PRINTBurning bright
Backyard Tire Fire at The Blue Note
April 10, 2008 | 12:00 a.m. CST
Whether it’s in the sound, lyrics or appearance, Backyard Tire Fire shows an impressive devotion to the Americana aesthetic. From album covers that depict scenes of run-down bars and fields to guitarist/keyboardist Ed Anderson’s MySpace blog about the thrill of baseball’s opening day, the group identifies with our country’s culture.
“Ed’s written songs that just kind of touched people that are into that and gravitated toward us,” says drummer Tim Kramp. But the Bloomington, Ill., trio was not always based in the heart of America; Its beginnings were in Asheville, N.C.
Who: Backyard Tire Fire
When: Wed., April 17
Where: The Blue Note
Cost: $20
Call: 874-1944
“It was kind of tough to make an impact in the town of Asheville, and so we moved to Athens, (Georgia) and did our best,” says Kramp, “but (moving to Illinois) just ended up being the right thing to do for the group. We have a lot more of a support mechanism in the Midwest than we did down in the Southeast. We all kind of have all of our families in the Midwest and Chicago and in the central Illinois area.”
Indeed, Backyard Tire Fire has risen both in the Bloomington and national music scenes with its most recent full-length release, Vagabonds and Hooligans, which earned acclaim from USA Today and popmatters.com. The album’s mix of raw folk and strutting, twangy rock creates an intoxicating atmosphere that evokes small-town America. The spare piano accompaniment and quiet feedback of standout song “A Long Time” call to mind Wilco and excellently portrays the suffering of the song’s protagonist.
But don’t expect to hear too many slower songs like it on the group’s current tour. “When we do shows with heavier bands like Clutch and Reverend Horton Heat, we definitely kind of try to tailor to the more rock ’n’ roll stuff that we do,” Kramp says. In this setting, the trio takes on a sound akin to the Bottle Rockets crossed with Stevie Ray Vaughan-esque guitar work. Kramp and bassist Matt Anderson play large roles in this musical recasting process. “Both Matt and I write our own parts and try to make it sound like the group, not just like an Ed Anderson song,” says Kramp.
With two months of touring on the docket and a new album on its way this summer, Backyard Tire Fire looks to make an impact on new audience members while on tour.
“We hope to win some new fans over,” Kramp says. “We’re playing with two great bands, so you’re going to have some good fans of good music.”
