Mechanical Bull | A Million Yesterdays

Woodstock MusicWorks
Review by M.R. Smith

You’ve got to hand it to songwriter Chase Pierson. Alongside knockout chanteuse Avalon Peacock, he’s made the most of the deep talent pool of Woodstock, utilizing the services of producer/guitarist extraordinaire Adam Widoff and local legend Chris Zaloom (on steel and slide guitars), among others, to bring his rural song stylings to life as Mechanical Bull. Recording at the renowned Stoney Clove Lane, signing to the new Woodstock MusicWorks (see Jan. issue), playing out in Woodstock, Kingston, and beyond…good moves all, making MB the premier new “country” contender in the region. Let’s hit play…

With opener “Dreaming Days,” Avalon takes center stage with a laconic Lucinda Williams-style delivery, supported by mandolins and dobros, starting things with a more laid-back Texas style. Chase comes in with vocals on “Crazy Lady,” which hits with a more Southern Rock style a la Marshall Tucker, and we can see right off the bat that we’re taking the Nashville bypass. “Desert Air” featuring Avalon’s buttery-sweet delivery over Stratocasters and Hammond B3s, reminiscent of the outro to “Freebird” complete with ooh and ahh choruses confirms this. Welcome to California, by way of Florida.

The next five songs feature Chase on lead vocals, with mixed results. On the plus side, the songwriting and production seem to settle into a distinctly country-fried groove, with some choruses becoming more apparent (“Debts,” “Find a Home”), and Chase’s personable salt-of-the-earth persona getting more play. The not-so-plus side is less compelling melodies and Chase’s tendency to push the grit factor in his voice too hard, pushing toward the “Larry the Cable Guy” side of the country schtick meter. When he eschews this vocal tendency (“The End,” “Biggest Nerd In Class”), his not-quite-Gram/Emmylou blend with Avalon works much better, the well-written lyrics resonate more.

After the reverbed-out She’s-So-Heavy vibe of “Lukewarm Coffee,” featuring Avalon again, Chase brings the variety of elements all together with a fine chorus on the title track, and finally coalesces into a looser and live-er sound (featuring lovely guitar work from Zaloom and Widoff) that suits the band well. Then, it’s “Goodbye Woodstock,” which echoes the sentiment many have in this area when winter arrives, and the sweetly brief “DJ Dancer (Isa’s Song),” which, again, as long as Chase avoids the grrr part of his voice, has an effective…yep, downright honest country style that shows real promise.

In contrast to the pneumatic neo-Country coming out of Nashvegas lately, Mechanical Bull offers a pretty smooth, occasionally challenging ride. Step right up, and see how long you can hang on. www.mechanicalbullband.com, www.woodstockmusicworks.com.