MOJO
“The real joy of the Deadstring Brothers is that they don't do what you expect them to do. For a start, they're from Detroit, but sound like neither the MC5 nor The White Stripes, no working-class bite or minimalist pride here. Instead the band's sound is rooted in country - The Jayhawks perhaps, or the twang of a gentle Rolling Stones - but even this is not without surprises. There is an urban edge, a whip across concrete in freezing winter. An idiot wind, if you like, with vocalist Kurt Marschke recalling an angry Bob Dylan in tones that suggest a denim jacketed Lyle Lovett. This is real steel, and plenty else too. A fine album from a band who sit uncomfortable and warm." back to top
Bite Me Zine
Detroit's own Deadstring Brothers sound nothing like the MC5, Bob Seger, or Kid Rock. They are all Nashville by way of New York City. Clearly nodding to Exile on Main Street era Stones, the Deadstring Brothers deliver beautiful Americana music to break your heart. Just three years old, this quintet-originated by vocalist Kurt Marschke and pedal steel guitarist Pete Ballard-sound like they've been drinking St. Louis beer and playing darts in the same dive since 1973. Rounded out by pianist Aric Karpinski, bassist Phillip Skarich, and drummer William King the Deadstring Brothers are a shoe in to be future Farm Aid headliners. By god, Willie Nelson will be proud to buy them a drink. Stand out tracks include: "27 Hours" and "Entitled". This is a beautiful record! -Brendan McMahon back to top
CityBeat
Detroit's Deadstring Brothers' self-titled debut brings to mind the airy piano ballads of Goat's Head Soup-era Rolling Stones. And while the specter of Gram Parsons looms large over the entire Americana Y'Alternative scene, we find here the rare band that truly deserves the comparison. The Deadstring Brothers have reaped something fresh from the much-trod pastures originally sown by Uncle Gram. Fusing bluesy Rock swagger and the hard Country flourishes of dobro and shimmering pedal steel with pure Pop piano pounding, singer/guitarist Kurt Marschke leads his unruly gang of Motor City anti-heroes through tales dripping with stark imagery and broken hearts.
The dueling pedal steel and piano of the infectious opener, "I'm Not A Stealer," perfectly portray the classic Old West scene of two gunfighters facing off at sunset. After the snare drum finally lets the shots ring out, the band falls back in with a glorious ruckus of a slide guitar break swirling left and right, making your speakers dizzy until the song's catchy chorus snaps you back to bleak reality. And that's just the first track. The whiskey tenor harmonies prevail throughout, and the ghostly but sharp production here is particularly rewarding. - Ric Hickey; Grade: B+ back to top
Delusions of Adequacy
The Deadstring Brothers struck a good note with me before I even listened to the disc, because I really dug the simple hand-stamped packaging that brings me back. The sticker on the back tells me to "think Gram Parsons meets Hank Williams at Nick Cave's house for a drink or three," and I know that I will like this album immensely.
Based out of Detroit, the band originally started in 2001 as a duo of Kurt Marschke on vocals and guitar (also of Sponge fame) and Pete Ballard on pedal steel and dobro. Deadstring Brothers soon added Aric Karpinski (piano, organ), William King (drums, percussion), and Philip Skarich (bass, percussion, backing vocals), and the group has been getting noticed for their interesting take on Americana. With the inclusion of dobro and pedal steel, it would be easy to assume that the Deadstring Brothers are a country band or at least alt-country in the vein of Wilco or the Old 97's, but the music here is more of an amalgamation of styles.
Album opener "I'm Not a Stealer" definitely has an alt-country vibe, but the rock and blues influences are much more prevalent. The arrangement is a perfect and from the beginning you note that these guys are giving it all they've got. Though it's a laidback tune, from the very first listen the melody is contagious. "Entitled" is the one truly upbeat track, and it cranks up the attitude level quite a bit. These two are easily my favorite tracks on the album because everything else takes a rather melancholy turn that you really need to be in the mood for. - By Jennifer back to top
Handlebars
"Think Gram Parsons meets Hank Williams at Nick Cave's house for a drink or three," or so says the sticker on the back of the Deadstring Brothers' self-titled album. Listening to the first 30 seconds of an easy drum lead-in on the opening track, "I'm Not a Stealer," and I'm finding the comparison hard to believe. But then singer Kurt Marschke bursts onto the track with his gritty tenor and the opening line, "Woke up this morning/Covered you in wine," and I know everything's gonna be alright. Add piano, organ and Peter Ballard's finesse with a pedal steel and the end result is more "Jeff Buckley meets Uncle Tupelo at Mick Jagger's house." Not too bad for a five-piece band whose roots lie in Motown.
