Moreland & Arbuckle - Just A Dream

Size: 309 MB
Time: 48:21
File: Flac
Released: 2011
Styles: Roots rock, Electric blues
Art: Front, tray

1. The Brown Bomber (4:51)
2. Just a Dream (3:46)
3. Purgatory (4:11)
4. Travel Every Mile (4:50)
5. Heartattack And Vine (3:48)
6. Troll (5:17)
7. Gypsy Violin (1:37)
8. Shadow Never Changes (4:06)
9. Good Love (3:47)
10. Who Will Be Next (3:00)
11. So Low (5:27)
12. White Lightnin' (3:36)

On its fourth and finest album, the Kansas hill-country blues duo of Aaron Moreland and Dustin Arbuckle stages a compelling coming of age party. All the elements defining the group’s astonishing 1861 (2008) and powerhouse Flood (2010) coalesce here. M&A’s attack, bolstered by the solid drumming/percussion of Brad Horner, is about body blows and haymakers—a relentless, charging, country-blues style, rough and raw as fashioned by Arbuckle’s muscular, crying vocals and raw, wailing harmonica, backed up by Moreland’s intense, relentless, often fuzzed-out guitar (traditional electric and custom cigar box both). Chris Wiser joins up to add honky-tonk keyboard to the stomping blues of “The Brown Bomber” and moaning, Gregg Allman- esque B3 shadings to a swaggering take on Tom Waits’ “Heartattack and Vine.” This bigger sound suits M&A—“Shadow Never Changes,” dark musings that may well be a comment on a nation in crisis, features the organ, harp, and guitar in heat, erecting an imposing wall of malevolent sound ahead of a subdued but telling exhale signaling song’s end. Producer Moreland keeps the sonics hot and in your face throughout, the instruments and Arbuckle’s fervent singing constituting a united, full-throttle, rock ’n’ blues assault. It’s a beautiful thing.

Just A Dream FLAC

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Moreland & Arbuckle - Flood

Size: 291 MB
Time: 48:10
File: Flac
Released: 2010
Styles: Roots rock, Electric blues
Art: Full

1. Hate To See You Go (2:31)
2. Legend Of John Henry (6:19)
3. Before The Flood (1:17)
4. 18 Counties (3:59)
5. Your Man Won't Ever Know (2:53)
6. Don't Wake Me (3:45)
7. Bound And Determined (2:29)
8. Can't Get Clear (6:01)
9. Can't Leave Well Enough Alone (4:01)
10. In The Morning I'll Be Gone (3:31)
11. What You Gonna Do (4:38)
12. Red Moon Rising (3:18)
13. Can't Get Clear - Banjo Version (3:24)

Moreland & Arbuckle (guitarist Aaron Moreland, singer/Blues Harp Dustin Arbuckle and drummer Kendall Newby) was an American Electric Blues/Roots Rock Trio. Moreland described their music as "Gritty Blues and Roots Rock from the Heartland." After six previous releases, the band signed with Alligator Records in 2015. The label debut, was released on May 6, 2016 and was Produced by Matt Bayles. In April 2017, the band announced their split.

Flood FLAC

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Moreland & Arbuckle - 1861

Size: 317 MB
Time: 50:35
File: Flac
Released: 2008
Styles: Roots rock, Electric blues
Art: Front, outer, tray

1. Gonna Send Ya Back To Georgia (4:07)
2. Fishin' Hole (3:53)
3. Tell Me Why (2:42)
4. Diamond Ring (6:07)
5. See My Jumper Hangin' Out On The Line (4:44)
6. The Legend (3:16)
7. Never Far Behind (2:54)
8. Teasin' Doney (4:04)
9. Please, Please Mammy (4:02)
10. Pittsburgh In The Morning, Philidelphia At Night (4:42)
11. Wrong I Do (3:28)
12. Wiser Jam (6:30)

This album, titled for the year Kansas (the state the band calls home) became a state, begins with a track ("Gonna Send Ya Back to Georgia") that is bound to get the old boots a-stompin'. The guitar in this track is reminiscent of Luther Dickinson from North Mississippi All-Stars. This tune is not for sitting on the porch and sipping lemonade. This is a song for a crowded bar where people want to get up and move. The band adds some Hammond B3 on "Diamond Ring" and "The Wiser Jam" and I have to say I am a big fan. The Hammond B3 lends a real 60s rock/soul feel to the music. The best way to describe "Diamond Ring" is groovy. Frankly, there aren't enough o's in groovy to describe this tune. The chugging "gas tank bass" in "The Legend" is an outstanding compliment to the slide guitar and drums. The great thing about this album is that the band throws something a little different into each song. And every addition works wonderfully. I recently started playing harmonica and this album (particularly "Never Far Behind") teaches me two things. One part of me thinks this would be a good album to emulate when I practice. The second thing I learn is that I have to practice A LOT to even feel like I'm in the same area code as Dustin Arbuckle. "Please Please Mammy" is a lowdown blues tune about Grandma's cooking. Boy, if that ain't the blues, I don't know what is. There is nothing too complex about this band. It's a three-piece band with guitar, harmonica, and drums. These fellas know what they are doing and they play and feel the blues. I'd say the best response to this album is at the end of the first song when someone shouts "Woo!" Yessir, I'd say that's just about right.

