Twangy alt country full of pedal steel and thoughtful introspective lyrics that will make you wanna shout, shimmy, cry in your beer, and then repeat all of that in a different order.

12 MP3 Songs
COUNTRY: Alt-Country, ROCK: Adult Alternative Pop/Rock

Show all album songs: Electric Western Songs


Details:
Sometimes for a band to find its sound, it has to undergo growth and change. Sometimes there has to be turmoil and personal upheaval involved. Or at least a new haircut. For Louisville, Ky.âs Yardsale, it took someone saying, âWow, that pedal steel guitar sounds awfully good.â

The sound of that pedal steel helped unleash the alt-country songwriter in front man Kirk Kiefer,
accidentally opening the flood gates to a pack of songs that grew into the most cohesive collection by Yardsale to date, Electric Western. Kiefer dug into his obsessions with Michael Nesmith, No Depression-era alt-country and beans and hot dogs, and used the inspiration to turn out country-fried stompers like âStanding Hereâ and âCheater Bar Blues;â emotive pop songs such as âWhile She Sleepsâ and âGloom and Doom;â and the exquisitely melodic âDown Below.â

With a more stripped-down approach overall and the infusion of the pedal steel, Electric Western proves to be quite a departure from Yardsale albums past, and yet it seems like a perfectly natural step, owing to the bandâs longtime alt-country influences (thanks,
Uncle Tupelo!). With contributions from some of Louisville's finest musicians and an emphasis on strong songwriting, Electric Western puts Yardsale firmly on the outskirts of what is considered acceptable rock music in Louisville. The band wouldn't have it any other way.

Yardsale From the Beginning
Yardsale, the quintessential alt-Cosmic American Music/Science Fiction Folk Rock band, formed in Louisville during the Fall of 2003. The four members came from wildly different backgrounds: Chris Luckett from TGI Fridays; Kirk Kiefer from a broken home; Lowell Tryon from Toys R Us; and Jacob Lee from a history text book. The band quickly gained notoriety on the local modern rock circuit due to their lack of angst and generally good relationships with their parents. Tight arrangements and solid songwriting earned the band one of the runner-up spots in LRSâs 2004 Battle of the Bands, allowing them to open that yearâs LRS Fest to the general bewilderment of all involved. After two self-released albums with the mysterious Rev. David Toy (2005's Yardsale and 2006's Moving in Reverse) and a few lineup changes, Yardsale brought in guitarist Chris Scott while Tryon was trying on his pedal steel. That revamped lineup not only broke the Olympic record for late-night tacos devoured, but also culminated in Yardsaleâs new sound. Meanwhile, the band moves onward, upward, and whichever other direction is needed to pay the bills and bring the rock. Stay tuned for the next chapter in this neverending saga â you just might learn something.