New England’s Jeb Barry has been the driving force and songwriter behind the Pawn Shop Saints since 2012. ‘Weeds’ is the band’s fourth release. He sings and plays guitars, bass, banjo, harmonica and organ and, on this record, is backed by Josh Pisano (percussion), Michael O’Neill (guitars), Tony Pisano (accordion) and Amy Attias (fiddle).
Brevity is the watchword with 13 songs rattled out in just 36 minutes. The closing track, All Girls Break Hearts, is the longest at 3 minutes 26 seconds.
The collection is accurately described as ”sparse, weary songs from the darker side of life.” Most are either about the loss of love or the loss of life.
The War and Memorial Day bemoan the forgotten stories of war veterans and about the nearest we get to optimism comes with the thought that “Maybe tomorrow won’t be as bad as it seems” in the title track. Only Baby Got Drunk, a light-hearted sing along tune, has any real trace of levity.
The downbeat mood can partly be accounted for by the fact that most of the songs were written during the pandemic. Twine is a tribute to John Prine, one of the high profile victims of the virus, while Miss June is about those who died alone and anonymously. The Covid Unit is directed at dumbass anti-vaxxers who denied the science and refused to wear masks.
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Generation Lockdown reflects on the inaction on gun control despite the epidemic of school shootings in America. This is a topic of particular relevance to Barry since his day job is as a high school teacher.
In short, the stark reflections of the dire state of the world and of Jeb Barry’s love life mean that this is assuredly not an album designed to put a spring in your step.
The Pawn Shop Saints’ website
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