Jerry Joseph, one of Portland’s undersung songwriters and a rebel troubadour of the first degree, is the man behind the Denmark Veseys. Along with drummer Steve Drizos (they’re a duo in the White Stripes/Viva Voce mold, though neither are as hot as the female members of said bands…or the dudes for that matter. Sorry guys, you look good, it’s just really stiff competition), Joseph cuts through nine tracks with various degrees of recklessness: The whole album was recorded in six days. There’s a stream-of-consciousness lyrical tendency on these tunes that brings Elvis Costello’s latest album, Momofuku, to mind—though Joseph himself probably has more in common with Gram Parsons. In either case, Jer-Jo shares an obsession with dusty backroads American rock and roll that’s usually reserved for foreigners.

The self-titled album creeps towards Joseph’s usual outcast Americana, but one can hear him rattling that cage with the Cars-rock of “Letter to Chico,” and throughout the album. Joseph is a able frontman who has a voice built for radio—he snarls like an asshole and opens his heart up wide for the listener at the same time—and while he may never breach much national airplay (takes a rich daddy these days, you know?), they’ll be talking about him in Portland long after he’s gone. Great to see him still developing and experimenting with form with the Denmark Veseys.

Download audio file (lettertochico.mp3)

The Denmark Veseys releases its self-titled album Saturday, June 28 at Dante’s.

Links:
The Denmark Veseys
Jerry Joseph

Photo: Steve on the left, Jerry on the right.