Band: Pushstart Wagon
Title: LA Was Our Alamo
Label: -none-
Release Date: n/a
Review By: Josh IndieVision
Tracklisting:
01. Paul
02. Radiation
03. Country Star
04. Mary
05. Love Is Such A Hard Way
06. Breathing Room
07. Would I Be So True
08. Aisle Walker
09. Defend You
10. Teenage Bible
11. Los Angeles
Members/Duties:
Steve Guiles: Vocals, Guitar
Eric Shouse: Bass, Backup Vocals
Ben Eggehorn: Drums
If you’ve been listening to Christian underground music for some time, you may recognize the name Pushstart Wagon. They released an album called “Squeaky Clean” in 1994 and then weren’t heard from in quite awhile. PW offers the calm, rock-n-roll feel of yesteryear. Simple chord patterns and solid structuring, leave it without flash but with a lot of heart. The opener “Paul” really reminds me a lot of Gasoline Heart’s style (although this album came out first). It seems like a song perfectly fit to be in a driving scene in a movie, through the desert or something. “Country Star” is one of my favorite tracks on the album. The sound is similar to Bleach from the Forefront Records era. Steady rhythmic chord progression into a bit more of a splashy chorus, with a bit of clashing symbols. “Defend You” is the most upbeat track on the album and keeps a steady step pace throughout. The majority of the album follows suit musically.
Standout Tracks: “Country Star”, “Breathing Room”,
Overall Rating: This album sat on the shelf for awhile due to lack of time to review and others that needed done. I wish I had listened to it before now. I really enjoyed listening to this and it’s delivers a “sit back and relax” vibe. Highly recommend for fans of Petty or Gasoline Heart and anyone in search of something different!
Individual Ratings:
Album Art/Design: I’m not one for confusion but I did like the artwork on this album. Seems to be a lot of random things thrown in the booklet but it works as a whole.
Lyrics: A storytellers approach. Nothing too deep just straight forward. Catchy enough to sing along to.
Marketability: I think there’s alot of potential for groups like this. Two factors I think are important to observe. One is that people are getting tired of the same old emo stuff and secondly is that many bands are heading back to older eras for influence. The 70’s rock feel is coming back and it’s prime time for Pushstart Wagon to really work their way in, if they so choose.
Production: Ben Eggehorn, who drums on the album , actually handled the production on this. It has a great sound and captured the instruments well. The production approach truly fits the sound the band puts out. There are a few minor flaws here and there but nothing big overall.
Vocals: Steve’s vocals are a perfect fit. He’s got a bit of an attitude if you listen for it which goes with the style of rock-n-roll they have.
Similar To: Tom Petty, Gasoline Heart, Bleach, TwoThirtyEight
Website
Myspace
Purevolume
Buy: Pushstart Wagon Store