david nance - david nance & mowed sound - third man records

David Nance & Mowed Sound, the first album by Nance to be released on Third Man Records, cuts deep. Memories sprout back, like the sounds of a great rock song blasting from the neighbor’s truck as it revs away into the night. There is a definite connection to the past, but the swinging guitar boogie and snarled blues you might expect from Nance and company sounds leaner and completely hypnotic. What remains are 10 tracks from a well-oiled group so rhythmically together that the songs on the album seem as connected as links in a chain. 

Capturing something real is tough to do, but something Nance does well. Recorded during the height of the Covid pandemic beginning in the Fall of 2021, the album follows the group’s intention to record with the studio as opposed to just documenting a live sound. “We used the studio as an instrument; it was in the middle of the plague, so we thought we’re not going to perform this live, just make it whatever it is. This record is nothing but a big magic trick” said Nance. That meant stepping out of the comfort zone of relying on guitar-driven rock blasts and embracing new instrumentations and techniques. With Nance on guitar, bass and keyboard and Mowed Sound’s core group of long-time members Kevin Donahue on drums, Jim Schroeder on guitar, bass and keyboards and bassist Dereck Higgins and Sam Lipsett; they dug in and worked through a bunch of songs before choosing and editing down to the 10 tracks that worked for the new album. 

“There are so many production choices today I feel a song can get lost in the choices and lose the original idea of what the song was supposed to be. Most of these songs are written as country songs and then get perverted into different forms.” said Nance. Settling on a voice that rings true was the band’s goal and an essential part of the editing process. Avoiding mere mimicry when it feels like a music fan can pick a style or influence and recreate the sound with eerie accuracy with modern technology. Despite its hard-rockin 70’s vibe, the album never veers into the slavish recreation of a sound or era. Maybe it has something to do with their home state of Nebraska; not really a place where faking it works. 

One thing you can’t fake is the tightness of the group; the whole album is propelled from track to track by the group’s drums, bass and guitars working as one rhythmic unit. Even on the tracks that feature a more acoustic, mellow side, they transition from the previous song like a truck easing off the exit lane. 

Their country soul shines in the duet “Tumbleweed” with haunting guest vocalist Pearl Lovejoy Boyd and Nance capturing a love caught in small town America. “Tumbleweed, Tumbleweed, don’t you roll on by me, I want to leave this town as bad as you.” It’s also apparent in the population of ghosts and characters weary from losses like “Side Eyed Sam”, or just plain tired like the couple on “Tergiversation”. Nothing comes across as easy in this world, even when it’s going well. 

Further guest musicians include a beautiful string arrangement from Nebraska native Megan Siebe from the band Cursive who arranged and played a set of string instruments on the opening track “Mock the Hours”, which Nance describes as their attempt at an orchestrated rock song in the manner of the Left Banke. The song “Credit Line” sounds like it could have been culled from a 70’s private pressing blues rock collector’s favorite. But the nasty grooves and the tight rhythm work moves the album fast down the highway until they crash hard; burned out and busted in Florida on the last track “In Orlando”.

David Nance & Mowed Sound tap into the emotions and experiences they’ve gathered. Maybe life is increasingly lived in a virtual world, they still can’t escape the hours spent on the road or the visions left behind. They wouldn’t have it any other way; a testament to artists dedicated to the craft of songwriting and creating something real.