Matt Krefting

Matt Krefting had toiled for more than a decade in self-described "quiet music" project Son of Earth when Thurston Moore, the guardian angel of underground cool, offered him the opportunity to indulge a rock jones. Providing Krefting with a band primarily culled from Sunburned Hand of the Man and guest soloist J Mascis, and deciding on an all-covers format the framework seemed solid but who thought Frank Zappa's "Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up" needed more cowbell? If the intention was to take songs by Rick Danko, John Martyn and Bill Fay and make them sound like an open mic band quickly shown the chords and given their fifth beers "doing their best" then well done. But unless you were actually at that bar drinking along the magic is a little tarnished. Krefting does his best with a strong, earnest vocal style that he pushes to its limits but when coming up against an obstacle like Richard Thompson's "Calvary Cross" those limits fall short.