Phases and Stages
BY MICHAEL CHAMY
May 23, 2003
Greater Southbridge Soundtrack
(Tight Spot) Like so many absurd little outposts in America, Southbridge, Mass., is defined by its yokels -- the town jokers, derelicts, and uh,Abe Lincoln look-alikes. Having grown up in Southbridge, Rod Murphy is more than familiar with the town's collection of endearing oddballs, and his award-winning documentary Greater Southbridge stands for more than just one tiny dot on a map.That's why he put his Austin buddy John Hunt, frontman for local indie rockers Fivehead, in charge of the film's music.The assembled collection of Austin musicians and extended family reflect the "heartfelt handshake with small town America" Hunt refers to in the liner notes. Each track opens with nigh-unintelligible conspiracy theories and beer-can monologues lifted from the film. Musically, the soundtrack comes charging out of the gate with the Skynyrd-meets-"Cotton-Eyed Joe" of "Peelin' Out in Zeus' Yard" by Li'l Cap'n Travis, small-town heroes trapped in a midsized Austin.The ensuing Americana travelogue "Red Carpet Ride" from Ohio's Tiara is both memorable and definitive. The rousing "Long Fence" by Hunt's old band Silver Scooter strolls into a town square populated by Austin's Kiss Offs, Spoon,American Analog Set, Centro-matic's Will Johnson, and of course Fivehead (the reflective "Hard Luck Skanks"). Just as good are two USPS-friendly songs by scratchy-voiced Northeasterners: "252 Elm" by the Richard Buckner-like Dan Cray and My Brother Zebulon's Southbridge anthem, "01550." Greater Southbridge: Austin meets Boston at an Eastside yard sale with whiskey flowing from the jar.
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