Rhubarb Whiskey in the News
Download Same Sad End Press Release / One Sheet here
August 5, 2013 ReadJunk.com
...the songwriting on “Same Sad End” deserves undivided attention. Many of the songs have a tragic Hank Williams atmosphere about them... “Same Sad End” is an album that you put on when the rain is pounding upon your window pane. It’s somewhat of a modern day trek through the roots of American music. Don’t go into this album looking for a hee-haw hillbilly ho-down…you’ll be somewhat disappointed. You’ll want to kick off your boots for this one. [full review at link]
http://www.readjunk.com/?p=41685&preview=true
...the songwriting on “Same Sad End” deserves undivided attention. Many of the songs have a tragic Hank Williams atmosphere about them... “Same Sad End” is an album that you put on when the rain is pounding upon your window pane. It’s somewhat of a modern day trek through the roots of American music. Don’t go into this album looking for a hee-haw hillbilly ho-down…you’ll be somewhat disappointed. You’ll want to kick off your boots for this one. [full review at link]
http://www.readjunk.com/?p=41685&preview=true
April 16, 2013 PopasTunes.com
Booze-Soaked tales of living hard, loving hard and drinking hard. Rhubarb Whiskey blends punk, country, old timey, a dash of bluegrass, a little blues, gypsy, even some ‘cowboy’ music like the corner bartender blends his version of the mickey. Like the glow of neon of the last open bar 'Same Sad End' (with guest vocals by Carolyn Mark) draws you in with a foot tappin jig, 'Saint of Nothing' wraps it's arms around you like a long lost friend and you settle in with a large draught of beer and a lusty sway. [full review at link]
http://popatunes.blogspot.com/2013/04/rhubarb-whiskey-same-sad-end.html
http://popatunes.blogspot.com/2013/04/rhubarb-whiskey-same-sad-end.html
April 3, 2013 Now This Sound Is Brave
Rhubarb Whiskey is Emchy (accordion, vocals), Boylamayka Sazerac (guitar, mandolin, upright bass, vocals) and Sizzle La Fey (violin, mandolin, banjo, piano), and they’re back and better than ever with their second record, Same Sad End. There are, well, not murder ballads, exactly; maybe a murder waltz? Murder two-step? Songs which could be used to score a romantic montage for Bonnie and Clyde?
http://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/2013/04/03/rhubarb-whiskey-same-sad-end/
http://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/2013/04/03/rhubarb-whiskey-same-sad-end/
Mar 14, 2013 AmericanRootsUK.com
...I love this refreshing blend of punk, country, old timey, a smattering of bluegrass, a little blues, gypsy, even some ‘cowboy’ music and probably more that I’m struggling to discern! The playing is great, the blend of instruments unusual but perfect and never overdone and the vocals, whether of the feminine variety from Emchy or male from Boylamayka (work it out!) are always atmospheric, getting the best out of every song. [full review at link]
http://www.americanrootsuk.com/rhubarb-whiskey---same-sad-end.html
http://www.americanrootsuk.com/rhubarb-whiskey---same-sad-end.html
Feb 23, 2013 AltCountryForum.NL
TRANSLATED:
When you get welcomed to the website of the American trio Rhubarb Whiskey with the words “Welcome To The Booze-Soaked Blues” and get pointed at a make-it-yourself cocktail of water, sugar, small diced rhubarb and amazing amounts of whiskey, you’ll know right away what to expect when listening to the album “Same Sad End”. One of those bands that critics could love if they made the effort to buy the self-produced record or alternatively ask for a promotional copy. It is practically impossible to listen once to this original material of foot-stomping blues, the irresistible murder ballads, the innovative folkpunk and the self-chosen interpretations of traditional folk songs and fully understand it. Like so often the extra effort makes it worth it.
