The Candidate - Reverend Shine Snake Oil Co.
Check out more on Reverend Shine Snake Oil Co. here - R.S.S.O. & Co. recently dropped their album "Anti Solpsism pt. I Creatures" which you can buy here . If you're into blues, rock & roll, gospel, well, music in general- R.S.S.O.& Co. has a little something for everyone. I especially appreciate the poetry inherent in the lead singer's Claudius Pratt's lyrics. Having known Claudius since back in the 90s, it's inspiring to see his talent grow and how he has tended his craft with diligence and patience. Put that together with Mathias Klein on drums, Martin Ollivierre on bass and Justin Moses Gunn on guitar and you have a pretty electrically-charged experience. If you ever have the opportunity to check these guys out live, I say do it. It truly is a multi-faceted submersion into time and space, where rhythms and cultures communicate with each other, weaving a tapestry of inclusion--thus achieving in music what so often fails in politics. From their 2013 press release:
"The album will be released in two parts.The first act “Anti – Solipsism prt. 1... Creatures” is tak- ing shape with the help of their new partner label EMK in Sweden. Recorded by Roger Langvik in an old prison in Gothenberg, Anti- Solipsism prt.1 & 2 are based on the compulsions, idiosyn- crasies and delusions of a mad hermit. His break from reality is brought on by the numerous failed relationships and his attachment to inanimate objects. He takes on a saw, a violin, an umbrella and some crutches as friends and breaths into them life through his stories of misadventure.REVEREND SHINE SNAKE OIL Co. has gained a reputation for intensity in their live shows, which is how they secured a booking contract with Germanys up and coming MAG- NIFICECNT MUSIC at the start of 2012."
R.S.S.O. & Co. is what you listen to if you want to feel the heartbeat of that by-gone era where the Lower East Side and the East Village was full of squatters, grit and history. It's what you listen to if you want a glimpse back to that time where anything seemed possible - including being able to look forward and imagine a re-calibrated reality. If you wanna come close to the originality of that time and place, a time where NYC was abuzz with colonizing artists rich with talent although perhaps poor on cash--this is the band to listen to.