Over the past two years (give or take) I have come to know again full well that it is an honor and a privilege, and for some a responsibility without choice, to be a Memphis musician. Specifically, a Memphis rock musician and songwriter in a band. A scene which is as individual, amazing, and unique as any group of artists I have ever been around, much less live, work, and make music with: including each artist, each band, each bill, each club, each home studio, and each way.
All that being said, I was asked to answer the question of who my favorite current Memphis band is (thank you Vinyl District for asking my humble opinion) and my answer is Dragoon.
These guys are truly a collection of, in my opinion, some of Memphis’ finest and longstanding stalwarts of our fair city’s monolithic rock scene and history. They are rocking for the fences. I dig them, simply put, (and theres nothing simple about what Mr. Lamkins does to his bass) because of the brilliant ways in which they meticulously but with apparent ease, cut up musical time, both effortlessly and beautifully filling sonic space in all their songs, setup, and sound.
“Golden Hips” is a perfect example of the instrumentation weaving together to create the melodies, harmonies, and rhythms unique to Dragoon. It’s like a skyscraper: each floor independent from the others yet built upon and supporting the next. Along with the order it creates, the music feels like a ride at some crazy fair which allows ticket holders to drive a race car off a cliff landing in a scalding hot pool of rock.
Dragoon sounds like a well-oiled rock and roll jet powered clock shop, that rifles out the musical version of Wonka’s RedGreenBlue never ending gobstoppers, in appreciation…
and you’re left clapping and laughing…and totally blown away.
http://soundcloud.com/dragoon-music/golden-hips
Singer/songwriter/musician, Brad Pounders has been in and around the Memphis music and art scene for over a decade, writing, recording, producing, performing and releasing records with such groups as The Clears (working with Steve Shelley, drummer for Sonic Youth and founder of Smells Like Records), Viva’ La American Deathray, Vending Machine, and the Candy Company, as well as maintaining his own songwriting career. He has also worked with many notable Memphis music engineers, filmmakers and photographers as well, including Doug Easley, Scott Bomar, Monsieur Jeffrey Evans, Ross Johnson, Mike McCarthy, J.D. Reager, Dan Ball and Sarah Fleming. Pounders’ many releases, both solo and with groups, have been placed in multiple films, with recent actvity for his song “Atmospheric Change” (of his “She Shakes” release, as centerpiece in the award winning indie short, “Training Wheels”, as well as receiving both national and international press and airplay from Australia to Poland.)
Pounders upcoming release, working title After the Fall will feature his new band The Alluvial Fans.
