Mobile Lagniappe(Jan. 5-18, 2005) Mobile, AL

Sweet Pea's Revenge travels the 'Side Road to Paradise'
Mobile Lagniappe - Mobile, AL - Music feature article/interview.
-Stephen Centanni

There are few bands that can the express overall personality of the New South. The last one that comes to mind that really hit it big in the mainstream was The Black Crowes. When I used to listen to The Black Crowes, I could close my eyes and get vivid pictures of floating on top of sweet tea waters through pine forests. I'm always on the lookout for a band that still inspires that feeling.

My most recent musical find riminiscent of these dreams is NoLa's Sweet Pea's Revenge, and most especially in their latest release "Side Road to Paradise." However, to call it a "find" would be highly inaccurate. Sweet Pea's Revenge actually found me in the form of a CD sent to my home.

This CD, whether it meant to or not, portrayed a concept to me both with its music and unique yet familiar cover art, which consists of several denizens of the Southern low country doing what they do best: sitting in a pick-up, drinking beer and enjoying themselves.

The CD within the case expresses this Southern leisure with dreamy folk rock and literary lyrics. It's no wonder that these guys were invited to play the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival last year. It's also no surprise that Bilotti's will be featuring them monthly beginning Jan. 6. I recently had the opportunity to chat with drummer Stephen Randall about the band's formation, making the CD and the Future of Sweet Pea's Revenge.

Sweet Pea's Revenge began with singer/songwriter Jim Brown. Stephen Randall was a welcome addition after they parted ways with their original drummer, and bassist Andy Mayer jumped in with the group over a year ago, and things have been on the up and up ever since. After sending submissions into Jazz Fest, they contacted the group in December of 2003.

"You have to apply to them really early," Randall explains. "So last December right after Christmas is when they invited us to play at the 2004 festival. We had an early morning slot on the last Sunday, and we were afraid that we were going to be rained out the whole time. We made it fine and the weather was great. It was all that we could hope for."

From there, they went onto record "Side Road to Paradise" with Paul Trahan at Mea Culpa Studios in New Orleans. Jim Brown's smooth, Southern vocals along with Randall's beats, and Mayer's slaps were a combination of success.

"It went pretty smooth," Randall explains. "We actually got the main tracks down infour or five days. Then jim went back a week or two later and did all the vocals in one day. I think he did some guitar overdubs the same day. The recording itself was in three or four days, but the mixing was spread out over several months." The result was a CD full of ideas and characters found on their own side road to paradise.

"Side Road to Paradise" begins with "Gretsch and the Ol' Silverados." This song brings forth bluesy rhythms combined with etheral guitar tellin the story of a dying "King of the Tennessee Stage" as he flashes back through his glory days. "Whiskey Train" follows with a ballad dedicated to intoxicated reasoning and the finality of a relationship set to Southern Beats and admirable vocals provided by Brown.

The CD's title song is quite unique and lives up to it's name. "'Side Road' is a song that Jim wrote," Randall explains. "There's three little stories in there. I know the basic idea behind it is that there are three people trying to make their way through life and end up on a side road to where they're supposed to end up."

The cover art somewhat represents this sentiment.

"The picture on the front came from Andy's dad," Randall says. "Andy's dad is a photographer. That is a picture that he took twenty some-odd years ago. Andy just e-mailed me this picture, and said, 'Hey, man, look at this picture. They look so cool and relaxed.'"

To me, this was a picture from the side road of paradise. The song has a serpentine rhythm with grooving vocals and stories telling of robbery, lost dreams and redemption. Other memorable songs include "Rude New California," which is a sermon explaining the evils of L.A. and the attitudes that drive it. Of all stories pened by Jim Brown and Sweet Pea's Revenge, "Rudy" is probably my favorite. They take on country rhythms to tell that age-old story of a good-looking guy making his way through the music industry.

If describing their music isn't enough to convince you of Sweet Pea's sound, then maybe telling you that Amazon.com has sold out of their CD might be enough. Are you still not convinced? Well, I suggest heading down to Bilotti's Jan. 6 and checking them out for yourself.

Can't make it then? That's OK; Bilotti's will be featuring Sweet Pea's Revenge on a monthly basis.

Stephen Centanni is a contributing writer for Lagniappe as well as the managing editor/senior writer for Volume Entertainment Magazine. You can reach him at: vertigodemuerto@hotmail.com