SETH AUGUSTUS
To the Pouring Rain
A veritable one-man band, Seth Augustus first immersed himself in Boston’s experimental music scene in the ’80s before moving to San Francisco. The apprentice of bluesman Paul Pena has concocted an unusual musical mix influenced by both tradition and experimentation. It follows, then, that with this debut, Augustus sports a ragtag delivery that owes as much to Captain Beefheart and Robyn Hitchcock as it does to Kurt Weill. With his croaked snarl of a vocal—and imposing mix of Howlin’ Wolf and Tom Waits—songs such as “Cherry Rose,” “Slim Sam” and “Air to the Thrown” sound parched and off-kilter, swampy gut-bucket blues skewed by an inherent eccentricity. To the Pouring Rain isn’t always an easy listen, but it makes an emphatic impression.
comment closed