JONNY TWO BAGS
''SALVATION TOWN''
APRIL 1 2014
37:34
1 /One Foot in the Gutter /3:31
2 /Avenues /3:32
3 /Then You Stand Alone /2:53
4 /Clay Wheels /4:15
5 /Forlorn Walls /3:34
6 /Wayward Cain /2:52
7 /Ghosts /4:32
8 /Hope Dies Hard /4:12
9 /Alone Tonight /4:06
10 /The Way It Goes /4:07
Steve Berlin /Saxophone
Jackson Browne /Vocals On 3
Terry Evans /Vocals
Davey Faragher /Guitar (Bass)
Joel Guzman /Accordion
Brent Harding /Guitar (Bass)
David Hidalgo /Accordion, Bajo Sexto, Guitar (Electric)
David Hidalgo Jr. /Drums
Vincent Hidalgo /Guitar (Bass)
Thelma Jones /Vocals
Chris Joyner /Piano
David Kalish /Celeste, Guitar (Bass), Hammond B3, Slide Guitar, Timpani,
Vibraphone
Greg Leisz /Pedal Steel Guitar, Slide Guitar
David Lindley /Dobro, Fiddle, Slide Guitar
Arnold McCuller /Vocals
Danny McGough /Hammond B3
Julie Miller /Vocals
Gaby Moreno /Vocals
Alexis Ross /Colorist
Zander Schloss /Bouzouki, Guitar (Bass), Mandolin
Pete Thomas /Drums, Percussion
Jonny Wickersham /Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Baritone), Guitar (Electric), Vocals
Jeff Young /Hammond B3, Piano
Review by
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stepping outside of Social Distortion, which has been his steady gig since 2004, Jonny Two Bags reiterates his varied palette on his second solo album, 2014's Salvation Town. Not as blaring or ballsy as Social Distortion but certainly still muscular, there's a slight rootsy underpinning on Salvation Town; a bit of Tex-Mex surfaces on "Avenues," "Clay Wheels" lopes along on a lazy country beat. Despite this Nudie Suit flair -- which isn't evident just on full-song digressions into certain styles, it's there in the arrangements and the well-worn interplay of his backing band -- Salvation Town is, at its core, a strong rock & roll record, one with deep roots but no sense of living in the past. Jonny Two Bags never shies away from his middle age -- it's present in his concerns, his far-reaching influences, how he carries his guitar -- but that's the appealing thing about Salvation Town; it's an appealingly adult rock & roll record, one that still kicks up dust and has a vulgar tongue and proudly displays every last one of its scars.
Review by
MusicDirect
Solo Debut from Social Distortion Guitarist Jonny Wickersham
Salvation Town, the surprising and powerful solo debut by Jonny Two Bags, guitarist for the Southern California punk rock institution Social Distortion, defies expectations at every turn. Produced by David Kalish, noted for his long association with Rickie Lee Jones, at his Redstar Studio in Los Angeles, the album features 10 striking original songs written by Jonny Two Bags aka Jonny Wickersham.
A diverse array of talent that spans the musical spectrum was enlisted for the recording. Jackson Browne shares vocals with Wickersham on “Then You Stand Alone,” while David Lindley, whose guitar work graced several of Browne’s classic ’70s albums, contributes to four tracks. Los Lobos’ multi-instrumentalist David Hidalgo and his sons David Jr. and Vincent join in on “Wayward Cain” and super-sideman Greg Leisz (Lucinda Williams, Eric Clapton, K.D. Lang, Dave Alvin) also appears on guitar.
The drum chair is filled by Pete Thomas, a mainstay of Elvis Costello’s bands. Wickersham’s colleagues in Social Distortion, keyboardist Danny McGough and bassist Brent Harding, join on a few tracks while Austin accordion luminary Joel Guzman and bassist/punk kingpin Zander Schloss (Weirdos, Circle Jerks, Thelonious Monster) round out the lineup.
