Monster Music & Movies

Reviews:

Exploring the conflict in what Schwebel calls "feeling disillusioned or desperate about what's happening around you but still trying to find some hope," South of Nowhere embodies both a high-charged tension and defiantly joyful mood. And in their seamless swirling-together of rock & roll, soul, psychedelia, and pop a summery, groove-heavy sound at turns inspired by Donny Hathaway, '70s rock, and early '90s hip-hop - Spanish Gold reveal the supreme musicianship and easy chemistry at the heart of their collaboration.

Recorded in three sessions split up among each bandmember's current home city - Schwebel's Nashville, Quesada's Austin, and Hallahan's Louisville - South of Nowhere find Spanish Gold teaming up with producer/engineer Collin Dupuis (whose previous work includes engineering albums by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Jeff the Brotherhood, and the Black Keys, as well as Dr. John's Grammy Award-winning Locked Down) and a cast of guest musicians featuring My Morning Jacket guitarist Carl Broemel, Heartless Bastards vocalist Erika Wennerstrom and bassist Jesse Ebaugh, Raconteurs drummer Patrick Keeler, Whigs bassist Timothy Deaux, Grupo Fantasma drummer/percussionist John Speice, and the entire horn section from Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears. "The album's absolutely a group effort from all the friends we called in to join in the festivities, who saw all the fun we were having and wanted to give their time and energy to make it even better," notes Hallahan.

"It may be trite to define a tune as "genre-bending," but every once in a while, you come across the real deal. Such is the case with Spanish Gold's "Out on the Street," a heady number that slinks along like Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me," trading in synth-goofiness for tight bursts of Black Keys guitar...

"We grew up with MTV when it was still a music channel," Schwebel tells Rolling Stone. "The way that the programming crossed genres from R&B to hip-hop, rock, soul and pop music is how we approach records. It's an album of all those styles — like watching a random hour of MTV programming circa 1986-1996." - rollingstone.com