Hey everyone! My new single SAME DEVIL NEW SKIN was released recently. its the first of 3 singles leading up to my album drop on Sept 20th. Have a listen and let me know what you think. If you dig it, please share and add it to your playlists.
Earlier this week, Susto teased a surprise, and it turned out to be a full live album recorded at Fine2Day Fest at Codfish Hollow Barnstormers in Maquoketa, Iowa September 8-9 2023. I knew it was going to be new music, but I was expecting a remix or something. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was a live album, and even more glad to hear that it sounds amazing — both sonically and performance-wise.
The live album features 24 tracks with a runtime of over an hour and a half, and...
Earlier this week, Susto teased a surprise, and it turned out to be a full live album recorded at Fine2Day Fest at Codfish Hollow Barnstormers in Maquoketa, Iowa September 8-9 2023. I knew it was going to be new music, but I was expecting a remix or something. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was a live album, and even more glad to hear that it sounds amazing — both sonically and performance-wise.
The live album features 24 tracks with a runtime of over an hour and a half, and includes all of Susto’s most popular songs from all five Susto albums, plus some deep cuts, and even a couple of fun covers.
Overall, it sounds like a massively fun time, and is filled with highlight performances of some of my favorite songs by the band. The room sounds warm and the crowd sounds like they are having as much fun as the band. I’ve always wanted to catch a Susto show at Codfish Hollow, everybody says the venue is incredible. It is literally an old barn out in the middle of the country, where you can camp out and see live music. And apparently, they also have an excellent soundsystem and acoustics.
Live Album Highlights
Instead of doing a full track-by-track, I’m going to point out a few of my personal highlights from the album. I encourage checking the whole album out, because it’s good stuff.
My first highlight from the live album is an obvious choice: “Hard Drugs.” This is such a tender song of friendship and hard times that really resonates with people. I remember the first time that I heard this song, it was on their Audiotree live sessions, before it ended up on their second album & I’m Fine Today (2017), and it was an instant favorite for myself and a whole lot of other people who were lucky enough to know about it. Three albums later and it remains one of their most powerful songs.
“RockOn,” track 7 from the live album comes from the band’s latest studio album, My Entire Life (2023). Personally I found this record to be their best studio effort since FineToday, and “Rock On” is made for the live setting. It’s about this idealized, fast-and-furious lifestyle of a rock star, that seems at least loosely based on Susto’s career and life on the road. They play it really well here and make you feel like you’re part of that story.
“Double Rainbow” is a standout track from 2021’s Time in the Sun that is always a fun one to hear live. The song is very much classic Susto in that it questions religion and grapples with existential dread. “Double Rainbow” juxtaposes that introspection with a jubilant rock & roll sound and an extremely catchy refrain. Johnny Delaware rips an extended solo on this one in the outro.
They have some fun with “La Mia,” which you can hear them talking about at the end of “Break Free, Rolling Stone,” during the “Susto Unplugged” portion of the set which also included “Gay in the South.” They discuss how they hadn’t been playing “La Mia” on tour and they had never done it unplugged. I thought it sounded awesome.
“Cosmic Cowboy” is a fantastic Susto singalong from Fine Today, that has long been one of my favorite Susto songs. I said when I wrote a review of that album back in 2017 that it was a “goddamn new age Southern rock & roll anthem”, and I still agree with that statement. This version of the song brings out the harmonica and is a ton of fun, as always, especially the “always saying fuck the cops” part. The crowd echo in the barn is palpable, as I’m certainly not the only one who knows all the words to this song.
Later on, we have “Life is Suffering” which is in my opinion the best song on Time in the Sun and one of the best overall Susto songs. It’s a really comfortable sounding-song, and the energy in the barn and the warmth of the recording really lends itself to that comfort. Lyrically, it is not quite as comfortable, but it is very heartfelt and relatable.
“Smoking Outside” is the cream of the crop. From the debut Susto album (2014), this has the distinction of being the first Susto song I ever heard, and it remains one of my favorites to this day. I have always thought that it deserved to be jammed out more than it usually gets jammed out, and they deliver that here with a 9 minute performance of the classic song.
Later, we hear covers of “Don’t Look Back in Anger” by Oasis, “Video Games” by Lana Del Rey (featuring Judy Blank), and finally, the always chill “Jah Werx” to send it on home.
