Tag: High/Low Recording

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The Words Come First

It’s no easy thing to pin down something as mercurial as a memory, as fleeting as a feeling, with nothing more than mere words. But to singer/songwriter Alex da Ponte, such an act comes naturally. Da Ponte is a poet’s songwriter, as evidenced by her recently released single, “The Revolution,” recorded at Pete Matthews’ and Toby Vest’s High/Low studio.

Da Ponte was surrounded by music and storytelling from an early age. There was always a piano around the house, and her family members are no strangers to singing as a means of passing the time. In fact, her great-great-grandfather was Lorenzo da Ponte, librettist for Mozart, who wrote the words to Mozart’s operas. So her felicity with a turn of phrase comes as no surprise. “I’ve written songs in a lot of different ways but it always turns out best when the lyrics come first and I put guitar to it later. I’m a writer before I’m a musician,” da Ponte says. “Writing, by blood, is my strong suit, I think.”

The songwriter has done the work of self-discovery, both as an artist and an individual, and her lyrics resonate with the hard-won wisdom of a gentle soul. As an out member of the LGBT community in the South, da Ponte’s journey toward embracing herself is one that has not always been met with approval. “I’ve always hated the idea of perpetuating the ideology that these things are abnormal because they’re not,” da Ponte says. “We are here. We have always been. I hope that as a gay artist my openness is one account of many that allows a more human view of people and relationships. Something for people to connect with and come together over.”

Perhaps that’s why so much of da Ponte’s work feels anthemic. She knows something as natural as expressing love can be deemed a dangerous act. So her songs become a rallying cry for everyone brave enough to live in love, to show up for family when life gets messy, to be their truest selves.

Still, for da Ponte, openness has not always been easy. She found out earlier this year that she is autistic. “Finding that out was really incredibly helpful. Like finding out that I have a place in the world and in that place everything about me that was so bizarre or unusual suddenly makes sense,” da Ponte says. “There’s this new culture where people are embracing their otherness and ironically this is bringing people together and closing these gaps. I absolutely want to be a part of that movement.” She aspires to make music that people can relate to while also being a voice for lesser-heard groups.

“There were so many times when the merch table after a show was flooded with people who were touched by my lyrics and they wanted to connect with me as a person and I couldn’t give them that. That’s where my autism hurt me,” da Ponte says. “A big part of being successful in this industry is being able to cultivate a following and build relationships. So I felt I really held back, and at the time I didn’t know why. Now I know why. The diagnosis has allowed me grace with myself but it has also given me a better understanding of myself and the ways in which connection is possible.”

If da Ponte seems driven to accomplish much — self-examination, deeper connections, musical maturity and meaningfulness — she has her reasons. For a young artist, she has had more than her fair share of close brushes with death. Her younger brother died almost exactly a month before her son was born. “It was such an intense experience to watch my child be born and go home with a newborn all while in the thick of grief,” she remembers.

The singer’s late brother has inspired several songs. His voice and his laugh are even memorialized on “That Sibling Song” from da Ponte’s third album. She strove to capture her family’s passion for music in song, so she invited her family members to come sing on her album. “At the very end of this track you can hear my little brother say, ‘We’re related to Alex da Ponte. She’s aight,’ and then laugh. Had to incorporate him in some way. Any excuse to hear his voice. Part of grief, for me, has meant finding ways to keep him alive. Now he’ll forever be chuckling at the end of one of my songs and I love that.”

As da Ponte puts it, the songs keep coming still, but the songwriter confesses that she has held back some of herself in the past, stopped just shy of giving her all to her musical career. That’s why these days she’s throwing herself into her craft. Galvanized by the knowledge that life offers no guarantees of second chances, made self-assured by newfound knowledge of herself, da Ponte is devoting herself to her music, without excuses or inhibitions. Da Ponte has been hard at work on new songs — “Dead Horses” and “The Revolution” — and has resumed rehearsals with her bandmates Joe Austin and Kevin Carroll, after a pandemic-induced hiatus.

“I know real magic can happen if you stay open,” da Ponte says. “I can’t wake up 20 years from now wondering ‘What if?’ So this is it. I’m going all in.”

Alex da Ponte’s “The Revolution” is available on all the usual streaming services.

