When I first posted about Backyard Tire Fire I said that their sound could have easily fit into any Capricorn-era album. With the release of their 4th cd, Vagabonds and Hooligans, they maintain the same basic sound but do so more confidently. That confidence has allowed them to venture away from their comfort zones a little on this release and the results are as solid as ever.

Vagabonds and Hooligans was co-produced by the band and Tony SanFlippo and recorded on a vintage early 70’s 3M tape machine in SanFlippo’s all analogue Oxide Lounge recording Studio in Bloomington, Illinois. The results are a very warm and record with a classic (see: Capricorn era) sound. One only needs to look so far as the title track to hear the these classic yet current results. The song, Vagabonds and Hooligans, is the type of song you wanna hear near the end of a whiskey night when you are ready for a little self-reflectance. Musically the title track has a barely restrained energy which helps to set the tone for the remainder of the cd.

The cd winds effortlessly between rockers to bar room sing-alongs. The gospel-flavored country anthem “Get Wise” shines a critical eye on the political landscape without taking an overtly partisan view. The chorus of Get Wise is definitely “stick in your head” material. Probably the most fun track on the cd is Tom Petty, a rollicking tongue-in-cheek view of the rock and roll dream. Downtime is the strongest track on the entire cd. A classic rock and roll song that harkens back to the glory days of the southern rock movement. This is the track that begs you to roll down the windows and make the people in traffic look at you funny.

While Vagabonds and Hooligans does not venture too far from the comfort zone Backyard Tire Fire do bring enough new elements to the table to keep from sounding stale. These guys are undoubtedly a band on the rise and this cd is as good a place as any for you to hop on and take the ride with them.

As Dave Terpeny from Kyndmusic says, “This is music that you drink to and sober up to, music that takes you places because the songwriter has been there and wrote about it.”

Backyard Tire Fire - Vagabonds and Hooligans
Backyard Tire Fire - Downtime
Backyard Tire Fire - Tom Petty

Vagabonds and Hooligans will be released on Feb. 6th. If you can’t wait till then the entire cd is available for streaming on the website.

Backyard Tire Fire Official Site, Backyard Tire Fire on myspace, Buy Backyard Tire Fire’s cds