning Jacket, and Drive By Truckers.
The group now consists of five members from Detroit and London and a rhythm and lead section from Alabama and Kentucky -- they joke that they are hoping to soon add a Japanese horn section.
"The fact that the band is made up of Americans and Brits, all weened on the same American blues, country and British invasion rock 'n' roll, gives their sound an alchemical authenticity," writes Davis Inman of American Songwriter.
Twangville.com's critic Eli Petersen described their music well: "You'll be hard pressed to find a review of the Deadstring Brothers album that doesn't reference the Rolling Stones. Fortunately, they are almost always referencing the Rolling Stones 1968-72 era, aka Beggars Banquet to Exile on Main Street. ... So yea, frontman Kurt Marschke sounds a lot like Mick Jagger. And yes, the band has that raggedy blues-country feel that Keith Richards and company perfected. But does anybody really have a problem with that? So yes, the Deadstring Brothers are, if not stealing outright, at least liberally borrowing from the Stone oeuvre..... But they do it so damn well. And let's face it, the Stones haven't made music this good for decades."
The Austin Chronicle -- who heard the Brothers close up when they performed there at SXSW Music Festival -- labeled the Deadstring Brothers "Irresistible" and gave them four stars. And Honest Tune (The Southern Journal of Jam) wrote: "Detroit might be known as the city where the weak are killed and eaten, and if this standard is indeed true, then Deadstring Brothers must've skimmed past the musical carnage by abiding by their own rules of cool."
Deadstring Brothers play Chelsea's Saturday, Aug. 11 at 9 p.m. Admission is $5. Chelsea's is located at 10 Mountain St. in Eureka Springs.
Following is the schedule for the weekend's entertainment at Eureka Springs venues:
Thursday, Aug. 9
* Rowdy Beaver Tavern (Highway 62): Bike Night with DJ Mark, 7 p.m.
* Jack's Place / Centerstage Live: Karaoke, 8 p.m.
* Chaser's: Tacos & Tequila, all night
* New Delhi Cafe: Skillet Lickers, 6 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 10
* Chelsea's: Fossils of Ancient Robots, 9 p.m.
* Berean Coffee House: River of Harmony, 7 p.m.
* Rowdy Beaver Tavern (Highway 62): HiFi Hippies, 7:30 p.m.
* Rowdy Beaver Den (downtown): Jon Dooley Experience, 7 p.m.
* Cathouse Lounge: AJ & The Fall Down Drunks, 8 p.m.
* New Delhi Cafe: Magic Mule, 6:30 p.m.
* Eureka Live!: DJ & Dancing 9:30 p.m. to close
* Chaser's: House Burners, 9 p.m.
* Jack's Place / Centerstage Live: Ozark Thunder, 9 p.m.
* Squid and Whale Pub: Dayton Waters, 9 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 11
* Cathouse Lounge: AJ & The Fall Down Drunks, 8 p.m.
* Chelsea's: Deadstring Brothers, 9 p.m.
* Chaser's: Brenda Miller Band, 9 p.m.
* Jack's Place / Centerstage Live: Ozark Thunder, 9 p.m.
* Rowdy Beaver Tavern (Highway 62): Rockhouse, 7:30 p.m.
* Rowdy Beaver Den (downtown): Mike Garrett, 7 p.m.
* New Delhi Cafe: Skillet Lickers, 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; Brick Fields "The Band," 7 p.m.
* Eureka Live!: Live DJ and Dancing, 9:30 p.m. to close
* Squid and Whale Pub: Little Zero, 9 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 12
* New Delhi Cafe: Gospel Sunday Brunch with Brick-Fields, 11:30 a.m., Live Music, 4 p.m.
* Rowdy Beaver Tavern (Highway 62): All day free pool
* Chelsea's: Eric Somer
* Eureka Live!: Customer Appreciation Night specials 5 p.m. to close
* Squid and Whale Pub: Contraband, 7:30 p.m.
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Lively Entertainment is written and complied by Managing Editor Kristal Kuykendall. Deadline for venues to submit their events for inclusion is noon Mondays. Events should be emailed to ccneditor@cox-internet.com and/or phoned in to 479-981-9419 by noon Monday each week. Kuykendall also writes Kristal's Northwest Arkansas Live Music Blog, which includes video and song clips of band she previews each weekend, as well as previews of major live concerts throughout the region. The blog is at www.CarrollCoNews.com/blogs/livemusicinn....