Artists > County Road X
Left to Right: Erik Deutsch,
Jon Gray, Jon Stewart, James Hoskins, Doug Anderson, Tadd Vancil, Glenn Taylor
Photo by Paul Haberstroh
The Roadmap:
There are many roads in America. Whether tangled in a settled New England forest, sliced through a vast cornfield of Nebraska, or edging the California coastline, the county road network unites the great diversity of America's landscapes. County Road X, the band, is an aural depiction of a creative thread that unifies the elements of American culture. Drawing on influences of jazz, rock, folk, and experimental music, one thing is for certain: County Road X is an American band.
The road began in Boulder, Colorado in 2001 as five musicians began working on a sound that fuses the American music chronicle. At their core an acoustic piano trio signifies the jazz tradition. A pedal steel guitar roots the sound deep in the soil of familiarity while a cello sings simple melodies inside the fabric of sharp dissonance and textured phrasing. Brass and reeds deliver energetic punches of rich harmony within the provocative compositions. County Road X houses the complexities of jazz with the poise of folk and country, creating a sound that has earned the label trailer park jazz.
In 2003 CRX expanded their sound to include a horn section and a variety of electronic soundscapes. The group now boasts an educated and experienced line-up contributing to the sophistication and maturity of their refined sound. Band members are current and former members of several successful outfits including: Fat Mama, Slim Cessna's Auto Club, Sherefe, Akemi Iwaswe and Tokyo Tribe, Devotchka, Cabaret Diosa, and the Motet. In support of celebrated 2002 self-titled release, the band has had the honor of sharing the stage with Jerry Douglas, Bill Frisell, Christian McBride, Ron Miles, Sex Mob, Calexico, and Skerik. While applying post-modern concepts to the preservation of classic American art, County Road X provides a refreshingly human result.
The Road continued last February when CRX traveled to Tucson, AZ to record their sophomore album "From Seed to Stone." The debut of County Road X's new psychedelic-western sound will be in mid-September.
County Road X is:
Erik Deutsch: Piano and Keyboards
Doug Anderson: Upright Bass and Accordion
Glenn Taylor: Pedal Steel Guitar
James Hoskins: Cello
Tadd Vancil: Percussion
Jon Stewart: Reeds
Jon Gray: Trumpet
http://www.countyroadx.com
303-717-7207
Other Press
The New County Road X CD - From Seed to Stone:
Mastered by Grammy Award Winner Matt Sandoski.
Click on the album cover to listen to sample tracks and for purchasing
Available
at Bart's CD Cellar and Record Shop
1015 Pearl St, Boulder 303-447-8150
or Buy Now online from CD
Baby ( or call 1-800-BUY-MY-CD)
County Road X's premier CD:
Click on the song titles to listen to some samples
Kith
and Kin
One Race
Boy Meets World
Nkisi
Taddlib
Faute de Mieux
(song notes)
Parlor Song
First Language
Available
at Bart's CD Cellar and Record Shop
1015 Pearl St, Boulder 303-447-8150
or Buy Now online from CD Baby
( or call 1-800-BUY-MY-CD)
County Road X CD Reviews:
March 2nd, 2003 Review of County Road X in All About Jazz. Click on the link.
CD Baby
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewer: Tamara D. Turner
Jazz meets and embraces the growth, pain and victories of life in this
exquisite jazz fusion CD reeking of intelligence. With the passion of the
cello, dreamy backdrops, limitless conception, and daring emotional actualization,
this fusion CD sets a new stage for the genre. Unlike so many of its kind,
this band from Boulder, CO is absolutely engaging, intense and persistently
innovative. With the unique instrumentation of piano, pedal steel guitar,
cello, upright bass, and drums this is a new sound experience characterized
by the band as Trailer Park Jazz.
