PRESS | 2001

Austin Chronicle | Austin, TX | October 19, 2001
Metro Beat | Greenville, SC | November 3, 2001


Austin Chronicle | Austin, TX
by Christopher Gray - October 19, 2001

The Weary Boys

Were this 1946 instead of 2001, flour companies throughout the South would have beseiged the Weary Boys with offers for radio programs and promotional tours. They might have even helped elect a governor. True, MTV ain't exactly beating a path to the holler nowadays -- certainly not to that Red River holler known as Beerland -- but a few more albums like this 30-minute, 12-song firecracker, and they might be. Unlike BR5-49 or Split Lip Rayfield, Austin's Wearies fervently ply their grandfathers' music without a trace of smug retro irony -- like they really do rehearse barefoot in the back of an International Harvester, not in the garage getting high and listening to Flatt & Scruggs. It's the vocal harmonies that give them away, lending a familial, otherworldly resonance to Bill Monroe's "Dark as the Night." Equally strong are their instrumental chops, relentless on "Clinch Mountain Backstep" and properly reverent on "Rock of Ages" (special shout-out to fiddler Brian Salvi). As a matter of fact, lead guitarist Mario Matteoli's originals ("Lose One More Baby," "Pick Up the Steam") nestle among songs simply credited "Trad." -- including a barn-burning "Freight Train Blues" -- with no appreciable interruption of continuity, lyrically or musically. Perhaps it's time we had a second look at those birth certificates, o Weary "Boys."

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Metro Beat | Greenville, SC
by Dan Armonaitis - November 3, 2001

Driftin' Cowboys: California transplants the Weary Boys are making a name for themselves in Austin

Austin isn't what it used to be, at least that seems to be the consensus among veterans of the Texas capital's music scene. But don't try telling that to the Weary Boys. The latest in a long line of artists who have relocated to the "music capital of the world" over the years, the Weary Boys have been making a positive impression ever since setting foot in the city about a year ago. Viewing Austin with the wide-eyed enthusiasm of newcomers rather than with the jaded cynicism of veterans, the Weary Boys believe they are right where they need to be."The Austin music scene is going 365 nights a year," singer/guitarist Darren Hoff says. "It's not a Friday and Saturday night town. Any night of the week, you can go out and see something great, even if it's a Sunday. There's a lot of good competition, a lot of good bands. The first few bands we went out and saw, we thought, 'Man, we better start practicing.' It's a good, competitive healthy atmosphere."

The seeds for the Weary Boys were planted in Humboldt County, California, a rural area near the Oregon border. It was there that Hoff and longtime friends Mario Matteoli and Brian Salvi had been honing their craft off-and-on for the past several years. But it wasn't until the trio made its way to

Austin that their 1940s and '50s-influenced style of country and bluegrass really started to take off.

In Austin, they quickly met up with bassist Darren Sluyter and drummer Cade C. Callahan, both of whom were so impressed that they joined the band.

"The first day there, we met Darren Sluyter, our bass player," Hoff says, recalling a street performance by the band. "He was digging us, and we bumped into him again a few weeks later, and we said, 'Hey, do you wanna come out and jam?' So, we started gigging with him, and at one of those gigs we met Cade, our drummer. He just walked up and said, 'Hey, I live around the corner. Can I go get my snare drum and sit in?' We thought, 'Well, what the hell. He can play a few songs with us.' When his two songs were up, we kind of looked over and said, 'You're sticking around the rest of the night, aren't ya?'"

Since then, the band has recorded an independently released album, which combines covers of material by such legends as Bill Monroe and Hank Williams with a sprinkling of originals, which often sound like lost classics in their own right.

"We recorded it without a single overdub, not even the vocals," Hoff says. "We did it all live. It's mostly first and second takes. We went in and did it fast and furious just like they used to."

But just because they record music influenced by another generation, don't get the idea that the Weary Boys don't think they have something modern to offer.

"We're doing this seriously. This isn't a kind of kitschy joke retro revival thing," Hoff says. "We don't grease our hair and dress up like '50s guys. We don't do any kind of shtick. We just get up there and play."

And soon, the band will get a chance to play a gig at the Angola State Penitentiary in Louisiana, which will be filmed for inclusion in a documentary being shot there.

"We're playing their post-rodeo barbecue for the good behavior guys, about 300 inmates there," Hoff says. "It's something we've always wanted to do. And we're hoping to go back in April and put on a big show for essentially the whole population and, hopefully, record it for an album."

What's the inspiration for performing live in a prison?

"Well, Johnny Cash of course," Hoff says, pointing to Cash's acclaimed late '60s albums recorded at Folsom Prison and San Quentin. "They're just amazing records that all of us have been listening to since we were kids. There's a little electricity in the air when you're playing a venue like that. You have a bunch of guys who don't want to be there really, but you get to bring them something new for a couple hours of their lives."

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