WHO'S GONNA BUILD YOUR WALL?

TOM RUSSELL'S "Late Show" performance reviewed by BRADLEY MASON HAMLIN

The tradition of the traveling troubadour has existed for thousands of years and he is a hard sonofabitch to kill, but I honestly thought “folk music” had officially died when Phil Ochs ironically took his own life in the bicentennial year of our country, 1976. This was of course long after Dylan had “gone electric” and everyone had grown tired of Peter, Paul, & Mary’s sugary hippy ballads. Besides, the Ramones had just given birth to the gift of punk rock and that would give my generation a whole new way of expressing themselves.

However, last night, Tom Russell proved me wrong in that assumption. “Who’s Gonna Build Your Wall?” is the latest offering from Russell and he performed the song last night on David Lettermen’s Late Show (with Paul Shaffer)—and it absolutely kicked ass.

One of my biggest complaints about modern music is the cookie-cutter produced albums (which account for most of what you hear on the radio) into a sort of gelatin mold sound that has no guts. And guts = substance. Hell, you can sing about a weasel you ran over in the road (the Ramones did) if you do it with enough skill and passion, but where has all the passion gone? Are hand-held video games, text messaging, and the Internet creating a brave new world of zombies?

And are the zombies gonna build that wall?

Not likely.

When you listen to Tom Russell perform you might be inclined to call what he does “folk music.” You just might.

Or you might call him country.

Maybe western.

Me, I just call what Tom does: American music.

And, last night, on that note, Tom proved me right.

And I know one other thing with absolute certainty. Joey, Johnny, and Dee Dee Ramone would have loved “Who’s Gonna Build Your Wall?” just as much as I do.

Thanks again, Tom. Keep stickin it to the man.


Bradley Mason Hamlin, August 22, 2007.


You can listen to "Who's Gonna Build Your Wall?" at Tom Russell's Official myspace music page at: www.myspace.com/russelltom

You can also own "Who's Gonna Build Your Wall?"
by picking up Tom's latest album: Wounded Heart of America, available from Hightone Records.

And look for a new edition of Tom Russell's book of poetry and interviews with Charles Bukowski: TOUGH COMPANY coming September, 2007 from Mystery Island Publications.


"Tom Russell 'Late Show' Review" by Bradley Mason Hamlin © 2007 by Mystery Island Publications.



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