Fault Lines

“Even the old songs aren't really complete,” Warden says.  “‘All That Trust' is over 10 years old... The melodies can even change. Maybe it's like a very long process of writing something.” 

Warden and Vesser share a unique partnership in the band, as they've been playing together for more than 10 years. Although Warden is ostensibly the songwriter of the group, he hastens to add, “Lou writes more than she says she does. She's like an editor, telling me this sounds like shit or to try it another way.”

The years of playing side by side are evident when they sing together — Vesser's rich, often sultry tone cushioning Warden's rough-around-the-edges sound. A perfect example of this can be found within “All That Trust,” a song that incidentally has more overdubs and “studio” work than any New Madrid song thus far, lending it a more polished sound than their other recordings.

Also included on the new CD is a cover of the folk-blues song “Cod'ine,” as learned via a Buffy St. Marie record. It's a live favorite, making even previously cold and disinterested audiences come alive as the song continues to build on itself, Vesser soulfully intoning the woeful tale of self-incrimination from behind her Wurlitzer organ, as the band allows itself to ratchet up the volume it generally keeps to a respectable folk-rock level up to that point.

“Yeah, everybody always has fun on that one,” says Vesser. “What was funny is when we do that song live, we never have any problems, but when we recorded it, it was the song we had the most trouble with.”

Because it didn't translate as well in the recording environment; because there was no audience there?

“'Cause we'd been drinking all day,” Blanchard offers.

Vesser's living room, where the practice sessions and 8-track recordings take place, is a cozy, welcoming space where cats and dogs roam freely. Everyone assembles in a circle facing one another, and the assembled gear doesn't leave a whole lot of elbow- room; one can hear this intimacy in the recordings.

“When I listen to the first record we recorded [2006's Savannah La Mar], I can hear birds on it,” Weller says. “I can also hear how the record came together – hang out a little, play some, drink a little, play some more.”

The more indulgent side of the band is evident in its improv endeavors, which will occasionally see light in performances, but more often in practice, as captured on a recent two-CD-R recording of one lengthy session, entitled “Leaving the Valley.” It's a sprawling document of the band in full flight, reaching moments of inspired, in-synch collective playing – structure may be loose, ghostly, but it's still present.

Asked if two hours of such recordings might be a bit excessive, Warden confesses: “There's actually a third CD. There were some things where it was a mutual decision they just shouldn't be released.” There's laughter all around, and Warden continues,  “You put things out and hope there's somebody out there who'll hear it and like it.”

“Page of Shame”/ “All That Trust” is available at laboratorystandard.com.