Kassi Valazza has a viscous, light gold voice. It swirls around in your head like whiskey in a snifter; vaporous, and intoxicating. For most of Dear Dead Days pedal steel and electric guitar lope along at half time, the in pocket rhythm section booming from deep in the low end. Its frequencies penetrate your flesh. The songs reverberate off your bones. Her lyrics drip down the inside of your skull. On the opening track “Cayuse”:

“cause they’re hard runnin’ critters, and wild-eyed quitters / kicking up all they can find / that fool hardy man of mine”

Musicians with Southwest origins dependably bring a languorous relaxation –the slow pace a defense against the oppressive heat of the high desert– and a grim sense of gravitas, having walked among the bleached bones and arid landscapes. At times Valazza sings as if her lyrics are smoke she’s exhaling. On “A Fine Colour” she sings every note clearly, and with force, on a surrealist-jealousy jawn.

Lonesome Shack started in the early 2000’s when songwriter Ben Todd developed his musical voice in the isolation of rural New Mexico. After moving to Seattle in 2007, Todd teamed up with drummer Kristian Garrard and they found an instant chemistry. As a duo they released Bound To Die (2008) and Slidin Boa (2010) and brought their primitive boogie to every corner of the USA. In 2011, Lonesome Shack were joined by bassist Luke Bergman and the trio released the live album City Man(2012), which was recorded in one night at their favorite neighborhood bar, Cafe Racer. With More Primitive(2014), Lonesome Shack continued to hone their skills as an elemental rock group: stripped down, raw, expressive, and danceable.

Lonesome Shack’s latest album The Switcher, (release date June 24th, 2016) is their most ambitious and complete work yet. The Switcher’s 14 songs add dimension to the band’s vision. The album is by turns dirty and raucous or slow and expansive, with resonant lyrics and inventive songwriting. The record was recorded with Johnny Goss, who also manned the board for More Primitive, and an effort was made to make the music sound just as it does at a live show. The album took over a year to complete, pieced together from three different periods of recording sessions. The sounds and feels are varied, but the message is clear- everything is held together by the groove.