Drag the River - It's Crazy

*Let me preface this review by saying that I, David Barker, am not the drummer of Drag the River. That's Dave Barker. (I'm also not other music journalist David Barker; he's much better.)* An unlikely gang, Drag the River is comprised of ALL vocalist Chad Price, Armchair Martian vet Jon Snodgrass, J.J. Nobody (formerly of, who'd have guessed, The Nobodys), Spacey Casey (from Hot Rod Circuit, I think?) and the aforementioned Barker, exercising their country demons. In fact, if I were to describe Drag the River to a neophyte, I'd say they were what Lucero would be if those Memphis boys had embraced traditional country instead of just copping the Southern drawls and a few twangs here and there. Not to put Lucero down, they're one of my favorite bands, but Drag the River follow them and Uncle Tupelo as "cow-punks," bringing a DIY ethic and punk attitude to a genre that's lacking it--at least on the commercial surface. Then again, the roots of the two genres aren't that dissimilar. Snodgrass and Price have successfully adapted their voices to suit their rootsy alt-country; so much, in fact, that it's impossible to discern the musicians' former engagements. If I didn't know better, I wouldn't connect Drag the River to anything "punk rock" at all, as they've done quite the job on masking it. They're closer to Whiskeytown or Son Volt than Lucero (sans their first record) and Uncle Tupelo. Requisite steel guitars and booze-inspired tunes dot the album, as does backporch introspection and heartache. I won't claim to be any kind of expert on country music, but I can't see Drag the River breathing any new life into anything. They're content to rely on soul and solid songwriting, both elements they've managed to keep intact for the record's full duration. For whatever my opinion's worth, It's Crazy is all the alt-country you'll need this summer, and for a bunch of redneck punks, Drag the River ain't doin' so bad. [www.dragtheriver.com]