Formed in 2008 the threesome originally from Oakland in 2011 brought out the self-produced debut album “Cautionary Tales” and these multifunctional and experienced musicians Emchy (song, accordion), Boylamayka Sazerac (Guitar, mandolin, standing base, song) and Sizzle La Fey (violin, mandolin, banjo, piano) are also involved in other musical projects such as Oakland Wine Drinkers Union, Vagabondage and The Sweet Trade. The smart arrangements, the high level of instrument control, relaxed atmosphere, a country-waltz with a sharp edge that makes drool run from the speakers, Waitsian tearjerkers, some of the theatrical, the ominous atmosphere and iron-strong songs about death, the devil and especially liters of whiskey.
Everything is right in this cd “Same Sad End” of the likeable and willful collective Rhubarb Whiskey. Truly all my senses are being stimulated. I almost forgot the vocal guestroles of Carolyn mark, Lulu Darling, and Whitney Moses, but of course everything is about Emchy, Boylamayka and Sizzle. In short, “Same Sad End” is an album one could start an old-fashioned love-hate relationship with.
[original review at link]
http://www.altcountryforum.nl/2013/02/23/rhubarb-whiskey-same-sad-end/
When you get welcomed to the website of the American trio Rhubarb Whiskey with the words “Welcome To The Booze-Soaked Blues” and get pointed at a make-it-yourself cocktail of water, sugar, small diced rhubarb and amazing amounts of whiskey, you’ll know right away what to expect when listening to the album “Same Sad End”. One of those bands that critics could love if they made the effort to buy the self-produced record or alternatively ask for a promotional copy. It is practically impossible to listen once to this original material of foot-stomping blues, the irresistible murder ballads, the innovative folkpunk and the self-chosen interpretations of traditional folk songs and fully understand it. Like so often the extra effort makes it worth it.
Formed in 2008 the threesome originally from Oakland in 2011 brought out the self-produced debut album “Cautionary Tales” and these multifunctional and experienced musicians Emchy (song, accordion), Boylamayka Sazerac (Guitar, mandolin, standing base, song) and Sizzle La Fey (violin, mandolin, banjo, piano) are also involved in other musical projects such as Oakland Wine Drinkers Union, Vagabondage and The Sweet Trade. The smart arrangements, the high level of instrument control, relaxed atmosphere, a country-waltz with a sharp edge that makes drool run from the speakers, Waitsian tearjerkers, some of the theatrical, the ominous atmosphere and iron-strong songs about death, the devil and especially liters of whiskey.
Everything is right in this cd “Same Sad End” of the likeable and willful collective Rhubarb Whiskey. Truly all my senses are being stimulated. I almost forgot the vocal guestroles of Carolyn mark, Lulu Darling, and Whitney Moses, but of course everything is about Emchy, Boylamayka and Sizzle. In short, “Same Sad End” is an album one could start an old-fashioned love-hate relationship with.
[original review at link]
http://www.altcountryforum.nl/2013/02/23/rhubarb-whiskey-same-sad-end/
Feb 8, 2013 Mad Mackerel Interviews Rhubarb Whiskey
Jan 18, 2013 410Media.com
I once called Rhubarb Whiskey the Dresden Dolls of Bluegrass and I stand by it. They are full of over the top showmanship that many bands would not be able to pull off, but they sure can. This is a slowed down meandering and moody album that I think holds up their legacy pretty well. Lots of murder ballads and songs about drinking. ”Cindy” sounds like it could be a Nick Cave song. They also do a version of St. James Infirmary Blues that I swear will get your foot taping so fast you might not be able to stop it for at least five minutes after hearing it... [full review at link]
http://new.410media.com/?p=1138
http://new.410media.com/?p=1138
Jan 16, 2013 Mad Mackerel Review
...We first posted about the alcohol soaked, southern Gothic murder ballads from Rhubarb Whiskey and their album Cautionary Tales back in the summer of 2011. An intriguing bunch: in look and sound, they evoke sleazy San Francisco punk rock clubs and Weimar cabarets, just as much as they evoke the ghost towns and saloons of the Wild West... [full review at link]
http://madmackerel.org/2013/01/14/new-album-from-rhubarb-whiskey/
http://madmackerel.org/2013/01/14/new-album-from-rhubarb-whiskey/
Sepiachord Song of the Day
The first single from the new Rhubarb Whiskey album, title track Same Sad End, was selected to be a Sepiachord Song of the Day. WOOHOO! http://www.sepiachord.com/index/?p=5463
New Album Cautionary Tales Hits the 'Best Of' Lists!