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Music Record Reviews

Mark Edgar Stuart’s Folk Beef: It’s What’s for Dinner

For all the “folk” in its title, Memphis songsmith Mark Edgar Stuart’s just-released EP Folk Beef boasts more electric guitars and horns than I’ve come to expect from the singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist. The result is excellent, and, if not a cure for the quarantine blues, at the very least a welcome distraction.

The EP was recorded by Pete Matthews and Toby Vest at High/Low Recording, and it rises to the high bar set by the recording duo.

“Color Wheel” finds Stuart doing what he does so well — grappling with life’s Big Issues and making them personal and approachable through the lens of his perspective. Sickness, death, love — the Memphis songwriter has handled heavy issues with dexterity before, and “Color Wheel,” Stuart’s account of his growing understanding about his own white privilege, is no exception. 

“I’d rather be wrapped up with ya, baby, than to be out on my own. I got no plans. I’m happy at home,” Stuart sings on “Happy at Home,” a rockin’ number that sounds like it was written in quarantine. In fact, unless the great Dolly Parton released a quarantine anthem that slipped by me, I see no reason why “Happy at Home” shouldn’t be the official Tennessee tune to combat coronavirus. Somebody cut Stuart a check and put this song in a PSA about social distancing. 

“99 Percentile Blues” finds Stuart having fun taking — and landing — shots at the current administration. “This land is my land, not your land, and your land is my land, too,” Stuart sings. The song doesn’t take itself too seriously, but Stuart’s lyrics have barbs. 

With crunchy guitars, wailing horns, and faintly warbling keyboards, “Goobertown (Rerun)” is a delightful bop of an instrumental. It feels not unlike being over-caffeinated with nowhere to go.

Jamie Harmon

Mark Edgar Stuart

The gem of the EP is, to these ears, “Faxon Wizard.” The song is firing on all cylinders, but the harmony vocals (Luke White’s angelic tones, perhaps?) are the piece that pushes it over the edge.

“Over and over, like pages we all turn. Turn on each other until we crash and burn,” Stuart sings. “Crash and burn on your front porch. I’ve been here all night long. Don’t leave me hanging out here on my own.”

The so-called Faxon Wizard is a recurring character on Stuart’s social media — a be-robed and staff-carrying man who can be spotted walking in Stuart’s neighborhood. Whether the lament is from the perspective of the famous Faxon Wizard or only inspired by him — or just named after him, Stuart only knows. But sweet bearded sorcerer, the song is a boon to the ears and the soul.


I didn’t intend to do a song-by-song review, but here we are at the EP’s final track. “Superstar Hillbilly Nova” tells the tragic true story of Jimmy Ellis, an Elvis impersonator. It’s a late ’50s rock-and-roll shuffle complete with Jordanaires-esque backing vocals. It’s silly and fun. 

Stuart’s knack with a clever word is a draw to listeners and musicians alike. The players on Folk Beef are an all-star cast of Memphis’ rock-and-roll, Americana, and honky tonk set. They include Art Edmaiston, Johnny Argroves, Landon Moore, Al Gamble, John Whittemore, Krista Wroten, Jana Misener, Luke White, Rick Steff, Alex Greene, Toby Vest, Scott Bomar, James Godwin, and Matt Qualls. Everyone’s contributions help Stuart fashion a textured and endlessly listenable little record.

And seriously, “Faxon Wizard” is so damn good.

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Music Record Reviews

Worrywart: Michael Jasud’s New Single

Michael Jasud, of Dead Soldiers and Detective No. 1 fame, released a new single using the name, The Smartest Man in the World, on Tuesday, May 19th. Though he’s worked on the project since the last days of Dead Soldiers, the new release could not be more timely for listeners with plenty of worries. The song, “The Ultimate Worrier,” is a sonic salve to soothe the listener’s jangled nerves.

The song opens with bright acoustic guitars and quiet percussion that at first calls to mind The Beatles’ “I’ll Follow the Sun.” The comparison is quickly dispelled by a turnaround that feels distinctly American — and by Jasud’s country-tinged vocal delivery.

Devotees of Jasud’s career will note that “The Smartest Man in the World” is the name of a track from Dead Soldiers’ 2017 album The Great Emptiness. About his new musical moniker, Jasud says, “As far as the band name is concerned, I’ve found that if you talk to any one person for long enough that they seem to know everything. Global warming, the economy, how to handle a pandemic? They’ll know. I’m certainly no different.” Jasud continues: “So does that make me the smartest man in the world? Technically, yes, because I’ve now released music on digital platforms calling myself that, so I think legally that’s my name now. In the future, once I have fans, I will call them the smarties or big heads or the big brains or maybe the brainiacs. I haven’t decided.”

