Knaves and Moneychangers
Vital Mines
Self Released

A while back, I was at a Whiskeyhounds show and a fellow attendee asked me why there’s an overabundance of Americana music coming out of Cleveland. “From where better,” I muttered back, thinking that even defining Americana music as a genre is to take a very narrow view. Necessary in some review situations, but narrow nonetheless. To this reviewer, “Americana” and all its subsets are simply classic American music; more often than not, the historically-aware music serves as underpinning for very human American experiences lyrics. If there aren’t real American stories and existential anxieties to be found in the “Rustbelt Buckle,” after the decline of heavy manufacturing and industry, then where?

A lot of local groups tap into that well of emotion with great posture and the quartet Vital Mines is no exception. Led by the raspy, sandy vocals of Dan McCafferty, Vital Mines embraces the jangle of alt-country and roots styles, while leaning on influences that range from Dylan and Springsteen, to classic rock, to Whiskeytown and R.E.M. And while his vocals occasionally veer off-key, he and Brian McCafferty (bass), John Pistone (guitars) and Mark Miller (drums) show a great deal of promise on Knaves and Moneychangers. It sounds a lot like they do live, which makes the 11-track offering a great calling card.

After leading off with “Quiet Desperation” (which could be considered a theme for Cleveland by some) the band settles into a shimmering, laid back sound. “Going to Carolina” starts off like a Springsteen classic, channeled through Tom Joad; “Backroads (to Doug Sahm)” shares a sense of purpose with the Grateful Dead and Black Crowes (e.g. “She Talks to Angels”); the set-closer “Wondrous Apparition” and “End Times” works with a much more summery meter -- perfect for you No Depression junkies. In all, this disc has the energy and dynamics in the right places and suggests bigger things to come for them. The backing vocals of erstwhile Cool Cleveland music critic Leslie Basalla are a nice touch throughout the release, too, softening the songs and harmonies quite well.

Vital Mines releases Knaves and Moneychangers at a CD Release Party this Friday, July 13 at 9PM at the Barking Spider, 11310 Juniper Rd. Visit the Barking Spider at http://www.barkingspidertavern.com. Visit Vital Mines at http://www.vitalmines.com and on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/wearevitalmines.

From Cool Cleveland Managing Editor Peter Chakerian peterATcoolcleveland.com
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