"Entitled," the fourth track on the album, is raucous and sexy and full of abandon as Marschke sings "thou shall not covet thy neighbor's wife/cause if he do he might find a knife/stuck right in his neck." Easily the best track on the album, "Entitled" is rock 'n roll, it's blues-it's Americana only the way a Detroit band could do Americana. While no other songs on the album quite match the energy of "Entitled," that is not to say they're without intensity. Some of the more somber tunes like "Such A Crime" and "It Takes Love" conjure up Buckley in their melancholy, while "27 Hours" and "Lay Me Down" bring levity to the album (if not in words, than at least in tempo...). Another standout track, "I Know You Dear," is haunting and atmospheric, with a constant, almost tribal drumbeat driving Marschke's alternating whispers and wails of "I know you did/I know what you did/I know you did. By Jen Guerra back to top
Kitty Magik
Suppose The Band ("Unbroken") had some sultry swagger to them, and Robbie Robertson actually had his heart shattered by a lover. Add a heady voice that wavers like Jeff Buckley's ("I'm Not A Stealer") and you'll get a glimpse, but just a glimpse of Detroit's Americana-infused rock 'n' roll group the Deadstring Brothers. Instead of sounding like yet another Detroit Rock City band, this five-piece band follows the roots of America's country and folk-rock portraits more than anything else.
With tempting pedal steel and gracious piano, the band's debut album steadies itself on alt.country themes, but thrives with emotional intensity and prospers with a bit of a battered mentality ("I Know You Dear"). The illusive side of The Rolling Stones ("It Takes Love," "Entitled") and the romanticism of Gram Parsons ("27 Hours") loop the very concentrated music that grounds itself in rock 'n' roll but truly flourishes with the heart of Americana. It's important to note that the addition of warm female background vocals heightens each song's moving sensations. It might sound like a lot of comparisons, but that's only because the Deadstring sound is so unique, no you could never pick just one influence. By Shannon McCarthy back to top
The Philler
Detroit. The rise to fame of The White Stripes has led the city to be considered a central hub of the current phase of garage rock that has taken over. However, despite the Motor City's strong affiliation with boisterous rock and roll, the new self-titled debut from Deadstring Brothers presents a collection of Americana so authentic you'd never guess it came from Michigan. At the root of Deadstring Brothers are singer/guitarist Kurt Marschke and Peter Ballard a pedal steel player.
Since their initial formation as a two-piece in 2001, the group has expanded into a quintet with the additions of keyboardist Aric Karpinski, drummer William King, and Philip Skarich on bass, backing vocals, and additional percussion. The result is a full, confident sound from a band that despite not necessarily fitting in with its conceived environment has managed to feel right at home opening for performers such as Cat Power and the Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash. By: Phill Ramey back to top
Tablet Newspaper
Whew, this is a great disc! The Deadstring Brothers are such great songwriters and they really know how to pace an album: two rarities in this day and age, even in the singer/songwriter realm. Fans of the Pernice Brothers, Mike Ireland, or the Scud Mountain Boys are gonna eat this band up. It's not so much that they sound like any of the aforementioned as much as it is just that same type of vibe - great pop songs that just happen to sound kinda rootsy. I find myself playing this disc over and over again; even if I'll think about putting something else on, I'll just skip that thought play this again. There is no best song here; the entire thing is fantastic, with each song flowing into the next just like they should. A true ALBUM and those are in short supply these days. -MF back to top
alt.country.nl
Detroit is not exactly renowned for its (Alt) Country scene. In the past, the city gave birth to the Motown sound, but also embraced 'Heavy Rock' acts like MC5, Iggy Pop, and more recently the White Stripes. Considering this, it's a wonderful surprise to see this debut album from the Deadstring Brothers coming out of the Motor city. This record sounds like the Rolling Stones would have sounded, if they had replaced Mick Taylor by Sneaky Pete (Flying Burrito Bros) instead of Ron Wood. Peter Ballard's steel guitar work, alternating between swooning Country sweeps and full-out rocking is the big catch in the sound of the Deadstring Brothers.