1861 FLAC

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Moreland & Arbuckle - Direct-To-Disc Sessions Vol. 1 & Vol. 2

Album: Direct-To-Disc Sessions Vol. 1
Size: 47.0 MB
Time: 20:16
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Acoustic Blues
Art: Full

01. Hate To See You Go (2:47)
02. Good Love (4:20)
03. The Brown Bomber (4:44)
04. John Henry (5:55)
05. Road Blind (2:30)

Album: Direct-To-Disc Sessions Vol. 2
Size: 54.5 MB
Time: 23:27
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Acoustic Blues
Art: Full

01. So Low (5:00)
02. Juke (3:56)
03. 18 Counties (2:51)
04. Purgatory (3:48)
05. Heartattack And Vine (3:38)
06. Red Bricks (4:14)

All tracks were recorded live, direct-to-disc at Blue Heaven Studios, Salina, Kansas.

Guitarist Aaron Moreland and harpist/vocalist Dustin Arbuckle have fashioned an old/new 21st century roots sound by merging several American musical strains, from blues, folk, and country to rock and soul, and when at their best, they do it all with a raw and energetic passion. Moreland and Arbuckle met at an open-mike session at a club in Wichita, Kansas in 2001, and since both were exploring country blues, they began playing together, starting a quartet called the Kingsnakes. Personnel came and went in the band, including drummer Brad Horner, who joined the Kingsnakes in 2003 but didn't stick around long.Hanging on to a bassist proved to be a problem, but when Horner returned in 2006, Moreland and Arbuckle realized that they didn't really need a bassist, and the current trio took shape.

Three self-produced albums quickly followed -- Caney Valley Blues in 2005, Floyd's Market in 2006, and 1861 in 2008. All three releases garnered critical attention and Moreland & Arbuckle signed with Telarc International, which released Flood in 2010. Issued in 2011, Just a Dream featured a guest spot from guitarist Steve Cropper. Horner left in 2012 and was replaced by Kendall Newby. The revamped trio emerged with 7 Cities in 2013, produced by Matt Bayles (Mastodon, the Sword). The band toured almost nonstop for the next two years, headlining their own club, small theater, and festival dates across the United States, Canada, and Europe. During a break, they signed to Chicago's Alligator Records and entered Omaha, Nebraska's Arc Studios with Bayles to record their debut for the label. Promised Land or Bust was released in the spring of 2016, preceded by the single "When the Lights Are Burning Low." ~Steve Leggett

Direct-To-Disc Sessions Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 MP3
Direct-To-Disc Sessions Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 FLAC

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Moreland & Arbuckle - Promised Land Or Bust

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:49
Size: 88.9 MB
Styles: Roots rock, Electric blues
Year: 2016
Art: Front

[4:06] 1. Take Me With You (When You Go)
[3:17] 2. Mean And Evil
[4:48] 3. Hannah
[3:05] 4. When The Lights Are Burning Low
[4:13] 5. Woman Down In Arkansas
[4:14] 6. Mount Comfort
[2:33] 7. Long Did I Hide It
[3:00] 8. Waco Avenue
[2:49] 9. I'm A King Bee
[3:09] 10. Long Way Home
[3:30] 11. Why'd She Have To Go (And Let Me Down)

Guitarist Aaron Moreland – co-founder of the groundbreaking Kansas-based trio Moreland & Arbuckle -- describes their music as “gritty blues and roots rock from the heartland.” Moreland, along with harmonicist/vocalist Dustin Arbuckle and drummer Kendall Newby, electrify raw Delta and Mississippi Hill Country blues, folk, and traditional country with unrelenting punk rock energy washed in hard-hitting Southern soul. Their songs are expertly executed with musical muscle and fifth-gear urgency. When they perform more traditional blues, they play with the same decisive command. With each of their six previous releases, the band has grown musically and lyrically, creating a signature sound while earning a large and loyal worldwide fan base. Their legendary raw and raucous live shows are played with wild abandon. The New York Post says Moreland & Arbuckle have “a raw juke joint exuberance with a dirt-under-the fingernails garage band attack.”

The band’s evolution continues with the group’s Alligator Records debut Promised Land Or Bust, produced by Matt Bayles (Mastodon, Botch, The Sword). From the howling cosmic opener Take Me With You (When You Go) to the stomping Mean And Evil to the plaintive Mount Comfort, Promised Land Or Bust is a far-reaching musical showcase. The instantly-memorable, slice-of-life songs paint scenes of double-crossed lovers, women meaner than the devil, and isolated loners beaten down by careless love. According to Moreland, "The new album is consciously traditional but still has the signature drive and power that we have crafted over the past thirteen years.”

Promised Land Or Bust

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Moreland & Arbuckle - 7 Cities

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:12
Size: 101.2 MB
Styles: Roots rock, Electric blues
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[3:49] 1. Quivira
[3:41] 2. Kowtow
[3:35] 3. The Devil & Me
[3:16] 4. Tall Boogie
[3:50] 5. Broken Sunshine
[2:52] 6. Red Bricks
[2:37] 7. Stranger Than Most
[2:20] 8. Road Blind
[3:38] 9. Bite Your Tongue
[3:12] 10. Everybody Wants To Rule The World
[3:32] 11. Waste Away
[4:21] 12. Time Ain't Long
[3:24] 13. Modern Boy

"7 Cities is a rootsy album full of real substance and spark that creeps into your subconscious and stays there. The memorable songs and the integral mix of words and music draws you back to a great album that reveals more with each play. Roots rock never sounded so essential. ~ get ready to ROCK!

7 Cities mc
7 Cities zippy

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