Theodore - Defeated TN & Songs for the Weary

Theodore hails from St. Louis, and their sound echoes the souls adrift in the American Midwest. Catching them live is a stirring experience, not being able to escape the bony grip of each song while being transfixed by Justin's vocals, which flutters between softly charmed verses and spirit wrenching lyrics from somewhere at the bottom of his lungs. JJ's lap steel brings the loneliness of the open country road into focus, with the only light coming from the headlights of the rare passing car. The occasional accordion influence almost shows you the little single room church off to the side between corn fields. Andy stands off to the side on the old bass fiddle, as country parlance would have it, and adds in the strong-backed support of the farmer of those corn fields, up before dawn, in bed most days by dusk. Except for those nights when the whiskey demons show up on the porch. Jason ties it all together, as the rake scrapes against the drum, with the ebbing flow of life at a slower, more honest pace.

Music reviews tend to be cut and dry with the "great sound, clean crisp vocals, strong bass lines, skilled guitar playing" nonsense. Bands like Theodore that fill your head with an image, a story, and take you on a trip with them in the passenger seat of a beat up '72 Ford pickup down the back roads, are the ones worth listening to. If you're into the sound, I really emphasize that you need to get both of these albums. Whether these guys stay a great secret on the scene, or they blow up to Wilco proportions, you'll listen to the entire album a couple times on the first go around and come back for more.

Defeated, TN has an amazing deep sound that really showcases what they're all about. The album is released on vinyl only, with an available digital download with the purchase of the record. But really, this is an album that's meant to be heard in the glory that is lo-fi, on a good old fashioned turntable. 9 tracks that give you the feeling of life and relationship in a real place on the outskirts of Carthage, TN. After giving the tracks here a glimpse, stroll on over to the Rock Candy review from St. Louis Today. The story behind the album is a moving tale in itself.

Defeated, TN Pt. 1
The Story


Songs for the Weary is the epitome of the sound that many americana slash folkish bands seek to emulate. Strongly reminiscent of the cosmic sound fashioned by Gram Parsons, it moves you on the inside, and connects you to the phantoms that are Theodore. For their debut album, it's a strong step out of the gate in a long overlooked genre. It's not about the polish or catering to images, it's about the sound. Which, the band did solidly on this release.

back from the war
home, tonight, I go

(samples are from the official Theodore site)

Theodore live @ The Space parlor