The brothers were founded in 2001, by Ballard and singer-guitar player Kurt Marschke, when they met during some session work. Initially a country cover band, they soon started writing their own rootsy material, and started the five-piece Deadstring Brothers. The combination of electric guitar, steel guitar and dobro (Jones Street, I know you Dear) produces a varied kind of rootsrock, where keyboard Aric Karpinski takes on a similar role as Nicky Hopkins did (in the Stones). The Deadstring Brothers can easily handle uptempo Rockers (I'm Not A Stealer, Entitled), but sound just as comfortable on ballads like Unbroken (that ends in a guitar solo, that seems to come straight out of Detroit's sewers), and It takes Love. The comparison with the Rolling Stones is even more inescapable, because Marschke's voice often sounds like a twin brother to Mick Jagger's singing. Without sounding as a cheap copy, and fortunately lacking the mannered phrasing of Sir Mick. Without being world-shaking, this record really grows with every spin. Deadstring Brothers is the best Country album that the Rolling Stones never made! back to top
Logo Magazine
Though they call Detroit home, the Deadstring Brothers have little truck with the swamp-blues and frenetic rock 'n' roll that has put the city back on the map recently. Some cross pollination is obvious though; it's in outlook, mood and attitude. It's all about location, and though Kurt Marschke's yearning lyrics and the prevalence of moaning steel guitars recall nothing less than the red-eyed country that emerged from Keith Richards' sojourn at Ville Nellcôte in the shape of 'Exile On Main Street', there's little swagger here. Instead this, their debut, evokes the frustration and resignation of their home: a crumbling, once thriving community now desolated by economics gone bad and violence gone mad. At its best country speaks from the heart; this one shouts. - Michael Ornadet back to top
Uncut Magazine
“Emerging in 2001, these Detroit brothers lash the hard-livin' loucheness to traditional country ache. Frontman/songwriter Kurt Marschke's wail is Jaggeresque and there's lonesome balladry aplenty ("27 Hours", "Such A Crime") plus enough "Happy"-like fretwork to suggest what might have been had Gram'n'Keef really got it on. "Entitled" pits the sideways chug of The Breeders "Cannonball" against early Replacements sneer, and dobro/pedal steel player Peter Ballard tints the skies with a yearning airiness. Seriously impressive." back to top
Q Magazine
“They hail from Detroit and sound like The Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers was never off their stereos, Wild Horses and Dead Flowers especially. Better still, the Deadstring Brothers do things the way even mean old Merle Haggard would surely appreciate: Bakersfield grit rather than Nashville polish, and none of the half-arsed shambling that passes for so much Americana these days either. With I'm Not A Stealer making an especially taut addition to the gun-slinging outlaw hall of fame, plus lashings of sinewy steel guitar and a 10-gallon hatful of howl-along choruses, what urban cowboy could possibly resist?" back to top
Erasing Clouds
For all the posing, posturing stuff that gets released every week of the year - you know, the clever-clever, trendy, arch material that critics are supposed to like but nobody buys - there are always acts like Deadstring Brothers - the sort of group that looks back at the ever-lengthening history of rock music, pinches the best bits and still comes up with something that sounds original, if not classic. This debut album comes fully-formed; songs hit you between the eyes from the word go - and the four guys who make up the group - Peter Ballard, William King, Ario Karpinski, Kurt Marschke and Philip Sharich - sound like they've been together for an eternity. Everything sounds fresh and new; guitars sparkle, the rhythm section rocks, and nice touches of pedal steel and hammond add just enough colouring.