Ships Sail Past My Heart from Now This Sound is Brave
Rhubarb Whiskey
are Boylamayka Sazerac (Oakland Wine Drinkers Union, Subincision;
vocals, guitar, upright bass, mandolin, metal chain, railroad spike on
accordion case) Emchy (Vagabondage, Oakland Wine Drinkers Union; vocal,
accordion, clapping, musical saw mallet on spice jar) and Sizzle La Fey
(The Sweet Trade; fiddle, mandolin, whiskey bottle). They are from San
Francisco, and Cautionary Tales is their first full length release.
It is aptly named, as it is jammed full of blood- and whiskey-soaked tales, such as Banks of the Ohio and Birch Bones, both of which are far too bouncy to be called murder ballads. Murder gavottes, maybe, or murder hooligan’s jigs.1
There’s also Bears in the Lot, which is an extremely entertaining meditation on the perils of losing bets and drinking in Alaska, and Whiskey Neat which is mainly about the joys of drinking whiskey, pretty girls and narrowly avoided bar fights. But my favorite song, the one I have been listening to somewhat, er, obsessively, is We All Come to the Same Place.
It’s a song about chosen family; for me, it’s the song I would (will probably) put at the end of a mixtape for a new friend, or lover, to say: this is sound of my ravens rising and soaring over the frozen lake, wing to wing, and my swallows, descending after a long journey home; this is the song of the travelers lantern always kept burning on my porch, for loved ones, and because I, too, often take flight, and need the light in the distance to call me home; these are my people, this is my tribe, and we are the wandering, traveling kind.
read more at: http://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/2011/11/16/ships-sail-past-my-heart-rhubarb-whiskey-cautionary-tales/
There’s also Bears in the Lot, which is an extremely entertaining meditation on the perils of losing bets and drinking in Alaska, and Whiskey Neat which is mainly about the joys of drinking whiskey, pretty girls and narrowly avoided bar fights. But my favorite song, the one I have been listening to somewhat, er, obsessively, is We All Come to the Same Place.
It’s a song about chosen family; for me, it’s the song I would (will probably) put at the end of a mixtape for a new friend, or lover, to say: this is sound of my ravens rising and soaring over the frozen lake, wing to wing, and my swallows, descending after a long journey home; this is the song of the travelers lantern always kept burning on my porch, for loved ones, and because I, too, often take flight, and need the light in the distance to call me home; these are my people, this is my tribe, and we are the wandering, traveling kind.
read more at: http://www.nowthissound.com/ntsib/2011/11/16/ships-sail-past-my-heart-rhubarb-whiskey-cautionary-tales/
Maximum Consuption: Rhubarb Whiskey Pairings from SF Bay Guardian
Booze-soaked bluegrass, could there be anything more befitting for this time of year, on this plot of land? San Francisco is finally warm, if only for the week, so enjoy it while it lasts. Sit on your front porch (read: stairwell or fire escape), whip up a naturally-infused whiskey cocktail, then listen to the rough and tough Americana songs of Oakland's own, Rhubarb Whiskey. Or you can check out the band live this Friday, Sept. 23 at the Plough and the Stars.
With harder-edged takes on folk, it's got the auditory sensation of dragged chains through fiddle, railroad spike on accordion, ominous train horns a-coming through the fog, perked up with plucked mandolin. A jug in hand seems almost mandatory at this point. For Maximum Consumption, I asked Rhubarb Whiskey – which includes Boylamayka Sazerac, Emchy, and Sizzle La Fey – to pair their songs (all of which you can hear on their Bandcamp page) with the appropriate whiskey. They did me one better and gave helpful explanations, and a recipe for their specially concocted namesake recipe at the end.
Track: “We All Come to the Same Place” paired with Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey
Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey – sweet smooth with some hints of caramel and smoke on the finish – it sounds like roughing it, but really it's all about the most sweet and comfortable moments.
