The New Heathens are
technically a New York City-based band, but they're
rooted in Montana. The liner notes picture a Montana
license plate and a glimpse of a Bob Wire & the
Fencemenders T-shirt, and one of the songs is titled
"July 1 Near Helena Montana." The local flavor comes
courtesy of head Heathen Nate Schweber, the one-time
renegade tuba player in UM's marching band and local
writer who's now found a bigger playground to fool
around in with this loose roots-rock
quintet.
It's not just Schweber's local
connection that makes him stand out. His vocals are
rough in a road-weary, bar-rock way that makes it easy
to sing along, and his lyrics are impeccable. Every
line is memorable on the standout "When Shes Wasted,"
right up to the twangy chorus: "I smell the whiskey on
her breath, she's getting faded. Cos she hates me when
she's sober, but she loves me when she's wasted." "Back to
Jesus" is a hilarious confessional in the form of a
rockabilly rocker with verses that jump from praising
Allah to finding religion in hallucinogens.
Throughout, the writing is satirical and smart and, in
more serious turns like "Goodnight Paterson" and "Kansas
Romeo," heartbreakingly real.
Heathens Like
Me is a devilishly good debut, one with enough
sustenance to satisfy Big Sky locals even if it does
arrive via the Big Apple. (Skylar Browning)