Initially, this sounds like a full-on, Exile On Main Street-era rocker, but wait a sec... these songs have a heart. Who could fail to be moved by the ballad Unbroken, or grin at the opening chords of "Lay Me Down"? Unlike The Stands or The Thrills, who wear their influences all too plainly on their sleeve, Deadstring Brothers have the feel of veterans. Every play reveals some sonic addition, some tweak that shows you that this bunch know what they're doing. And they're doing it very successfully. back to top
Cornell Daily Sun
The Deadstring Brothers are fashioning a sound that hasn't quite hit yet. It's a little bit country, a little bit rock 'n' roll, but certainly not the Osmonds. These siblings fall into the charmingly obscure category of alt-country (not Americana), which sounds fairly cool, but what exactly is it? Well, by name alone, you could deduce that it's some sort of hybrid of alternative rock and country. But what does it sound like? Johnny Cash's rendition of "Hurt?" It could, but maybe it's more. With all due respect to the great Cash, the Deadstrings are aiming higher than the singing cowboy pigeonhole. Edgy vocalist Kurt Marchke's stylings seem slightly more vulnerable than your average country crooner and could find an audience at an urban café just as easily as a rural saloon. The easy pacing of "Such a Crime" and the slightly more uptempo "Unbroken" attest to the group's ability to surrender themselves to each cut's particular melody, allowing listeners to be drawn not only by clever songwriting and ingenuity, but to the sheer ambience these elements together create. By Justin Finch back to top
Dusted
For most of their debut album, the Deadstring Brothers sound both completely genuine and wonderfully refreshing. The guitar swipes on leadoff track "I'm Not A Stealer" wash over its barren drumbeat like lightning, and the foreshadowed storm bursts formidably in a flurry of piano and pedal steel as singer Kurt Marschke cries, "Woke up this morning / And covered you in white." This is a country album that exudes authenticity like few in recent memory.
Unfortunately, the novelty of authenticity doesn't really last. The album eventually begins to fall into clichés that are half the band's own and half public domain at this point. After four or five excellent songs, they seem to have showcased the extent of their repertoire, and the latter half of the record runs like a repetition of the first with none of the surprises. Marschke's thick tenor (one of several ways the band often recalls the Rolling Stones) and classically downtrodden lyrics are rich and consistent, but they prove to be limited to "Jones Street" and "Such A Crime." Similarly, the constant wall of guitar, piano/organ, and steel/dobro makes for a lush barroom feel, but doesn't offer too much melodic variety.
Then again, isn't it a little foolish to expect a country album to make more than a handful of moves? Johnny Cash, whose influence is in spades on Deadstring Brothers (culminating in a cover of "The Long Black Veil"), doesn't endure for his powers of musical reinvention, but for his iconic life and earnest, world-weary sentiments. While that may be out of reach to five guys who might be mistaken on the street for the members of, say, Hot Hot Heat, it's certainly hard to blame them for trying to recapture that honest simplicity. The fact that their approach is more fleshed out than Cash's is no real reason to complain of its repetitive nature; rather, the fact that they do it so right over and over - on their first outing at that - makes them all the more praiseworthy. By Daniel Levin Becker back to top
Jeffconews
In 1968, Gram Parsons replaced David Crosby in the Byrds to record the legendary "Sweetheart of the Rodeo." If he had instead hooked up with the Rolling Stones, "Beggars Banquet" may have sounded much like the Deadstring Brothers solid self-titled debut. Parsons pushed the rock-rooted Byrds into Nashville, helping invent the country-rock genre along the way. Likewise, Pete Ballard of the Deadstring Brothers uses his pedal steel to paint a country sheen over his band's Stones-style blues rock anthems. Singer Kurt Marschke clearly wore through a few copies of "Beggar's Banquet" and "Exile on Main Street" while developing his style. He is proudly influenced by both the Glimmer Twins, even dropping obvious lyrical nods to the Stones. On "27 Hours," he sings "If it gets up, you'll let it bleed," in his best cocky Mick Jagger drawl. All the while, he backs Ballard's melancholy steel guitar with his own lazy Keith Richards blues riffs.
The album even follows a song cycle similar to "Banquet," opening with a mean rocker, "I'm Not a Stealer," and putting a long, plaintive ballad, "Such a Crime" near the end of the album. After 10 originals, the album closes with a stirring cover of "Long, Black Veil," a heartbreaking story of murder and adultery made famous by Johnny Cash. Recorded before Cash died in September, the Deadstring cover is an unintentional but touching tribute to the man in black. Throughout the record, the Deadstring Brothers pour a few more tears in their beers than the Stones. The record is heavy on ballads, but the band is not afraid to rock, particularly on "Entitled," a brash, arrogant thrasher. It's hard not to picture Mick's signature swagger as Marschke sings "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife. If he does, he might just find a knife sticking out of his neck." While a couple of the ballads are bland and derivative, the album overall packs an impressive punch for a debut. Expect great things from the Deadstring Brothers. back to top
Paste Magazine
In the early 1970s, Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards became buddies with ex-Byrd and country-rock pioneer Gram Parsons. Rootsy tunes like "Dead Flowers" and "Torn and Frayed" were inspired by Parsons, who toured with the Stones in England and hung around the studio while the band recorded Exile on Main Street. At the time there were rumors Parsons might even join the Stones, but instead he went the solo route. For anyone who's ever wondered what such a collaboration might have sounded like-I give you the Deadstring Brothers. The Detroit band's eponymous debut-full of rockin' honky-tonk piano, churning distorted rhythm guitar, twangy pedal-steel and singer Kurt Marscheke's impassioned Jagger-esque moans-might as well have been titled, "Exile in the Gilded Palace of Sin."
