Rambling out of Northeast Minneapolis on their way to dominate the modern world, The Minneapolis Chapter of Roustabouts, or MCOR, as they’re alternatively known, have seemingly birthed a new fusional genre that they can only, yet fittingly, describe as “junk hop”. Combining Skynyrd-esque swamp guitar, droning cello, a bright, hopeful ukele, lyrics concerning pirates and those who rule over mole hills, and a vocal style that is, at times, reminiscent of the angst-y bellowing of Tool singer Maynard James Keenan, MCOR’s style just may end up as the pioneer for a bold new blend of musical elements.
To trace things back to the beginning, Adam Seward (vocals, dobro) and Scott Farrell (vocals and guitar) began jamming initially as a hip-hop duo while working as owners at 4 Points Body Gallery in Minneapolis, combining guitar and DJ techniques. After the two recorded an EP in a barn with the aid of a drum machine, Keya Richie decided to join in with his ukelele at the same time Anders Borg dropped by with a cello, all of them ready to kick out some serious jams.
Originally known simply as “The Roustabouts”, a persistent fan wrote the band after hearing them on a local podcast to inform them that “there are, like, 20 bands called the Roustabouts”. It was then that the group decided to dub themselves, in a lovable tongue-in-cheek manner, as “The Minneapolis Chapter of Roustabouts”. A roustabout, for those who may not know, is described as a traveling blue collar worker, though the band’s intentions for donning the term comes from noted inspirations Tom Waits’ and Aesop Rock’s frequent use of it.
Aside from two EPs that MCOR has released so far (one featuring just Adam and Scott, one recorded live), the group is currently in the works of recording their first full-length album, to be released sometime in the near future.
MCOR’s website link is provided below:
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(MCOR videos will be up shortly)
You can see the Flickr pix from that show here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kfai-fm/sets/72157648972606367/
-Article by Seth Hynes-Marquette
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