Joey Miller

Michael Jasud

The song was recorded at High/Low Recording with Toby Vest and Pete Matthews, frequent creative collaborators with Jasud.

“The Ultimate Worrier” feels more in keeping with Jasud’s work with Dead Soldiers, though it has more of a ’70s high-and-breezy feel, whereas Dead Soldiers leaned into a rough and raucous persona they called city music. Still, though the production is as crisp as that of Detective No. 1’s multilayered, genre film-influenced instrumental vamps, there are fewer bells and whistles here. That’s not to say there isn’t plenty of ear candy on Jasud’s newest release. The guitars shimmer, and the organ conjures a hauntingly wistful mood. The bass walk-down at about 1:55, simple though it is, made this reviewer look up and smile. Musically, the song is a celebration of the joys of subtle touches put to good effect.


Lyrically, the song muses on the futility of worry, imagining a pugilistic worrywart stepping into the ring to take on catastrophe and uncertainty. “Because the only things that you can lose / Are the things that you already have / That’s the price you pay for living here, I guess / Is to have a future and a past,” Jasud sings.

So, dear reader, never fear. Jasud worries so you don’t have to.

The Smartest Man in the World’s “The Ultimate Worrier” is now available on all digital platforms.

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Graham Winchester’s New Record

CREDIT: Andrew Fleming

If you go out to hear music, chances are you’ve heard Graham Winchester play drums. He’s played for Copper Possum, Mojo Possum, Jack Oblivian, the Sheiks, and the Booker T. & the MGs cover band the Maitre Ds. One wonders how in the world he found the time to make his self-titled solo record. But he did, and the album is evidence of a talent that goes beyond beatkeeping.

“I sit at the piano, and I hear a melody,” Winchester says about his songwriting process. “Sometimes, the usual chord that would go there doesn’t really bring out the emotion of the lyric I’m trying to write. So I definitely try to transpose the key wherever I can, depending on how I want the feeling to be.”

Those key changes, also known as modulations, are what separate great songwriters like Elvis Costello, David Bowie, and the greats of the early 20th century from, say, Grand Funk Railroad. Winchester is on the favorable side of that continuum. His mother plays classical piano and Jesse Winchester was a first cousin once removed. So he naturally comes by his chords.

“The Beatles are obviously a huge influence. I’ve been listening to a lot of Jesse Winchester, who I dedicated the record to. He’s got a lot of key changes. I definitely listen to a lot of Bowie, later Beach Boys stuff. I’ve been obsessing over Big Star and Dan Penn. Old Memphis stuff and all the Booker T stuff.”

While there are some smarts to the harmonies, Winchester kept an earthy vibe to the record by inviting bandmates Clint Wagner (fiddle), Randal Morton (National Bluegrass Banjo Champion), Bill Mard, and Daniel McKee (bass). There is an acoustic feel throughout, even to the electrified instruments.

“I think it’s more important when you’re using piano and fiddle and instruments like that. I’m into doing lo-fi stuff and all that, but when you’re using these stringed instruments, those don’t cut through so well when you are chunking it up. You don’t want to hear a great grand piano sound distorted or anything like that. I’m a pretty big fan of the Band and of Jeff Tweedy and Wilco. In the way that the Band had the Big Pink, and Wilco has their loft in Chicago, I really liked working at High/Low. I really felt nestled down in this nook with these vintage intruments and keyboards. It felt organic.”

Like with many initial solo projects, the songs span Winchester’s creative life from high school through the present.

“I wrote the fifth song, ‘Saenger Creek,’ when I was 17. Then ‘Walk on the Shore,’ the Booker T-ish one, was written a few weeks before we started the recording process in May. That was after we had the Maitre Ds, and it was directly influenced. I wanted, after all these lyrics and all these changes, to just have something kind of soothing and instrumental that speaks for itself to close out the album.”

After playing in groups and as a sideman, Winchester was more than ready to take responsibility for the songs and arrangements.

“One thing I like about the record is that usually somebody besides the drummer writes the songs. If it’s a record where you start with the drums and then piece on, usually, it’s not the drummer who wrote the songs. So I could play by myself on drums envisioning the energies that would be there and the dynamics. It’s kind of hard to tell that the record was layered on like that because there are some organic explosive moments.”

