On April 22nd, one of my favorite local bands released a new EP. Big Mama Shakes, founded in August 2013, is a blues-rock band with influences varying from The Black Keys to Bruce Springsteen to Muddy Waters.
As part of the mythos, if you ask any of the band members where the name came from you always get a different story. After transplanting themselves from Williamsburg to Richmond, they released their first album (“As She Does”) on May 5th, 2015 and spent much of the following summer on tour.
On December 14th, 2015, the current incarnation of the band opened for Nathaniel Rateliff and the Nightsweats (of “SOB” fame) to a sold out show at The National and last month, the boys released a new EP called “If I Try” and I think this is their best work yet.
Track 1 - “Magnolia”
The EP starts with a flourish of horns. If you ever hear the song life, lead singer Brady Heck, introduces it by telling the story of how he once got stranded in Texas in a little town called Magnolia. But he remembers the town fondly, and this is present in the lyrics. Technically speaking, the sound is tight.
The harmonies are strong. One of the most powerful moments in the song is after an instrumental break, they come back singing acapella. This is my favorite track on the EP. The calls to “come on down” give me chills. Whether Heck is singing about a little town in Texas or a young woman who’s stolen his heart, you want to be part of that waltz in a bar room.
Track 2 - “If I Try”
The next track is where the EP gets its name. “If I Try” was written while on tour and performed on Big Mama Shakes’ return to Richmond at Sound of Music. Upbeat drums and a strong guitar riff hook you into this song. The lyrics paint the picture of someone who has been through a lot and is sick of it all. Some of the lyrics suggest a relationship that has soured, but for me, they also evoke struggles with mental health.
The chorus of the song calls for someone or something to “Get out of my head / I’m getting way too old for this”. The most powerful moment in the song is when lead singer, Heck screams “I’M JUST TRYING TO SLEEP / I DON’T NEED IT / I’M JUST TRYING TO GET GET GET OUT OF MY HEAD”. For me, this song feels like someone who is tired of being stuck in their head, and if they try, they will start to get better.
Track 3 - “Weight of a Heavy Heart”
The EP’s single, “Weight of a Heavy Heart” is more explicitly about a relationship that has ended. The expression “heavy heart” has been around for ages, but the lyrics of the song explore attempts to escape the weight that pain brings.
Aside from tight harmonies that seem to be a common feature throughout the EP, this track also features the vocals of Charlotte Jones. By adding a female voice, the song becomes a story of two. The chorus features a build up of harmony that is not only beautiful but becomes a heartbeat within the song.
Track 4 - “Places”
The final track on the EP is also the most melancholy. Pianist, Bryce Doyle, plays under Heck’s vocals at first, reminiscent of the arrangement of “Ain’t No Shame”, a track off their first album. If this EP is telling the story of a relationship, with “Magnolia” signifying it’s start and “Weight of a Heavy Heart” marking its end, “Places” is about the other person having moved on first. The lyrics convey someone who feels left behind with all the other people “going places that I’ve never been before”. The tone of the song is tired and hopeless, with is reflected in Heck’s sliding vocals.
“If I Try” is available for free on Spotify and Soundcloud, but also for purchase on iTunes and CD Baby. You can also see Brady Heck (vocal/guitar), Peter Cason (bass), Chandler Matkins (drums), Gabe Taylor (guitar), and Bryce Doyle (piano) perform live, in person, May 21st or June 2nd at The Camel.
