These United States blew me away with their set at St. Louis’ Twangfest in Blueberry Hill’s Duck Room. Their jam twang is built on drums that are harder than you’d expect from twang. Each song built to the next, building in this intensely, bluesy rock twang.
Sounding like an even more country-leaning version of the Antiques, it’s a jam band approach to twang, as the song spiral, groove, and call upon everyone to add to the vamp. They can take also take a Replacements approach to country rock.
Jesse Elliot sings and plays his guitar like the Old 97’s Rhett Miller—gesturing with his hands in between strums while pogoing all around the stage. Plus he has Roger Clyne’s way of inviting the crowd into the song.
I’m not sure that These United States have quite captured this sound on their recorded output, although if you turn it up real loud, you start to get the idea. But don’t let that stop you from going to see them live. They will draw you into their rockin’ twang and leave you wishing there was more. As Elliot sings on “Night & the Revolution,” “If you’ve got the inclination/I’ve got the dancing shoes.”
