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Scrapomatic:
Sidewalk Caesars - Landslide Records
Allison Hersh review from Hittin' the Note #57
Long before he joined the Derek Trucks Band in 2002, Mike Mattison launched his career as the lead singer for Scrapomatic, a two-man, roots music-inspired group rounded out by award-wining guitarist, songwriter and singer Paul Olsen. Although Mattison stays busy with a full touring schedule with the dTb, he still makes time to record and tour with Olsen.
On Sidewalk Caesars, Scrapomatic's much-anticipated follow-up to 2006's Alligator Love Cry, this talented duo perfects a lean, mean sound born of the blues, nurtured by American roots music and given shape by Mattison's soulful growl and Olsen's propulsive guitar.
Both raw and polished, the band's third album has a giddy, bipolar feel, swinging wildly between high-energy stompers like "I Want the Truth" and laconic meditations like "The Old Whiskey Show." Sidewalk Caesars kicks off with the atomic blues blast of "He Called My Name," a plaintive challenge to fate, Jesus and anyone else who might help provide relief to a rundown, world-weary soul. "I'm drowning in the river/ Tell the fisherman I took the bait," Mattison pleads in his signature rough velvet voice. In a guest appearance, Derek Trucks provides inspired slide guitar accents to this soulful plea for redemption, offering graceful melodic counterpoints that hint at the possibility of salvation.
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Thanks to Mattison and Olsen's creative songwriting, Sidewalk Caesars is populated by a host of colorful characters in a rich songwriting tradition that includes a diverse array of artists from the Grateful Dead to Tom Waits. "Hook, Line and Sinker" tells the story of a down-on-her-luck girl with "grease in [her] teeth" who lives in a world without love and can't find salvation in religion because she "never believed in something that's invisible." This slow-burn portrait juxtaposes Mattison and Olsen's voices in an intoxicating duet and reveals Olsen's ability to give life to tragic characters through his literary songwriting.
In a similar vein, "Drink House" documents a quick pick-up scene between a man and a woman at a local bar. The characters may be drawn with loose brushstrokes, but their one-night-stand intentions remain perfectly clear. "I ain't no doctor, woman/ I ain't no doctor's son," Mattison intones, "but I can cool your fever/Until your doctor comes." The situation turns downright apocalyptic in "The Fire Next Time," Olsen's Old Testament-inspired tribute to the Biblical flood unleashed for 40 days and 40 nights to rid the earth of human cruelty. As bad as the flood may have been, he suggests, what lies ahead for humanity may, in fact, be far more harrowing. "Lord, it's getting hot down here," Mattison wails mercilessly. "God sent to Noah the rainbow sign/ But it's going to be the fire next time."
Two cover tunes – Robert Hazard's kinetic love song "I Just Wanna Hang Around with You" and Skip James' country lament "Drunken Spree" – round out the song list on the CD. It will come as no surprise to dTb fans that one of the biggest treats on Sidewalk Caesars is Mattison's voice, which ranges from a gravely howl to a sultry purr. With 13 tracks, Sidewalk Caesars underscores the band's commitment to writing and performing songs with a deep awareness of musical history and to focusing on timeless themes of truth, love, dreams and salvation. Whether their delivery is rough or smooth, Scrapomatic's unbridled passion for music is positively contagious and guaranteed to have you tapping your toe and singing along in no time.
In addition to Derek Trucks, guest musicians on the album include Count M'Butu on percussion (he also contributes some unforgettable yodeling on "Drink House"), Tyler Greenwell on drums, David Yoke on guitar and Ted Pecchio on bass. Recorded at Bakos Amp Works in Atlanta, Sidewalk Caesars has a distinctly Southern feel, combining classic country, urban blues and contemporary soul into one eclectic, uplifting, fun-loving celebration of American music.
Originally from Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, Mattison and Olsen share a love of jazz, roots music and blues. The duo began playing together more than a decade ago and were honored with Minnesota Music Award nominations for Best R&B Group and Best Male Vocalist before moving to New York City in 1997.
Although their creative paths have diverged and re-crossed over the years, their latest album showcases their complementary voices and songwriting styles, both of which are in fine form. Both Mattison and Olsen enjoy creating songs inspired by musical styles that are dear to their hearts. As Sidewalk Caesars demonstrates clearly, for Scrapomatic, the third time really is the charm.
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