steel train

On a snowy December day in Durango, Colorado, I found a stack of newly released ‘used’ cds for 3 or 4 dollars a piece. Not a bad offer – so I grabbed a couple that caught my eye. One which I wasn’t quite sure of was Steel Train’s Trampoline. Now with a name such as Steel Train, I was imagining they’d probably be middle-aged men doing ‘southern adult rock’ ….not something that would really excite me. Despite this premonition I thought I’d give it a chance. (Though I have since found out that they take their name from a Bob Marley song….go figure)

Lucky for me, I made a good choice… while there is an element of the southern rock in the album, its life (& their youth) is breathed through some catchy indie-pop/rock tunes. Many of the songs are summer jangles sounding like a blend of Phantom Planet & My Morning Jacket - though the final song "Women I Belong To" does have more of a country kick & a twangy hidden track.

Through a first listen, I was sparked by the song “Dakota” (S. Dakota being the land of my birth) While the song begins mentioning a girl named Dakota, it is transformed into a ‘place’ where everything is alright - “like heaven” – lead singer Jack Antonoff adds in an interview with Daytrotter. Welp – obviously not the Dakota I live in (with 40 below gusts of wind and empty desolation to drown in) Ah..

Anyway, Steel Train has an all-star cast with the original Broadway Simba (Scott Irby-Ranniar) & a former lover of Scarlett Johansson (Jack Antonoff).

Speaking of Johansson – she is popping up all over in the music world. Beyond being inspiration for Steel Train songs & singing karaoke in Lost in Translation, she starred in a Bob Dylan & a Timberlake music video, the new ‘viral’ Yeswecansong video and has a rumored Tom Waits cover album coming out this year. I’m curious how she will compare with other actors-turned-musicians…. Well, I give William Shatner credit for working with the Lemon Jelly.

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steel train is currently on tour - check them out.

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