Track: “Whiskey Neat” paired with Jim Beam Rye
While this song about trying to get with a girl at a show but getting into a fight instead even mentions 18-year-old scotch, it's really more of a rough and tumble Jim Beam Rye sort of feel. Spicy, pissed off, and feeling like you're gonna have a good time raising hell with your broke-ass friends.
[read more]
With harder-edged takes on folk, it's got the auditory sensation of dragged chains through fiddle, railroad spike on accordion, ominous train horns a-coming through the fog, perked up with plucked mandolin. A jug in hand seems almost mandatory at this point. For Maximum Consumption, I asked Rhubarb Whiskey – which includes Boylamayka Sazerac, Emchy, and Sizzle La Fey – to pair their songs (all of which you can hear on their Bandcamp page) with the appropriate whiskey. They did me one better and gave helpful explanations, and a recipe for their specially concocted namesake recipe at the end.
Track: “We All Come to the Same Place” paired with Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey
Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey – sweet smooth with some hints of caramel and smoke on the finish – it sounds like roughing it, but really it's all about the most sweet and comfortable moments.
Track: “Whiskey Neat” paired with Jim Beam Rye
While this song about trying to get with a girl at a show but getting into a fight instead even mentions 18-year-old scotch, it's really more of a rough and tumble Jim Beam Rye sort of feel. Spicy, pissed off, and feeling like you're gonna have a good time raising hell with your broke-ass friends.
[read more]
Off the Record Review from SFGate.com
Drinkers, heart-breakers, the heartbroken, rowdy types, fans of the every growing San Francisco roots/Americana scene, do not miss an amazing East Bay showcase featuring Rhubarb Whiskey.
Rhubarb Whiskey
If you've been playing along at home, you know that I'm a giddy fan boy of Vagabondage, and Rhubarb features Emchy of Vagabondage, playing her squeeze box and singing her guts out with fellow hooligans Boylamayka and Sizzle La Fey. Excellent strings on this project include a fiddle that will make you weep into your glass of hooch, the tender mandolin and more.
I'm listening to Delia right now, a song where Emchy takes center stage and her voice is utter heartbreak and beauty all at once.
From their own words:
"Straight from the stage of a dusty old saloon - the beautiful, sorrowful, American Gothic music of Rhubarb Whiskey is just as much at home in 1890 as they are in 2010."
Also performing are Oakland Wine Drinkers Union, Liquor Cake and 5 Cent Coffee.
Rhubarb Whiskey, Thursday at Starry Plough, Berkeley. 9:30 p.m. $8.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/offtherecord/detail?entry_id=81351#ixzz1XwQPBtm6
Rhubarb Whiskey
If you've been playing along at home, you know that I'm a giddy fan boy of Vagabondage, and Rhubarb features Emchy of Vagabondage, playing her squeeze box and singing her guts out with fellow hooligans Boylamayka and Sizzle La Fey. Excellent strings on this project include a fiddle that will make you weep into your glass of hooch, the tender mandolin and more.
I'm listening to Delia right now, a song where Emchy takes center stage and her voice is utter heartbreak and beauty all at once.
From their own words:
"Straight from the stage of a dusty old saloon - the beautiful, sorrowful, American Gothic music of Rhubarb Whiskey is just as much at home in 1890 as they are in 2010."
Also performing are Oakland Wine Drinkers Union, Liquor Cake and 5 Cent Coffee.
Rhubarb Whiskey, Thursday at Starry Plough, Berkeley. 9:30 p.m. $8.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/offtherecord/detail?entry_id=81351#ixzz1XwQPBtm6
'The Mad Mackerel' CD Review
Alcohol soaked, southern Gothic murder ballads are the order of the day from Rhubarb Whiskey and their new album Cautionary Tales. Stories are told with a flourish and a touch of the theatrical using mandolin, guitar, accordion, fiddle and upright bass. Mixing classic American folk songs with a gypsy punk ethic works wonderfully well and chief among the highlights is a unique tale of bears and booze whose lyrics were penned by the infamous award winning horror author Poppy Z. Brite.
