Petunia & the Vipers

'Dead Bird on the Highway' (album stream)

BY Sarah MurphyPublished May 13, 2016

Vancouver-based avant-country unit Petunia & the Vipers are ready to roll out a brand new record next week, but before Dead Bird on the Highway is officially out, Exclaim! is giving you the chance to stream it a week early.
 
Bringing together a mix of influences that range from Dixieland jazz to bebop to western swing and old time cowboy music, all dressed up in the slightly more familiar tropes of country and blues, the new album is an eclectic offering of 14 songs.
 
While many are strikingly original cuts like "Death Himself," "Chained" and the bilingual "Lou Lou," there are also a few homages being paid with reinterpretations of Jimmie Rodgers' "Blue Yodel Blues," Jack White's "I'm Shakin,'" Otis Blackwell's "Oh What a Wonderful Time" and the Minimalist Jugband's "Bloom Bloom Bloom."
 
Petunia and his band manage to inject their modern compositions with old world charm, while bringing something fresh to vintage classics. Hear the latest collection of their timeless tunes by giving Dead Bird on the Highway an early listen in the player below before it's officially released on May 20.
 

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