Three State Famous: Suburban Street Trash – Music Review

SuburbanStreetTrashAbout 25 miles outside of Washington D.C. and northeast of Fredericksburg, Va., is a town called Dumfries. While the town might boast a population of under 10,000, the blues-rock band, Three State Famous, is making some noise and its case to be added to the musical map.

In ‘Suburban Street Trash’ the grungy guitars and matter-of-fact lyrics pull the listener to a strange, but seedy place. The music beds reek of PBR and Southern Comfort; the vocals are wrought with experiences and regrets. This album is amazingly that good.

The title track reminds me somewhat of Kings of Leon, minus the radio friendly flare. There’s nothing friendly about this song. While listening to this song it’s like escaping your own body and drifting into a dive-bar. The band in the corner is telling like it is; this song is deliciously good. It goes down smooth.

Before I forget – these songs do have curse words. So, if you’re offended easily, I wouldn’t suggest you listen to the lyrics. But, please pay attention to the intricate guitar riffs and tight percussion. They make it sound easy.

In “Sleeping In Forever” I felt a sad hint of a lullaby in the vocals. The lyrics are poignant. I can’t help while listening to this band – including this track – reminders and comparisons to bands like Iron Butterfly, Nazareth and New Riders of the Purple Sage. Three State Famous has this way of drawing out murky guitars and prolonging their jams. I felt a veil of 60s rock covering the album.

Other stand out tracks are “Stick to the Script,” “Lost and Found” and “Low Life.” These really connected and kept me chained to the orchestrations. At times they sneak in some harmonica and jazz flavor – and in comes the comparisons to the Allman Brothers Band. They have a solid sound!

Overall ‘Suburban Street Trash’ is a solid A review. They are rock, they are hardcore, yet mellow enough to attract Grateful Dead fans, Allman Brothers Band fans, listeners of Blues Traveler, and even Kings of Leon. They have a unique sound and heck, I’d buy ’em a beer!

Author: Melissa Kucirek