Any River

Description

Ten years ago, three employees of J's Market and Cafe became the Styrofoam Winos. Lou Turner, Trevor Nikrant, and Joe Kenkel bonded over their shared passion for Bob Dylan, Patti Smith, Leonard Cohen, and one-dollar country records. After a friend moved away and left behind a drum set, the three Winos learned to play it. Their first experiences of collective songwriting emerged from jam sessions and erasure poetry: they would black out words in old books to create new poems. They all sang solo and regularly swapped instruments. Their first encounter with Michael Hurley (aka Snock) left a deep impression on them and was a true source of inspiration for the band. Years later, Snock himself gave his blessing to the Winos for the release of their cassette of covers of his songs. The Styrofoam Winos have always known how to go with the flow, making Any River a perfectly fitting title for their new album, which follows Real Time (2024). Their playful approach is enhanced by the talent of seasoned musicians who have played hundreds of shows, both together and on tour with Ryan Davis and the Roadhouse Band, MJ Lenderman and the Wind, as well as solo. When three talented individuals develop such chemistry, the result is simply majestic. Each track on Any River was born from improvisation sessions in Turner and Nikrant's personal studio, and a shared Google document containing the lyrics quickly followed. They recorded in Louisville with Jim Marlowe, a member of Roadhouse and the genius behind Equipment Pointed Ankh. Marlowe's understated production allowed the band's unique synergy to shine through. The group manages to find a perfect balance between respect and irreverence towards the musical traditions they explore. Their knowledge of the repertoire is scholarly, yet always tinged with humor. No moment on the album illustrates this better than the trumpet solo on "New Friend": it's a virtuosic performance, but the way Kenkel descends below the tonic before resolving the final notes of the solo is simply hilarious. In concert, he plays the solo note for note on the kazoo while drumming. This music belongs to unclassifiable virtuosos, defying easy categorization while remaining immediately recognizable.