When you think of country music, do you think of mainstream radio with its cringey choruses about cold beer, pickup trucks and women in sundresses? Do you instead recall the “country greats” like Willie Nelson, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard? Perhaps you don’t think of country music at all?
Well, that would be a damn shame, because while country music in the mainstream has largely atrophied into crass commercialization, the genesis of country music is full of incredible songwriters and performers whose artful influence reverberates through myriad modern genres. Their work is timeless and perhaps even more relevant and moving today than when it was first made.
The power of classic country spurred the formation of Bourbon Sprawl, a Kingston-by-way-of-Brooklyn group that pays tribute to the great country stars of yesteryear while peppering in some originals and covers of country-adjacent rock artists. This year, they’ve regularly been hitting the stage for their first-Friday residency at Keegan Ales in Kingston, with their next gig coming up this Friday, March 1. We interviewed founding member and guitarist/vocalist Ben Ratliff to better understand how and why classic country sounds and styles are resurgent in our area and popular culture at large.
What inspired the formation of Bourbon Sprawl, and how did it all come together?
I have been collaborating in various musical entities with bassist/singer Ezra Gale all the way back to the late 90s in San Francisco. He was in my band Sexfresh, which was a collaboration between me and singer/songwriter Emily Zuzik. We put out a couple of albums under that group. Ezra, Emily and I also played in a band called Funkmobile which was formed for the sole purpose of playing funk classics on the back of a flatbed truck at Burning Man. We migrated to Brooklyn at different times. He formed a couple of bands on his label Very Special Recordings – an Ethiopian jazz/funk band Molly Tigre and a dub band Super Hi-Fi. I put out a roots-rock album that Ezra also played on, under the name Ditchweed. Anyway, over time we realized that we had both developed a new appreciation for country music and said, “Hey, let’s form a country band!”
After playing around Brooklyn for six years or so, I moved up to Kingston and then Ezra moved up later with his family. He follows me around – what can I say? Anyway, we kind of lost our city players in the move but were lucky to find excellent musicians up here like Jon Light on pedal steel, Bram Kincheloe on drums and vocals and Luke Schwarz on lead guitar. Bram’s cousin Jackson also sits in with us sometimes on guitar and harmonica.
You left Brooklyn for the Hudson Valley. What drew you to the area? How did your life change after moving here?
Well, it’s definitely a change. We had some friends that preceded us in moving up from the city, so in visiting them — we got to know the Kingston area and loved it. My wife and I rented a cabin on their property for weekends and then decided to leave the city for good when our son Max was born. After decades living in big cities, I was kind of burned out and keen on some nature and space. Everything drew me to the area — the outdoors, the slower pace, the lifestyle, the artsy scene. You can pull up to your door and unload your groceries. Wow!
It’s hard to understate the number of Brooklyn and New York City residents who have transplanted themselves to the Hudson Valley over the last few decades, but the trend has been particularly strong over the last few years. What do you make of this mass migration? How has this trend changed things from your perspective, and what hasn’t changed?
No, it’s kind of a frenzy for sure. I think Covid is probably the most obvious reason for the influx from the city. I can understand why people want to move upstate being fond of the area myself, but it is impacting the area in negative ways. Housing affordability and availability are diminishing and some people who live here are being hit by the rising rents and diminishing inventory. There was a recent article in the Times that reported its happening all over the Hudson River Valley. I think that’s a drag. I think it’s great that some towns like Kingston appear to be trying to take steps to make the city livable for its citizens, but market forces are relentless. There just isn’t enough housing and the housing there is is not affordable for many. I saw the same thing happen to my hometown Austin a while back — it affects the culture of a place.
I have also noticed a proliferation of fancy pizza restaurants.
In the last year or so, we’ve seen packed-house honky tonks in Kingston, country-folk flourishing at Ashokan Center, sold out shows at country-adjacent Levon Helm Studios… Do you feel like country music is making a bit of a comeback, or at least is resurgent in our area?
I don’t know, but I agree there seems to be a new interest in the music. I checked out Connor Kennedy and Cindy Cashdollar at the VFW hall on Route 9 a couple of times this summer and the place was always packed. A VFW hall! Everybody was dancing. I think that’s one element — you can learn a basic two-step pretty easily and then dance to the music and it’s fun. So yeah, it does seem a little resurgent.
