The Bluest Sky – The Bluest Sky
The Bluest Sky – The Bluest Sky
Format: CD – Digital
Label: Independent
Release: 2023
Release date: April 14, 2023
For more than 15 years Chuck Melchin wrote, recorded and performed music as the Bean Pickers Union, self-described as “less of a band, more of a loose collective of musicians”. The Bean Pickers Union released four full length records and two EPs to critical praise, playing live at venues all around New England and beyond. When it seemed time to hit the reset button and start something fresh, Chuck released Greatest Picks – a collection of his favourites from across the catalogue – then had a release party and called it a wrap.
And now he has introduced a new batch of songs and a new band, The Bluest Sky. Their 9-track self-titled debut was recorded with each musician utilizing their own home studio to record their parts. The songs were then mixed and mastered by Dave Westner at Sidehill Studio in Plymouth, MA.
If I had a cool name like Ryan Adams, I just would have gone as a solo artist, but ‘Chuck Melchin’ doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue”, explains Chuck Melchin on naming his newest musical endeavour The Bluest Sky.
After 15 years as songwriter and frontman for the alt. country / Americana band the Bean Pickers Union, it was time for a reset. “I wanted to create music that was a bit more upbeat. The Bean Pickers Union was a little on the darker side with a lot of slower, lyric focused songs. Great for listening with headphones. But I wanted to make music that will make you want to drive your car faster.” Mission accomplished. This collection of songs recalls the mid-90s, the heyday of alt. country, before anyone was calling it Americana. When bands like the Jayhawks, the Bottle Rockets, and Son Volt were writing songs that moved the spirit with scorching electric guitars, roaring Hammond B3 organ and great hooks.
Lyrically, the album is a tour of universal human conditions. Opening track, ‘Belly to the Bar’, is about resisting the lure of a seductive but dangerous lover. ‘The Girl it Took the Universe’ is a love song and lesson in patience. ‘Amy Jean’ is a tale of revenge, ‘New Berlin’ a lament about resignation in the face of powerful forces. ‘Wake Up Suzy’ is another love song, about trusting your heart and jumping right in.
The album is filled with outstanding musical performances, featuring Andy Santospago and Gary Goodlow on various guitars, slide and otherwise. James Rohr and Duncan Watt split keyboard duties, and Dan Beller-McKenna adds pedal steel to ‘New Berlin’. Dave Westner plays bass and drums on several songs, with Paul Gallo drumming on ‘I Am James’ and Jon Nolan (Say Zuzu) contributing electric guitar to ‘Drive Through Confessional’.
Website: https://www.facebook.com/BluestSkyBand
Tracks:
01. Belly to the Bar
02. The Girl it Took the Universe
03. Amy Jean
04. New Berlin*
05. I am James
06. Wake Up Suzy
07. Drive Through Confessional
08. Bunkhouse
09. Bulletproof Man