''SALVATION TOWN''
APRIL 1 2014
37:34
1 /One Foot in the Gutter /3:31
2 /Avenues /3:32
3 /Then You Stand Alone /2:53
4 /Clay Wheels /4:15
5 /Forlorn Walls /3:34
6 /Wayward Cain /2:52
7 /Ghosts /4:32
8 /Hope Dies Hard /4:12
9 /Alone Tonight /4:06
10 /The Way It Goes /4:07
Steve Berlin /Saxophone
Jackson Browne /Vocals On 3
Terry Evans /Vocals
Davey Faragher /Guitar (Bass)
Joel Guzman /Accordion
Brent Harding /Guitar (Bass)
David Hidalgo /Accordion, Bajo Sexto, Guitar (Electric)
David Hidalgo Jr. /Drums
Vincent Hidalgo /Guitar (Bass)
Thelma Jones /Vocals
Chris Joyner /Piano
David Kalish /Celeste, Guitar (Bass), Hammond B3, Slide Guitar, Timpani,
Vibraphone
Greg Leisz /Pedal Steel Guitar, Slide Guitar
David Lindley /Dobro, Fiddle, Slide Guitar
Arnold McCuller /Vocals
Danny McGough /Hammond B3
Julie Miller /Vocals
Gaby Moreno /Vocals
Alexis Ross /Colorist
Zander Schloss /Bouzouki, Guitar (Bass), Mandolin
Pete Thomas /Drums, Percussion
Jonny Wickersham /Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Baritone), Guitar (Electric), Vocals
Jeff Young /Hammond B3, Piano
Review by
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stepping outside of Social Distortion, which has been his steady gig since 2004, Jonny Two Bags reiterates his varied palette on his second solo album, 2014's Salvation Town. Not as blaring or ballsy as Social Distortion but certainly still muscular, there's a slight rootsy underpinning on Salvation Town; a bit of Tex-Mex surfaces on "Avenues," "Clay Wheels" lopes along on a lazy country beat. Despite this Nudie Suit flair -- which isn't evident just on full-song digressions into certain styles, it's there in the arrangements and the well-worn interplay of his backing band -- Salvation Town is, at its core, a strong rock & roll record, one with deep roots but no sense of living in the past. Jonny Two Bags never shies away from his middle age -- it's present in his concerns, his far-reaching influences, how he carries his guitar -- but that's the appealing thing about Salvation Town; it's an appealingly adult rock & roll record, one that still kicks up dust and has a vulgar tongue and proudly displays every last one of its scars.
Review by
MusicDirect
Solo Debut from Social Distortion Guitarist Jonny Wickersham
Salvation Town, the surprising and powerful solo debut by Jonny Two Bags, guitarist for the Southern California punk rock institution Social Distortion, defies expectations at every turn. Produced by David Kalish, noted for his long association with Rickie Lee Jones, at his Redstar Studio in Los Angeles, the album features 10 striking original songs written by Jonny Two Bags aka Jonny Wickersham.
A diverse array of talent that spans the musical spectrum was enlisted for the recording. Jackson Browne shares vocals with Wickersham on “Then You Stand Alone,” while David Lindley, whose guitar work graced several of Browne’s classic ’70s albums, contributes to four tracks. Los Lobos’ multi-instrumentalist David Hidalgo and his sons David Jr. and Vincent join in on “Wayward Cain” and super-sideman Greg Leisz (Lucinda Williams, Eric Clapton, K.D. Lang, Dave Alvin) also appears on guitar.
The drum chair is filled by Pete Thomas, a mainstay of Elvis Costello’s bands. Wickersham’s colleagues in Social Distortion, keyboardist Danny McGough and bassist Brent Harding, join on a few tracks while Austin accordion luminary Joel Guzman and bassist/punk kingpin Zander Schloss (Weirdos, Circle Jerks, Thelonious Monster) round out the lineup.