Not only is this one of the strongest live albums in Susto’s growing collection, it also offers 24 compelling reasons to buy a ticket to the next Fine2Day Fest. If this is how they’re going to play there? Sign me up.
A few days ago, I released a cover of “Doll Parts.” This is my first time putting out a cover song and also my debut collaboration with Michael Flynn (Slow Runner). I usually only release original tunes, so I’m excited to share this new project with you.
So many great venues .. I think they lend themselves optimally to different situations and scenarios. Give me a Secret Guest, 2 Slices, Dear Blanca, The Simplicity, etc at The Royal American any day of the week.. Death Row Show, if you will.. I love a stacked double header at The Pourhouse between the deck and main stage with all my Jam Band homies. I really love and appreciate a sit down show at The Music Hall, etc.. The point is that each venue lends itself to different bands/situations in...
So many great venues .. I think they lend themselves optimally to different situations and scenarios. Give me a Secret Guest, 2 Slices, Dear Blanca, The Simplicity, etc at The Royal American any day of the week.. Death Row Show, if you will.. I love a stacked double header at The Pourhouse between the deck and main stage with all my Jam Band homies. I really love and appreciate a sit down show at The Music Hall, etc.. The point is that each venue lends itself to different bands/situations in their own way, and sometimes you just gotta be in the right place at the right time.
The coolest part about this for myself and I’m sure many people reading is how many of these shows that I was at. I love it so much and I can’t thank you enough for joining the community to share this. It’s exactly the reason why I built this place, so that things like this can blossom.
Appreciate you Wesley, for everything over the years. You the man. I won’t get too sentimental because I know I’ll see you again. But thanks for everything you’ve contributed to the Charleston music...
The coolest part about this for myself and I’m sure many people reading is how many of these shows that I was at. I love it so much and I can’t thank you enough for joining the community to share this. It’s exactly the reason why I built this place, so that things like this can blossom.
Appreciate you Wesley, for everything over the years. You the man. I won’t get too sentimental because I know I’ll see you again. But thanks for everything you’ve contributed to the Charleston music scene and to Extra Chill.
I’ll be digging through these over time but so far I’ve listened to that SUSTO album anniversary show and the Cannon Rogers show. I enjoyed the “Angel From Montgomery” cover that Cannon did and the stage banter. Cannon is also the man.
Yep it’s perfect. The fact that he died right after he released it shows how much the artistic expression was a part of him and how much he invested in it. Like, he knew that he was dying the whole time he was making the album, and then it was like one last big exhale, like a big “WHEW!” and then that was it. Gone. Beautiful.
The beats are obviously incredible, but I think it’s the transitions that take it to the next level. The record keeps throwing new stuff at you at every turn, and...
Yep it’s perfect. The fact that he died right after he released it shows how much the artistic expression was a part of him and how much he invested in it. Like, he knew that he was dying the whole time he was making the album, and then it was like one last big exhale, like a big “WHEW!” and then that was it. Gone. Beautiful.
The beats are obviously incredible, but I think it’s the transitions that take it to the next level. The record keeps throwing new stuff at you at every turn, and with each beat change you get that extra burst of “woah music is amazing” kinda feeling. (Guided by Voices’ early 90’s output hits the same feeling)
Idk if you’ve heard it but Madlib’s Beat Konducta 5 is a tribute to Dilla and uses similar styles, an excellent beat tape
Very kind to share, Wes – MUCH appreciated. All the best in Philly. If you haven’t already spoken to them, Grocer are a great resource for the city. They were very encouraging to a friend who is considering relocating there as well.
I found him fairly recently too and it was like I’d found a big missing piece to the whole “classic” rock picture. I’m not even exactly sure what it was but it’s like his stuff occupies this space that kinda lurks quietly underneath a lot of other bands and artists.
And Naturally is such a good album holy hell. I’ve explored bits of other albums but have yet to really dive in to them. I love this sort of low key groovy stuff. Plus obviously his guitar playing is just perfectly...
I found him fairly recently too and it was like I’d found a big missing piece to the whole “classic” rock picture. I’m not even exactly sure what it was but it’s like his stuff occupies this space that kinda lurks quietly underneath a lot of other bands and artists.
And Naturally is such a good album holy hell. I’ve explored bits of other albums but have yet to really dive in to them. I love this sort of low key groovy stuff. Plus obviously his guitar playing is just perfectly tastful and has such a fine tone.