Hear for yourself.
Hear for yourself.
Rhubarb Whiskey's 'Cautionary Tales' - Hellbilly Goth? Whatever it is I Like It
By ‘Rebel’ Rod Ames
There is only one thing that I can ever be certain of and that is what sounds good to my ears. Rhubarb Whiskey’s CD “Cautionary Tales” is a whimsical journey through dark, musky, smoky, dusty, gin, or in this case, whiskey soaked rooms.
Their music is heavy on the atmosphere, and is expertly performed throughout this twelve song acoustic jam consisting of fiddle, mandolin, guitar, upright bass, and accordion. There music is extremely difficult to explain, you just have to hear it, but if I had to try to describe it to someone, I’d probably say something like this –“Imagine Bill Monroe and Sid Vicious having kids together”.
I know little to nothing about them other than the fact, I love listening to their music.
“Go Away” starts out sounding like very traditional bluegrass tune until the vocals begin. They are usually a contrast within themselves, yet it seems to work for them. Their lyrics are darkly beautiful and you can practically see the passion emit from your speakers.
“Whiskey Neat” is probably my favorite tune on the record. Unfortunately, towards the end of the song they use lyrics I could never get away with playing on my radio show. Therefore, my advice would be to buy it if you want to hear one of the best drinking songs ever written.
Probably the classiest and one of the more complex tunes the record, and there are several, would be “We All Came to the Same Place”. Most of the songs are about the drinking of whiskey. This one only mentions beer, wine, and trains. It is, as is the rest of the record, rich in texture. This one also possesses beautiful harmonies to add to the atmosphere the band has, by this point, well established.
As is so often found in this genre, it is tough to select a song “you like the most”. They are all so good.
All I can say about Rhubarb Whiskey is that I can’t wait to see where they take me next time. I haven’t taken a drink in almost nineteen years. They expertly paint a picture of what it’s like to consume and to be consumed by it. Nearly every tune is a constant reminder of not only why I drank the stuff in the first place, but also why I stopped as well; yet another glorious contrast.
So go out and buy yourself a bottle of hooch (unless you are like me and can’t or shouldn’t), put this amazing album on, and get ready to take a whiskey trip. Either way, these songs promise to leave you with a euphoric feeling that will linger long after the last note is played. I ended my first listen with a simple “Wow!”
‘Rebel’ Rod says check it out.
There is only one thing that I can ever be certain of and that is what sounds good to my ears. Rhubarb Whiskey’s CD “Cautionary Tales” is a whimsical journey through dark, musky, smoky, dusty, gin, or in this case, whiskey soaked rooms.
Their music is heavy on the atmosphere, and is expertly performed throughout this twelve song acoustic jam consisting of fiddle, mandolin, guitar, upright bass, and accordion. There music is extremely difficult to explain, you just have to hear it, but if I had to try to describe it to someone, I’d probably say something like this –“Imagine Bill Monroe and Sid Vicious having kids together”.
I know little to nothing about them other than the fact, I love listening to their music.
“Go Away” starts out sounding like very traditional bluegrass tune until the vocals begin. They are usually a contrast within themselves, yet it seems to work for them. Their lyrics are darkly beautiful and you can practically see the passion emit from your speakers.
“Whiskey Neat” is probably my favorite tune on the record. Unfortunately, towards the end of the song they use lyrics I could never get away with playing on my radio show. Therefore, my advice would be to buy it if you want to hear one of the best drinking songs ever written.
Probably the classiest and one of the more complex tunes the record, and there are several, would be “We All Came to the Same Place”. Most of the songs are about the drinking of whiskey. This one only mentions beer, wine, and trains. It is, as is the rest of the record, rich in texture. This one also possesses beautiful harmonies to add to the atmosphere the band has, by this point, well established.
As is so often found in this genre, it is tough to select a song “you like the most”. They are all so good.
All I can say about Rhubarb Whiskey is that I can’t wait to see where they take me next time. I haven’t taken a drink in almost nineteen years. They expertly paint a picture of what it’s like to consume and to be consumed by it. Nearly every tune is a constant reminder of not only why I drank the stuff in the first place, but also why I stopped as well; yet another glorious contrast.
