Outformation – Traveler’s Rest

Outformation
Traveler’s Rest
Outerprise

If you can’t tell by the old west images on the front cover, Outformtion is a country rock band that leans heavily on jam band antics. The band features guitarist and vocalist Sam Holt, bassist Grady Upchurch, drummer Lee Schwartz, keyboard player C.R. Gruver, and Jeff “birddog” lane on additional percussion.

Traveler’s Rest sounds like a soundtrack to indie-rock spaghetti western. “Carnac” relies on a driving up-tempo guitar riff and light percussion, and “Dark Severinson” asserts a live atmosphere with a lush piano line until Holt opens with “Thank you all for coming, it’s a lot of fun” which gives way to a distorted guitar solo.

But Outformation sounds best when tackling straight up county takes, such as the track “Winds.” The band conjures up images of drunken saloon nights, with Holt singing “Why does everything fall all to hell when I’m gone/I seen it all go wrong up at home with a song/Blow your dreams away like the winds of Mexico.” The problem with Traveler’s Rest is that the riff-age just isn’t that memorable, and the production leaves the guitar sounding thin.

The group seems more focused on the instrumentation, which may be why the vocals don’t have the power and southern drawl that is a necessity in country rock. Traveler’s Rest appeals to the listener’s inner blue-collar worker and feels like the band at your local dive bar, but that maybe that’s what they’re aiming for in the first place.

- Richard Giraldi

"Carnac"


Originally published in OffBeat April 2008