Original Graveyard Blues. by Meantone

Yes, Meantone just might be the bastard son of John Lee Hooker and Black Sabbath but what is the trace of the Green Hornet? If you see Meantone live, you will then understand. He sings through a gas mask and runs up and jumps off walls like a kung fu action hero. To top it all off Young Brett looks like a cowboy. Either you love Meantone or you think they blow.

REVIEWS:

"Knock Knock" is the kind of song that makes me wanna, oh, I don't know, shoot stuff or run through alleys with stray dogs." - Aimsel L. Ponti Portland Press Herald

"Meantone walks on the wild, bluesy and boozy side of life." - Block Island Times

"The meanest blues in town." - Amy Martin Portland Phoenix

INTERESTING SOUNDS FOUND ON MEANTONE'S CD-Spotlight Seacoast Arts & Entertainment

When a man writes you and signs off as the name "Meantone," you take notice. It's not every day you get a message like this -- in fact, for me, it was a first. He told me he was a slide blues guitarist, working as a duo with drummer "Young Brett." He told me he was playing in Portsmouth at Bourbon's on Nov. 30. He told me he was sending me a press kit for review. I said "OK."

Meantone's debut album "Original Graveyard Blues," is an interesting take on blues music. Meantone has steeped his vocal chords in plenty of whisky and has come out sounding like a cross between Elvis and John Spencer. His fretless slide guitar playing style is as zany as select Primus tunes with a touch of ZZ Top mixed in for good measure. The two together (vocals, and playing) make for some interesting sounds.

Upon opening Meantone's album the liner notes are nothing more than a long story of how Meantone came to be -- inheriting his "Golden Slide" from, none other than Kingtone "_ crazy. Meantone writes in the voice of Kingtone, "The only way this golden slide will serve you is on guitars without training wheels," which is a humorous introduction into the fretless guitar he continually shreds upon.

It's been said that Robert Johnson garnered his playing ability by selling his soul to the devil down by the crossroads. It wouldn't surprise me if Lucifer sent Meantone himself to aid in teaching Johnson just how to get it done.

Just when you think things couldn't get any more bizarre, they do. Meantone also sports a gas mask, through which he sings several of his tunes to get the echoed "graveyard" effect that makes these songs so fun and, without a doubt, very unique.

With a front cover that boasts a gas-masked face with full-on devil horns jutting out to either side, all the while serving as a platform for a feather stuck cap, and a back cover that includes the track listing, which begins with the aptly titled "2 Hookers & a Case of Beer," it would be sin if you didn't indulge in the contents of "Original Graveyard Blues." Better yet, do yourself the favor of checking out Meantone when he shows up in Portsmouth for what will surely be a memorable evening of good ol' rockin' blues. I'm sure you can pick the record up at the show (or at your local Bull Moose).

-- Christopher Hislop

The "Official & Authorized" History of MEANTONE

It all started a long time ago when KINGTONE handed down the Golden Magic Slide to MEANTONE. KINGTONE disclaimed, "The only way this Golden Slide will serve you is on guitars without training wheels." Since MEANTONE already had his training wheels removed, he knew what KINGTONE was saying. KINGTONE further disclaimed, "If you dishonor this virtue, your slide and you will burn to dust and will be forced to listen to the crappy pop music forced fed onto the masses for eternity. MEANTONE knew this was serious. He couldn’t imagine no greater hell than what KINGTONE was prophesizing.

For the next six years MEANTONE constantly reinvented his sound and style. He went into the studio to record for a total of ten times. Four were done in professional studios while the others were done at his home studio. He scrapped eight of them. They weren’t good enough. Something was always missing. Either the guitar sound was not there or just a combination of blasphemies. As a matter of fact, one studio recording was never even heard. Imagine that. Never hearing your tracks. These blasphemies either were a blessing or the work of KINGTONE’S evil twin brother…BADTONE. MEANTONE was never able to figure out which, but in the end, maybe it was KINGTONE’S overall plan.

Anyway, It took MEANTONE’S pilgrimage from the concrete jungle to Mt. Tunetown in Wells, Maine. (Go figure.) At Mt. Tunetown, MEANTONE discovered his true sound and the reclusive shamin Dr. Audio who was able to capture those sounds. Of course it wasn’t easy at first. It took two separate recordings a year apart because MEANTONE scrapped nine of the first nineteen songs recorded. They weren’t right. He changed his guitar setup and sound once again and by the second time MEANTONE and Dr. Audio met, eleven more songs were recorded and the sound was exactly what the long journey was for. So, between the two recordings at MT. Tunetown, the MEANTONE sound was finally captured. It was an elusive bugger to say the least. By the way, poor Young Brett had to deal with two years of this craziness. Young Brett was wondering why he called that drummer ad. Yes, that’s right, during the pilgrimage, MEANTONE set a trap to capture a drummer. The only poor bastard that answered was Young Brett. MEANTONE has officially knighted him for his endurance.

So, when you listen to MEANTONE’S songs, remember the 9th and 10th time is a charm. Hopefully, this is the beginning of another long and fruitful journey. In the immortal words of KINGTONE, "You suck 90% of the time. If you’re lucky, people will only be listening to the other 10%."

Average Customer Review: 4