DC Rock Live - Review by David Hintz

PATRICK CROWSON "A MILE PAST THE DEAD END" Eleven songs of loner folk music here. Normally it is called 'loner stoner' folk music, but there seems to be more of a sober clarity here. Only the artist knows for sure, but at any rate, there certainly is plaintive lonesome singing atop guitars, distant harmonicas, and bottleneck chords sliding off deep into the desert horizon. The vocal work is different, but I get the same general vibe that I get when I hear Baltimore's Red Sammy. The moody world created here stays in a hazy focus throughout the eleven songs. My only issue may be the steadiness of it all. It's like a long drawn out passage in a Sergio Leone film, that while may be ten times as long as comparable scenes, but lacks the uptempo change of pace at the scene's end. But I still find lots of colorful moments in this album.The album has a bit of a collage puzzle where I believe the song names are present. So I will skip the individual songs but recommend a listen for loner folk fans. August 2012 Reviews