For those instrumental parts that he didn’t do himself, he relied on trusted collaborators who go back even further than do the songs.

“I had friends like Bill Mard, who came and played a majority of the guitar stuff. Then Daniel McKee played bass on everything. They both did a great job. Bill did ukelele, acoustic guitar. Bill was a former bandmate in Copper Possum and Mojo Possum. He’s a friend since childhood. Daniel and I also met in fourth grade at Lausanne. We go back to middle school playing in bands together. He was going to play on four or five tunes on bass. I was going to do the rest on a Moog synthesizer bass. But there was a point halfway through the session when Toby Vest looked at me and was like, ‘Man this guy is so good, you’d be a fool not to just let him play the album through.’ I was totally in agreement. He really just slayed it on this album.”

Winchester developed his network of players and his chops with many local bands. But the soul-revival project with the Maitre Ds finds him studying the masters in fine detail and playing with some of the city’s finest instrumentalists. Playing a set of Booker T & the MGs material is a pretty bold move in Memphis.

“It’s been a real challenge. With me, and with so many other drummers in town, we definitely sing Al Jackson’s praises. And touching his body of work — in the same way I’m sure it is for someone doing Cropper or Booker T or Duck Dunn —it’s intimidating. Not only are the beats and grooves he’s coming up with unique, it’s as much about how they are played as what they are. So you get a simple groove like ‘Green Onions.’ I’ve heard so many bands cover that song and do this bar-rock shuffle thing. But it’s really a specific groove that Al Jackson is doing. Even more specifically, the feel of that simplicity makes the song believable and is that Memphis sound.”

In undertaking such a task, Winchester, along with organist Adam Woodard, guitarist Restivo, and bassist Frank McLallen, demonstrates an easy-going confidence and affability that underlie his success. He also works harder than most musicians in town.

“I know there are plenty of drummers in town who are probably more worthy of taking on the project. But, like a lot of things in Memphis, it’s kind of down to whoever starts it. Eventually, you’ve got to have somebody get a band together and rehearse and start playing live shows. I feel like that’s the case with every instrument in the band. It seems like a band that a lot of Memphis music nuts would love to start. We finally just did it. It was really cool, right after we started it, getting to play at the mayor’s office. He did a speech downtown, and I think John Miller set that up. That’s the kind of group we want it to be. We want to be that band for when people are having a very Memphis party. We’d love to be the band that plays that kind of music that nobody really plays. We heard about another band in Austin that’s a Booker T tribute band. But they use seven-piece drums sets and a Nord [electronic] keyboard. That’s what’s really cool is that Adam has actually found a Hammond [organ of the type] that Booker T used on the first two albums. He’s got an M organ sawed down in half, so it’s portable. So there’s definitely a dedication in the band to get the tones right.”

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Clay Otis and Shadow Brother at the Hi-Tone

CREDIT: Josh Breeden

They’ve been busy at High/Low Recording.

“This year has been really neat,” Clay Hardee, who uses the nom du mic Clay Otis, says. He and collaborator Toby Vest are gearing up to release a heap of music recorded at Vest’s studio over the past year. Otis and Shadow Brother celebrate the release of their single “Adderall Girls” b/w “Lauren Bacall” on Friday, December 5th, at the Hi-Tone.

The new music represents another stylistic shift for Otis, one toward a more synth-driven sound.

“It was super fun to Kanye out and just be intense and get into it,” Hardee says. “It was a really intense process in terms of how we worked on it.”

Josh Breeden

Clay Otis and Shadow Brother

Last March, he released Citizen Clay.

“That was the record with the Dream Sheiks,” Hardee says. “We made that record in three days, and it was a real rock record. Then we finished that and Toby and I started this latest project.”

Variety is a key component to their collaboration.

“I think [the new direction] is Clay’s curiosity,” Vest says. “If you look back at all the things he’s done, they’ve all been different. A lot of it has to do with the people he has around him. That’s one reason my brother and I always liked working with him. If he comes in and says, ‘I want this to sound like Brian Eno meets Bobby Brown,’ we’re like, ‘Okay, how do we do that? Let’s try.'”

Vest is at work on his first solo record as Shadow Brother. He and his brother Jake have played in bands with Hardee and others, including Tiger High, Augustine, and Bullet Proof Vests.

