There are many musical acts that could have come from anywhere, and others owning a unique flavor acquired from eclectic regional influences, be they musical or otherwise. The elemental worship that radiates from the music of Phil Elverum couldn’t have come from anywhere but Olympia. Where else would Dr. Dre’s west coast concoction of laid back, funk inspired hooks and violent wordplay have been possible but Compton? Can you imagine the dreamy, diaphanous grace of Sigur Ros emerging from Norman, OK?
The best, most authentic creative work comes from artists–not bound by–but carved from the various elements of their regional culture, and the superior artists are those able manipulate their influences into a unique, singular, creation. The raw, dusty blues-rock of the Fort Worth duo, Foxtrot Uniform, is one such creative force. As if marinated in Lone Star and brainwashed from birth by Rocky Erickson, their songs hit with the immediacy of that first, blistering blast of sound on a hot night in a crowded Texas dive. Foxtrot Uniform is modern Texas blues that picks up the psychedelic pieces of the 13th Floor Elevators, the political sensibility of Willie, the blues chops of Stevie Ray Vaughn, and the balls of hometown heros The Toadies. But the band buries them–not in the way you bury something to hide it–but in the way you lay a foundation under that which you build. There is a difference between owning your influences and being owned by them, and whether by design or by inevitable genius Foxtrot Uniform stand free, owned by no one. However, there is still no denying that the duo belong to Texas, though in a strictly paternal, elastic way.
Take a listen below to “Little Annie” from their digital EP, Hey! Mighty! Mighty! available for free download at bandcamp.
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