One the most exciting elements of modern music is the incorporation of foreign instrumentation into a defined "genre". Perhaps the unique combination of instruments used by Boulder, Colorado's County Road X contributes to the difficulty of categorizing their music. The group consists of Erik Deutsch (piano), Doug Anderson (bass/accordion), Glenn Taylor (pedal-steel/percussion), James Hoskins (cello), TaddVancil (drums) and Kevin Hendricks (glockenspiel/crotales). The result of the ensemble is a series of lush arrangements that yield dissonant crescendos and whimsical, melodies. Deutsch, Anderson and Vancil provide a steady rhythm section complimented by the meandering fills of Taylor and Hoskins. Hendricks' subtle compliments thicken the mixture. CRX's music evokes landscapes and movement, like a road trip of sound. On "Nkisi", the driving cello and drums lay the canvas for a frenetic showcase of Taylor's pedal-steel. The abstract "Taddlib" conjures images of a brewing storm on the Great Plains. "Parlor Song" is a beautifully dark amble through each element of the group from sweeping piano to weeping cello and piercing guitar. The final track on CRX's self-titled debut, "First Language" features Anderson on accordion. Initially it feels like the Right Bank of the Seine, but with the arrival of Taylor's guitar shifts to the banks of Mississippi. The maiden voyage of County Road X is a triumphant one. If only there was a screenplay worthy enough for an album that could be an epic soundtrack.
Kirk Peterson, Boulder Theater
"...I'm REALLY picky about what goes on the (CD Baby) front page. We get about 40 new albums a DAY coming in here now, (about 12,000 total), and yours is one of the best I've ever heard."
Derek Sivers, President, CD Baby
The self-titled CD by a new Boulder based band, County Road X is being released this Thursday at the Trilogy Lounge with a propensity for success. The band is a culmination of the Front Range's finest innovative musicians, creating a sound that crosses genres, challenges the ears, and induces a surreal mood that will please any listener. With one of the most unique line-ups a band could produce, the instrumentation of piano, bass, drums, pedal-steel guitar, and cello give birth to music that touches on various styles, with great difficulty in defining, that is categorized best as jazz; or what jazz is truly supposed to be.
Led by piano player, and composer Eric Deutsch, the record starts of with a poly-rhythmic piano riff that is simultaneously catchy, sonically pretty, and musically engaging all at once. At times his playing harnesses the poignant sensibility attempted by new age artists but succeeds in beauty without the cheese. Other times, his deep-rooted jazz playing will continue to awe and impress.
The record persists with a barrage of moments that stand out as magical pauses along a long ride of mystery. The cello croons with a sweet and subtle whining that can paint a day with rain or provoke the mind to dream. The pedal steel guitar wails with intensity, like the sophistication of a tap-dancer frolicking over the strings. With danceable drum grooves, solid bass lines, musical hooks and catchy riffs, the album provides a listening experience that satisfies a diversity of minds. There are brief tangents of stabilized madness, experimental sounds that are reminiscent of Miles Davis' late sixties fusion years. A wealth of unforgettable musical rides envelope the disc, layered with skillful solos that possess the genuine qualities that can make them classic melodies in music.
The overall feeling tiptoes the lines of melancholy and fusion and is guaranteed to pique the imagination. At times you may feel like you've descended the stairs into the swankiest, dark, underground jazz lounge with swilling martini's and polished wingtips. Other times, the music leaves you on a front porch in the deep South, at dusk on a hot, humid day; alone with the creak of a rocking chair and the glister of beads of sweat on the brow. No matter what unique imagery it evokes, the more one listens, the more they will need to keep listening to find out what happens next. The album is sure to excite but shares the ability to relax and inspire. It is great music to chill out to or as background at a party. The profundities are savored even more in private, allowing the listener to ponder and enter a state of rumination. Having a great deal of filmic capabilities, County Road X can act as a great soundtrack for life.
The close of the CD takes bold steps outside of the momentum of the previous tracks, yet holds true to the overall ambience. A progression of mellow piano chords set the stage for a moving encore, while the pedal-steel guitar and featured accordion spin colors of sound and emotion into cryptic melodies. It leaves you in a state of satisfaction knowing that there is still plenty of room in the universe for beauty and art to exist through music.
Drew Brightbill,
Adventure Records
Please email us your review of the County Road X CD at reviews@AdventureRecords.com