I got an email with a long backstory about the band Old Californio and their new album Westering. For me the whole thing was a waste of space. Not that the email wasn’t informative and well written but the key fact for me was that Dave Gleason is a fan and plays on the record. That’s all that needed to be said. See, Dave Gleason (and his west coast consorts like Mike Stinson and Tracy Huffman) has been making some of the best alt-country honky-tonk for a decade or so now. His stamp of approval goes a long way.
The new record is due out April 21st and was produced by Alfonso Rodeñas (Mark Olson / Ben Vaughn/ Los Tigres Del Norte). Westering Again was recorded in a converted garage that used to serve as a chicken coup and you can hear that rootsiness in the song “Mother Road”. You can also hear nods to the Grateful Dead, Wilco, Jayhawks and Gram Parsons. The band is celebrating the release of the new record on April 5 at The Grand Ole Echo.