ROLLING DOWN THAT RAUCOUS
COUNTRY ROAD; 

STILL IN THE COWPUNK VANGUARD

By JERRY DeMARCO, Staff Writer
The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
May 1, 1998; FRIDAY; ALL EDITIONS

Copyright 1998 - Bergen Record Corp.

When Jason and the Scorchers careened out of Nashville 17 years ago, fusing Sturm und Drang with strum and twang, some critics weren't impressed. They derisively labeled the rampaging hillbilly music "cowpunk." "The actual country music establishment either ignored us totally or treated us as if we had leprosy," recalled lead guitarist Warner Hodges. "We were, quote unquote, doing bad things to their music."

Even some audiences considered them too rebellious. "Punk rock bands got in trouble in the sticks," said lead singer Jason Ringenberg. "We were no different. People threw stuff, threatened to beat us up." Jason and the Scorchers have survived not only the slings but also a four-year split that ended in 1994. Credit perseverance, talent, and a live show that is powerful and focused.

What Ringenberg calls a second career began in 1996 with the release of "Clear Impetuous Morning," an album of tunes that matches some of the band's earliest barn-burners. It continues with today's release of "Midnight Roads and Stages Seen," a live collection. A tour in support of the new double CD begins tonight at Tramps in Manhattan.

Apart from "Frampton Comes Alive," Bob Seger's "Live Bullet," and Lou Reed's "Rock and Roll Animal," few rock concert albums are worth the trouble. Radio barely plays them, and who admits listening to them? Still, Ringenberg sees a difference. "With this one," he said, "we decided we were going to make a statement."

Releasing a concert set is fitting: Jason and the Scorchers are one of the best bar bands ever, rocking, swinging, and stomping in a sweat-soaked frenzy snapped only by the occasional mournful ballad. "Something still happens when we hit the stage," said Ringenberg, a kinetic singer who stirs the fire and brimstone with sermon-songs about desperation and redemption. "We like the adrenaline rush."

The flip side is that honky-tonk bands not named the Rolling Stones rarely make it big. Yet the Scorchers don't care. For one thing, they know the faithful will always pack the house. "We would love to have hits," said Hodges, who produced the concert album," but we also need to stick with what we do best."

Ringenberg agreed: "I think acceptance is the word. You really have to go after it, no matter where you're at. If we're happy about anything, it's that we're still in the business. Anything we get past this point now is gravy."

© 1998 -2001 — Bergen Record Corp. — All Rights Reserved