“I had done all of the recording and played and sang,” Vest says of the earlier work. “But mostly it was Jake and Brent Stabbs writing the songs with Clay.”

Hardee is glad to hear more of Toby’s creative input.

“I really like his aesthetic,” Hardee says. “So I asked him if he wanted to work on some songs that were totally different from Citizen Clay. We cut about 15 songs. We’ve got these two singles [“Adderall Girls”/”Lauren Bacall”]. We’ve got another 10 that we’ll release this spring on an album called Vagabond Hearts. Toby played 80 percent of the instruments, wrote the songs with me, produced it, and recorded it himself,” Hardee says. “Musically, it’s pretty well Toby. Then lyrically and atmospherically and the ideas, it’s pretty well me.”

Hardee, who day gigs as a wine broker, keeps his creative self moving.

“I just wrote some songs with Brad Postlethwaite of Snowglobe,” Hardee says. “I’m singing with <mancontrol> in January. I’m thrilled about that. It’s my favorite thing going on. They are super creative and their noggins are wild for as down-to-earth as they are in everyday life.”

Vest recently partnered with engineer Pete Matthews.

“I like the vibe of it,” Hardee says. “I like to think that Pete’s technical know-how and years of experience are matching up with Toby’s kind of do-it-yourself ethos. Toby knows how to match bands in the modern music environment. He can match bands’ budgets and bands’ enthusiasm and go as fast as the band can go. But Pete has worked on Paul Simon records. So Pete’s from the old school. A little more deliberate. He can make things sound perfect. I think he needed a little of Toby’s kick in the butt to meet the new market. I think Toby needed a little bit of mentorship. As long as the place keeps the kick-your-shoes-off, feel-at-home creative vibe, then it can’t be anything but awesome.”

As for touring? Not so much.

“Being in a van with a bunch of dudes?” Vest asks. “I can make a better living here at home. It would be a definite strain on everybody to tour. But I don’t think that’s necessarily the point of it. The point is to make these cool things and let Clay do these live shows. We’ve never played a show with less than 100 people there. Clay is this charmer, this snake oil salesman who can just preach. That has a lot to do with people knowing Clay. He’s an energetic and awesome performer and a guy nobody knew had musical aspirations until three or four years ago. To me, they are studio records. They are records that I dive into, and we do a release show or something. But really, the main part for me is the recordings. I really take pride in them and enjoy doing it.”

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Tiger High: Inside the Acid Coven

Greg Roberson is many things: drummer, label owner, radio personality, scarf-wearer, producer, and self-starter. To that last point, when Tiger High — his band with brothers Jake and Toby Vest — finished their new album, Inside the Acid Coven, I contacted them about an interview. As my sleep patterns are a perfect negative to those of the band, we settled on email. When Roberson sent back the answers, he added several questions to the list. Whether this is OCD or a willingness to outwork other musicians doesn’t matter. Toby runs High/Low recording studio, where the record was made. Jake recently finished a solo record and moved to New York. With side gigs and plenty on their plates, Tiger High shows no sign of slowing down or cooling off. The new record demonstrates mastery of the pop chorus and of the Fender amplifier. Also in evidence is a love for Phil Spector by way of the Jesus and Mary Chain.

Flyer: Who writes your songs?

Toby: We all do. Any one of us is capable of crafting a song or producing a musical moment, but Jake is certainly the catalyst.

Do you record live or assemble things through overdubs?

Greg: We cut, mixed, and mastered two complete full-length albums, a single, and an EP all at once. We cut a total of 27 songs during the sessions that produced Inside the Acid Coven. Eleven of those songs ended up on the LP. Unlike the songs on Inside the Acid Coven, the 14 other songs from the sessions had been part of our live show for some time. Ten of those songs are on the following album, Tropical Illusion, and two songs will be on a single, both due summer 2015.

Toby: The first two records, Myth Is This and Catacombs After Party, were both written and recorded quickly as a three piece with me engineering. Then we’d develop the songs through overdubs afterward. There was a focus on destruction on those two records. A lot of harsh guitars, cassette loops, and running sounds through huge pedal chains. The Inside the Acid Coven tracks weren’t rehearsed a lot, but we consciously spent time arranging them before we cut them. We always remain open to things changing in the moment. This is also the first recording where I’ve been able to track live with the band because we brought Pete Matthews in to man the controls during tracking. Having Pete there really allowed me to focus on my playing and the sounds we were creating as opposed to the technical stuff. Of the two records we cut during these sessions Acid Coven is really the most straight forward. The other, Tropical Illusion, is much more spacious and psychedelic, longer songs and such. That one was developed through performances and had ever-shifting arrangements that we let evolve over about a year of shows. So there’s no real cut and dried way in which we approach each record. We try to keep it fresh and try new things.