With wistful, sad-eyed ballads ("27 Hours," "It takes Love," "Such a Crime") and guitar-fueled mid- to up-tempo rockers ("I'm Not a Stealer," "Entitled," "For a Time"), the album is more-than-solid all the way through; pound-for-pound one of the best roots-rock records of 2003. The band also includes a nicely-arranged version of an American folk classic, "The Long Black Veil," which recounts a tale of friendship, murder and adultery. They even hint at the Southern gothic vibe of 16 Horsepower on the haunting minor-key dirge, "I know You Dear." Having shared the bill with bands like Cat Power, Eleni Mandell, Jesse Malin, Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash, and most recently Drive-By Truckers, Deadstring Brothers is a band to keep an eye on. By: Steve LaBate back to top
River Reporter
It took a bit of doing to get a copy of this disc, but the wait was worth it. The Deadstring Brothers base their music around interplay between guitars and pedal steel and often trade licks much in the way jazz musicians do. Their vocal work and material is equally impressive, as is their choice of "Long Black Veil" as the lone cover tune, rendered very close to The Band's version. Highly recommended. Learn more about The Deadstring Brothers at timesbeachrecords.com. back to top
Uptown Mag
On their self-titled debut, the Deadstring Brothers have constructed a perfect slice of Americana. That in itself is no small feat, though it does seem odd that such a fine roots album comes via a quintet out of Detroit. While most of their Motor City counterparts have chosen to crank their amps past 11, the Deadstrings opt for a mostly quiet, sombre affair. The album's more raucous moments do have a definite swagger to them, calling to mind the blues-boogie rock of the Stones, but the true highlights stem from the interaction between pedal-steel player Peter Ballard and vocalist Kurt Marschke, a perfect fusion of vox and guitar. Ballard's top-notch playing seems to make the saddest vocals that much more pained. Throw in a healthy dose of Rhodes organ and you have a stunning debut. By: Jared McKetiak back to top
Hi-Fi News
Whenever I hear people talking about alt-country, the kind of music I hear in my head is something with the bollocks that was long-sinced excised from the Nashville crossover kings and queens of AOR, something with its roots in Hank Williams and the Flying Burrito Bros, something almost exactly like this, in fact. And anybody with the nerve to start an album on that hoariest of old blues lines, "Woke up this morning" has to have something going for them, especially when the album in question is decidely country rock in nature. This must be what country rock sounds like when it comes from Detroit, because that legendary, grimy motor city is the home of this gutsy, rootsy quintet.
Fronted by songwriter Kurt Marschke, their songs also showcase the pedal steel wizardry of Pete Ballard, and are much enhanced by the back-up vocals of Masha Marijeh, who isn't actually a member of the band but probably should be. The songs waste no time in starting, thunder along and then end long before you've had time to get bored with them. In between, apart from Ballard's consistently spectacular steel, they manage to find space for some admirably concise killer piano solos while Marschke spits out his angry lyrics. If you've felt for years that there must be some really fabulous country rock out there somewhere, but you just can't find it, check out the Deadstring Brothers. Performance: vibrant and vigorous; Recording: Punchy; back to top
NetRhythms
If you've been hanging around waiting for a band to pull together influences from Exile On Main Street era Stones, Gram Parsons and The Band, look no further. Indeed one point around Exile there were rumours that Gram, who'd toured with the Stones, might hook up with them on a full time basis. With Kurt Marschke's Jagger-like vocals, this Detroit five piece's debut gives a good idea of what might have resulted. So wistful dobro country (Jones Street, the slightly Dylanish 27 Hours), meets mid tempo r&b guitar strutters (I'm Not A Stealer, Entitled) in a Southern honky tonk then, in what's essentially an entire album of Gilded Sin and Dead Flowers. It's derivative but it's quality derivative, the soulful Unbroken a spooked lonesome desert I Know You Dear and even a narcotic, pedal steel layered slow sway through The Long Black Veil just a sample of its familiar sounding charms. back to top