A haunting ride across modern-day America on huge rock and roll riffs, piano-driven country heartbreaks and head-in-the-clouds jams.

12 MP3 Songs in this album (59:00) !
Related styles: ROCK: Roots Rock, ROCK: Country-Rock

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Details:
Over two days in early February, NYCâs Leroy Justice filed into the comfortable confines of LOHO Studios with skilled producer and engineer John Siket (Sonic Youth, Phish, Dave Matthews), and began the recording sessions for their soon to be released second album. Leroy Justice circa-2008 is a relatively rogue outfit. Still unsigned to a major label, the group is amped and ready to share the strides in creativity that theyâve made since the release of their debut record, Revolutionâs Son.

Three years ago, the band was drawing impressive crowds with their own citified version of power-blues; think Southern Harmony-era Black Crowes if they came from the West Village instead of Atlanta. It was around this time that the band met Siket through a series of mutual acquaintances. Singer/guitarist Jason Gallagher says about their relationship with Siket, âWe all get along like old friends, and we appreciate his skilled, yet laid back style.â The partnership between Leroy Justice and Siket has resulted in an abundance of solid material that teeters between psychedelia and heart-and-soul country. As bassist Bradley Wegner says, âWhen we did Revolutionâs Son, everything was laid out before we got into the studio, and then everyone just came in and played their parts. But on this record, John was really pushing for us to come in and play live, and get more of an organic sound.â

Using this approach, the new material represents an evolving Leroy Justice looking to shoot a spark into the bar-room boogie that was the calling card of Revolutionâs Son. The dark sludge of âPatriotâ sounds raw and abrasive, like a nod to Jack White - someone who Wegner has been listening to a lot of lately. Moving in the other direction, âBathroom Wallâ carries the faint aura of something from the Stonesâ Let It Bleed album, and all of the tracks recorded thus far ring out with true precision. One gets the impression that the band is looking to challenge the ears of their fans with this latest crop of recordings. Theyâve added some key players into the fold - such as lead guitarist Brendan Cavanaugh â that have emboldened the overall atmosphere of the music, and alongside Gallagher, Cavanaughâs playing has added an accentual element of soul to Leroy Justice. New drummer Josh Karis brings youth and inventiveness to the band. Between takes, Karis confers with his fellow band mates about the overall feel, and he is always looking for new avenues to approach each song from. Outside-the-box thinking appears to be running rampant in Leroy Justice, as Wegner explains, âWe realized while playing out on tour that if we were patient with the music, and we let it evolve naturally, then the fans would hang in there and remain patient with us.â

With Leroy Justice performing now at such a high level, even Siket remarks that âIâm just here turning a knob every now and again. Everything else is just them in the moment.â Some of the songs, such as âTemporary Cure,â were only rehearsed by the full band once or twice before cutting the track. While music of this caliber can only be created with the highest amount of commitment from everyone involved, Leroy Justice has no worries in that department. Even Siketâs full dance-card this year wonât keep him from coming back to mix the album once production wraps. Keyboardist Sloan Marshall refers to Siketâs match in dedication by saying, âItâs kind of crazy, actually. He just finished work on the new moe. record, and right after heâs finished here, heâs going to start work on Mike Gordonâs new record.â

During the sessions, not only does CBTS come by to visit, but so does a representative from Hard Head Management that has taken an interest in the band. If the pressure is on, the members of Leroy Justice arenât letting it show. They laugh and riff off of each other with great camaraderie, and they put forth a confidence that is founded in their trust and comfort with one another. The sessions culminate with the raucously moody and aptly-titled track, âSo High.â Built around a haunting bass refrain, the band whirls over the ten-minute cut like a dusty circus caravan, and after the final crescendo booms from speakers inside LOHO, the members of Leroy Justice all share a moment of silent satisfaction.

- Daniel Alleva