I have to think the Ken Burns series must have something to do with it too. That really unpacked the history of the music and the influence of the blues and Appalachian musical idioms. It’s a very uniquely American creation. It also delved into the variety of sounds and its evolution. The Memphis influence. The Bakersfield sound. Wille and Waylon and the Outlaw Country break from Nashville.
And of course, now that Beyonce’s gone country… well, who knows what effect that will have.
Many music fans have a stereotypical view of country music, especially in light of current country pop charts, which have their fair share of cringey songs. What is it about the work of the “country greats” that can help music fans hear the genius of the art form, and the beauty of the sound that is classic country music?
In general, we don’t go for the mainstream shit. The tight compression, the pop Nashville production – blech. All these songs about I’m just a regular guy with my truck who likes to drink beer with my girlfriend and my dog on the weekend. It’s like it’s just a laundry list of cultural signifiers. Of course, there’s plenty of great modern country artists but they’re not coming out of the Nashville mill, in my opinion.
I feel the classics are more raw and real and speak plainly to real human pain and longing. It was generally poor – and yes, white – Southerners probing into the real emotions and situations that come up in life – infidelity, unrequited love, losing someone, alcoholism. A lot of songs about alcohol. Anyway, there’s something in the classic production and the emotional rawness that still appeals to people today.
What about classic country music still speaks to our experiences in modern life? Why is country music relatable to you?
Well, I guess people are still leaving each other and doing each other dirty – so you know – the song remains the same. Human nature hasn’t changed that much, so what these songs are speaking to is still around.
What I like about it is the “gone” sound. That’s how I describe it, anyway. The way it evokes a jukebox in a honky tonk. I grew up in Texas and I actually used to hate it. I wasn’t into the whole shitkicking thing and I hated all the pedal steel all over everything. I thought it was corny. Country music was also kind of ubiquitous, which made me dislike it more. But I guess it was getting in my head somehow and I grew to love it as I got older. Maybe it took some life experience to really understand it.
As Charlie Parker said, “It’s about the stories, man”.
Your band is touted to have a “willingness to diverge from genre orthodoxy if the mood so strikes”, with David Bowie, The Rolling Stones and Elvis Costello songs sneaking into the set. What motivates you to include these types of off-genre songs, and what reactions have you received from audiences?
Well those songs are great — that’s what motivates me. Also, “Dead Flowers” isn’t really much of a departure from country — The Stones were clearly listening to country music. Elvis Costello put out a whole country album. The audience response is generally receptive, and I assume some people like it because they might know these songs better than old country hits. We’ve never had any country purists march out the door in a huff, as far as I know.
In addition to paying tribute to the country greats, you also released a handful of originals on Bandcamp last year. How did you progress from covering songs to writing them? What are the differences between performing songs written by others compared to your originals?
Well it wasn’t really a progression – I’ve been writing songs all my life. I wrote the song “Turkey Pot Pie”, which is on the album, when I was sixteen. Ezra has also written tons of music too, although writing lyrics is something new for him. Maybe that’s why he keeps cranking them out at a startling rate.
So, I’m used to playing my own stuff. I was more challenged by trying to deliver the essence of these country songs convincingly without just imitating the original performers. Also, harmonizing can be challenging, for me at least. I didn’t go to church.
What do you like about Keegan Ales as a venue? How has the reception been so far during your residency?
Keegan’s been great! The people that work there are very nice and seem to really like the music and the vibe. The residency has gone well — lots of people showing up to dance. It’s been a good time.
What’s next for Bourbon Sprawl? Are you considering writing more originals? Show plans for the year? Where can people check you out online?
We are definitely working on our next album, to record at our drummer Bram ’s studio and label Semper Virens. That’s where we recorded the first album. We’re also booking our summer season, which tends toward outdoor gigs at various breweries. We will likely continue at Keegan’s and we’re talking to the owner of The Station in Woodstock about doing a regular thing there.
For more Bourbon Sprawl, visit bourbonsprawl.bandcamp.com.
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