Jake: Inside the Acid Coven was a complete concept that was conceived and recorded all at one time. It’s also the first record of ours where Toby truly used his studio as one of his many instruments, crafting and shaping the sound. When we mixed Acid Coven, Pete, Toby, and I were extremely meticulous with tones and atmospheres. When we mixed Catacombs, we ran the whole thing through a Fuzz War pedal and called it a day.

Greg, you have experience in radio and promotion. What’s important after making a record?

Greg: With Trashy Creatures Records I have put together a great team, and building the right team has taken some time, but we are all happy with the crew. The first thing after Toby and Pete mix a record is mastering. Brad Blackwood does all my mastering. So many people neglect this step; it’s the final step that really completes a record. Real mastering is important. I have good distribution for hard product and digital, as well as good PR firms for radio, blogs, and print. All of those are key to spreading the word.

What Memphis music influenced Tiger High?

Greg: A ton. I was born here and raised here, we all were, in fact. This city is it musically for me. I have been lucky to have had players like Paul Burlison, Roland Janes, and Jim Dickinson as mentors. Just being able, over the years, to go around the corner and see everybody from Rufus Thomas, Grifters, Oblivians, B.B. Cunningham, Jay Reatard, Alex Chilton, to Lee Baker has been like a dream.

Toby: I feel the influence is huge, and that’s not to say that we’re actively trying to recreate a sound or pay homage to anyone in particular. I just feel that this city is a magnet for creative people in general but musicians specifically. The unbelievable wealth of talent in this city is often ignored because we don’t have the flash and notoriety of other “music” cities. But I’ve had the opportunity to work with a lot of people at High/Low, and I’m constantly amazed and thankful to call those people my friends.

Y’all haven’t played since 2013. Why not?

Toby: We took time off before we even started to look for a replacement for Greg Faison. Time off was a strange concept because, in that period, we all worked together on side projects, all of which feature all of the members of Tiger High. We had to reconfigure Tiger High, but that didn’t stop us from being productive.

Who is the new addition to the band?

Greg: Our new bass player is Leo Ramos. He is a really creative guy and a great player. He’s super easy going and enthusiastic. He’s a great fit. He was the first and only guy we auditioned.

Toby: Leo has great taste and is musically adventurous. Qualities we admire. He’s been great.

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Never Too Late

CREDIT: Lindsey Butler

Local filmmaker Clayton Hardee, aka Clay Otis, openly admits that he more or less stumbled into his musical career.

“I had no intentions of doing music. I didn’t do my first record until I was 30, and that was because a movie I was working on got turned down,” Hardee said. “I sang a song to Jake [Vest], and the next thing I know we started doing a record.”

Recorded at High/Low Recording over three days last spring, Hardee’s third full-length, Citizen Clay, sees The Sheiks joining his longtime backing band, Dream Team, providing more depth to the improvisational music that serves as the backdrop for Hardees’ vocals.

“From the get go, the Dream Team has been on everything I’ve ever played on,” Hardee said. “My backing band has always been Greg Faison on drums, Brent Stabbs on bass, and Jake Vest on guitar. But then I got to be friends with The Sheiks and fell in love with them a couple years ago, and they’ve been killing it since we asked them to join the band.”

Described by Hardee as his biggest sounding record yet, Citizen Clay is equal parts “bloated ’70s rock and the punk rock response to bloated ’70s rock,” which is Hardee’s way of saying it’s diverse. Lyrically, Hardee said that Citizen Clay unfolds like a news program, examining social issues like pharmaceutical drug abuse and wealthy excess. Approaching his lyrics the way he approaches film-making, Hardee said that Citizen Clay is also his most thematic album to date.

Clay Otis and The Dream Sheiks celebrate the release of Citizen Clay this Saturday at the Hi-Tone, with the recently reunited Chinamen and Perfect Prescription opening. Doors open at 9 p.m., and admission is $5.