About The Band

           THE TRAINWRECKS   
                                              Rockabilly / bluegrass / country

                                                     SAVANNAH, GEORGIA

  • Man About Town: Life's struggles chronicled on Train Wrecks' new CD

    Diversions | Bill Dawers

    8-8-07

    Last Saturday's gig at Murphy's Law was in some respects a typical night for The Train Wrecks and their growing fan base.  The set list was an energetic mix of originals and classics, including covers of Cash, Dylan and Petty.  There was the usual hint of world-weariness in Jason Bible's otherwise passionate vocals. Markus Kuhlmann's drums came to the fore occasionally, but never overwhelmed the music's subtlety. Eric Dunn's precise and sometimes daring bass seemed to give each song a path to follow.  But it was an exceptional night, too, because the band's long-planned CD was finally for sale. 

    "This fun-loving power trio of guitar, bass and drums began as a lark. (Rumor has it the three members decided to book a gig and see how many cover songs they knew between them that they could pull off without any rehearsal beforehand.) After receiving a warm response, they put their weight on it, and began adding originals to their set and playing out with a vengeance sometimes doing 2 and 3 gigs in one day at multiple locations. The end result is that their folksy brand of upbeat roots-rock (led by guitarist/songwriter Jason Bible and drummer/songwriter Markus Kuhlmann) and twangy alt.country has been honed into something surprisingly tight and impressive. Along with bassist Eric Dunn (all of the members sing as well), they've become a favorite attraction at clubs, bars and eateries throughout the immediate area, and have earned the title Hardest Gigging Band In Town Award hands down."  by Jim Reed 

"Whiskey & War" includes three covers, but the other eight songs are originals,  primarily the work of Bible. In addition to the core trio, the CD is notable for regular band member Stuart Harmening's dobro and banjo, as well as the work of six other excellent local musicians. "Whiskey & War" was engineered, mixed and mastered by Miles Hendrix, who also plays guitar on some of the tracks.  The CD kicks off with "She Was the One," a toe-tapping, fast-paced paean to lost love. Such upbeat songs about life's sorrows put The Train Wrecks clearly in the American rockabilly tradition. That same exuberance can be heard in Kuhlmann's "Brand New Day" and some of the more ironic songs on the CD, like "Whiskey Ain't My Friend (No More)" and "Unfiltered Cigarettes.' "Isaak" tells the story of a 1993 college grad who turns his back on the corporate world to buy a "pawnshop guitar" and pursue his dream of making music. I imagine that song has special resonance for The Train Wrecks, because they are one of the few Savannah-based bands who earn virtually all their income from performing and that means a busy performance schedule, including this coming weekend. The Train Wrecks are playing their usual Thursday night gig at Murphy's Law at 10 p.m. The band plays at 10 p.m. Friday night at Britannia Pub and at 6 p.m. Saturday at Dewey's Dockside.

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