Levee Town – Stories
Hudtone Records
9 tracks – 31 minutes
Levee Town is the house band at the famed Knucklehouse Saloon in Kansas City, Missouri. The band consisting of Brandon Hudspeth on guitar and vocals, Jacque Garoutte on bass and vocals, and Adam Hagerman on drums first formed in 2002. They have toured the US and Canada playing at many festivals and clubs, have opened for many major acts, and have also served as the backing band for many performers including Curtis Salgado, Albert Lee, Louisiana Red, Chris Duarte, Lazy Lester, Big Bill Morganfield and Mud Morganfield among many others. Tinley Erhardt also guests on four tracks adding piano, organ and accordion.
Brandon was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma. After hearing Johnny Cash, he started taking guitar lessons at a very young age. His music became heavily influenced by listening to the blues in high school and formed a band that played around Tulsa. After high school, he moved to Kansas City where he played with many bands, eventually forming his own band. He says while he has a love for the guitar, his focus is on the song itself with a story that he can tell.
The band was selected by the Kansas City Blues Society as their representative at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis twice with the group reaching the finals in 2009. This album is their tenth studio album with one additional live album. Brandon was nominated for a Blues Music Award in 2020. Their 2022 album, Tryin’ to Keep My Head Above Water was nominated for Blues Blast Magazine’s “Best Blues Rock Album” of that year.
As he notes above, the stories he can tell through song are the most important part of making music, therefore the album title, Stories, for the new recording is proof of his direction. The album opens with “The Healthy Woman” who he notes “is lean, she’s pretty petite, got hair falling down to nearly her feet, she likes to dance in the middle of the street, staring straight at me.” He concludes that, “I still love her, don’t know why she wants to make me suffer”. “I Got a Hole in My Pocket” is a rock ‘n’ roll number as he states, “My money just runs straight through” and “My money is all gone, and my baby is too”. “Where I Lay My Head” features slide guitar as he sings “I miss my old happy home cause I am forced to face this old world all alone”.
On “Worn Soul”, he says “You treat me like an old shoe…and my sole is worn”. “Harley Lou” is a bouncy southern styled rock song that reminds of something Atlanta Rhythm Section would perform. He begs her to put that “Dumb Ole Smart Phone” down, “How about some sweet time with your man” on a slow stroll number.
He sees his father in “My Daughter’s Eyes” and in her smile “like he was never gone”. The song has a Cajun feel with Tilney’s accordion playing in the background. “Shuffling Sea” is a rock ‘n’ roll instrumental that will definitely get people jumping. “Back Then Stories” starts with a deep bass run and looks back to 2010 when he wonders “whether he can make that girl happy like she makes me…but I’m not crying any more”.
Brandon says, “When I think about all the changes that have gone on in the 20 years we’ve been together, it’s gotten to a place where there’s never a shortage of stories to tell.” This album sometimes drifts away from blues-rock and into a pop sound but it offers a very enjoyable listen of a handful of short, but to the point, fun stories.