So go out and buy yourself a bottle of hooch (unless you are like me and can’t or shouldn’t), put this amazing album on, and get ready to take a whiskey trip. Either way, these songs promise to leave you with a euphoric feeling that will linger long after the last note is played. I ended my first listen with a simple “Wow!”
‘Rebel’ Rod says check it out.
Rhubarb Whiskey - Cautionary Tales from AltCountryForum
Onlangs viel de cd “Cautionary Tales” in de bus van een trio dat zichzelf Rhubarb Whiskey heeft gedoopt. Op de website van dit Amerikaanse gezelschap staat een allesomvattende omschrijving over hun muziek: Imagine Bill Monroe and Sid Vicious having kids together. Ik zou het zelf niet beter hebben geformuleerd. Rhubarb Whiskey is opgericht in 2008 door voormalig gitarist van de punkband Subincision Boylamayka Sazerac (zang, gitaar, staande bas, mandoline) en Cindy Emch (accordeon, zang), bekend van de spoken word scene in San Franciso. Sizzle La Fey (viool) voegt zich twee jaar later bij het tweetal.
De stijl van Rhubarb Whiskey is niet onder een hoed te vangen. De dame en twee heren laten op deze plaat, die opgenomen is in hun eigen studio te Oakland, een bijzondere combinatie horen van new grass, underground country, americana, folk en punkrock. Ze zijn anders dan anders. Verrassend, fris, pittig, meeslepend, rauw, spannend met de juiste dosis theatrale en cabareteske elementen. De klanken van de treurende accordeon, de tedere mandoline en de melancholische viool zijn duidelijk voor elkaar geboren. De stembanden van Boylamayka, Cindy en Sizzle lijken een effectieve whiskeykuur te hebben genoten. Het resultaat breng je in een onweerstaanbare roes met liedjes over de liefde, moordballads en een flinke hoeveelheid aan Bourbon Whiskey. “Cautionary Tales” zal dan ook voor de een afschrikwekkend zijn en voor de ander zeer aantrekkelijk. Mij verveelde deze uiterst genietbare plaat geen moment.
http://rhubarbwhiskey.bandcamp.com
www.rhubarbwhiskey.com
(Johan Schoenmakers)
De stijl van Rhubarb Whiskey is niet onder een hoed te vangen. De dame en twee heren laten op deze plaat, die opgenomen is in hun eigen studio te Oakland, een bijzondere combinatie horen van new grass, underground country, americana, folk en punkrock. Ze zijn anders dan anders. Verrassend, fris, pittig, meeslepend, rauw, spannend met de juiste dosis theatrale en cabareteske elementen. De klanken van de treurende accordeon, de tedere mandoline en de melancholische viool zijn duidelijk voor elkaar geboren. De stembanden van Boylamayka, Cindy en Sizzle lijken een effectieve whiskeykuur te hebben genoten. Het resultaat breng je in een onweerstaanbare roes met liedjes over de liefde, moordballads en een flinke hoeveelheid aan Bourbon Whiskey. “Cautionary Tales” zal dan ook voor de een afschrikwekkend zijn en voor de ander zeer aantrekkelijk. Mij verveelde deze uiterst genietbare plaat geen moment.
http://rhubarbwhiskey.bandcamp.com
www.rhubarbwhiskey.com
(Johan Schoenmakers)
Sepiachord EP Review
Rhubarb Whiskey is a San Francisco based duo with Emchy on vocals & accordion and Boylamayka performing vocals, guitar, mandolin and upright bass. Their debut EP is a minimal, lo-fi experience. The band hasn't just stripped away what they don't need, it seems like it never occurred to them to include superfuous crap in the first place.
What they present on this short-player is inebriation and hangover music. Songs written in an alcohol haze and tempered with the moring-after-blues. These six songs are roots/regret music, pieces that could have been written any time since the creation of whiskey, guitars and remorse.
read more at http://sepiachord.com/rhubarbwhiskeyep.htm
