Album Review – Country Side of Harmonica Sam’s “A Drink After Midnight”
If you’re doggedly on the search for music that hearkens back to the Golden Age of country, and the songs and sounds of folks such as Hank Williams, Lefty Frizell, and Webb Pierce, The Country Side of Harmonica Sam is where your search parameters should begin and end. We’re not talking about close approximations here. Country Side of Harmonica Sam sounds so incredibly similar to the old masters and their old recordings, it will leave your mouth agape, you checking the back of the album for a copyright date, and feeling like the ghosts of country music’s past have been resurrected right before your very eyes and ears.
Yes, there’s a healthy gaggle of modern day artists who can put the moan in their music like Hank Williams did, or who have dedicated their craft to studying the old greats and trying to match their mastery note for note. But none have succeeded in the sheer closeness to the old sounds in the modern context as Country Side of Harmonica Sam. This isn’t about paying forward the sounds and songs of the old great for the modern ear. This isn’t doing your best to keep the roots of the genre intertwined with your music. It is an honest to goodness 100% exact museum replica of what you would have heard in the 50’s and early 60’s in country music done anew.
Making the whole enterprise of Country Side of Harmonica Sam that much more astounding is that this is not even a North American band. Harmonica Sam and his band are from Sweden of all places, but you would never be clued into this by listening to the music from the incredible expertise the entire band evidences in recreating the old sounds. “Shocking” is really the only appropriate word here when you behold what they’re capable of.
Harmonica Sam’s original genre isn’t even country. That’s one of the reasons for his funny name, and accounts for the fact that you won’t hear a lick of harmonica playing in this music. He actually started in the blues back in the 90’s, and then eventually immigrated to old school rock and country, which led him eventually to this project. In 2009 Harmonica Sam met steel guitar player Peter Andersson who is also incredibly important to the passion for old school country and the authentic nature of the sound that makes Country Side of Harmonica Sam so spellbinding.
But none of this would be intriguing as anything more than some marvel of sound re-creation if it wasn’t for the songs and the performances turned in by this band. Each of their original songs work hauntingly similar to the older songs of the 50’s, with the same vernacular, turns of phrases, themes and such, yet are still completely original in their creation. This is not just a cover band, though one of their best tricks is unearthing forgotten Golden Era gems that you’ve never heard but should have, like the astounding “Tears Don’t Stain.” Yes, the songs work within the limiting confines of a very specific era, but still breathe life into eternal and timeless themes just like the old songs did.
If Country Side of Harmonica Sam had been around in the 50’s, they’d be in the Hall of Fame right now, and rival the other old greats in the influence they forged simply from the quality of the songs and performances. Just like the songs of the old greats, these offerings are short, to the point, quick and catchy, leaving you looking for the repeat button. Yes, it’s more of an interpretation of an era than an original expression. But the precision and success of that interpretation deserves elevated recognition in itself.
For those that feel marooned in the modern world, or just love the simple, by-gone nature of classic country, Country Side of Harmonica Sam is a marvel, and a welcome treat to the senses.
1 3/4 Guns Up (7.5/10)
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Country Side of Harmonica Sam is Peter Andersson (pedal steel), Ulrik Jansson (upright bass), Patrik Malmros (drums), Johan Bandling Melin (lead guitar/harmony vocals) and Harmonica Sam (lead vocals/rhythm guitar).
June 29, 2017 @ 12:03 pm
This is the first I’ve heard of them and damn it’s good. Even more impressive that they’re from Sweden
July 3, 2017 @ 12:44 am
Is not First Aid Kit also from Sweden? Maybe Norway some frozen country… they seem to know what they are doing up there.
June 29, 2017 @ 12:07 pm
Yes, damn good. Odd this popped up on my YouTube this morning, cool stuff.
June 29, 2017 @ 12:18 pm
Hey this is cool! Hope I can play this on the Internet jukeboxes at the bars.
July 1, 2017 @ 3:58 pm
I agree with you, Whiskey_Pete!!!!
June 29, 2017 @ 2:51 pm
Det finns många sådana band i Sverige.
Here’s another another called Hawkins & His Hawaii Trio:
http://www.andrehakwinsson.com/music.html.
This a “trailer” for an album they releasted 2015.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m4vHUi_ffI
And here’s another youtube video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSWLtbnqFiQ
And a few more… 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foeNeFjrifo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EZl1Vm1b4A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQRbIGR71OY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BM9Oz_4dCA
Why all these videolinks…? Well he is from the same village in sweden as I am…. 🙂 🙂 Could not help myself 🙂
June 29, 2017 @ 3:13 pm
Never heard of em, Trig, but from your review i can tell i’m gonna dig em! i’ll put em on in my car on the way home from work in a few hours. thanks for the heads up, as always! ?
June 29, 2017 @ 3:55 pm
They’ll never make the big time, they’re too old fashioned for today’s hipsters……but lord it’d be great if they did.
June 30, 2017 @ 4:56 am
You are right. They did however win an Ameripolitan award last year in Austin for best Honky Tonk Band. ( Dale Watson thing FYI) Had the pleasure of meeting them and chatting a bit at The Nashville Palace. They were great and equally so live. I asked them how they heard this style in Sweden of all places , they told me American country music records circulate all over Sweden, kinda underground but there nonetheless. Sam told me his two biggest influences are Ray Price and George Jones. He and the boys flipped out when I told them that Waylon, Cash, Jones and Jerry Reed all played The Nashville Palace stage in the past. Sams comment was, Now we have too!
Anyhow, that event was called Nashville Boogie and Sam got invited on The Grand Ole Oprey stage to sing with Deke Dickerson , opening for Bobby Bare and Jerry Jeff Walker. Great band, I’m a fan all the way.Btw: Dale Watson did the liner notes on the new record for them.
June 29, 2017 @ 3:58 pm
Been listening to these boys for quite a while now. Well worth being in a true country collection.
June 29, 2017 @ 4:41 pm
I had some sort of flashback listening to this. Around 35 years ago the family would go around to my grandparents for roast lunch on Sunday, which usually meant arriving around 9am and having Jim Reeves and Slim Dusty records played until food was served. I could literally smell the baked potatoes again.
Not my cup of tea exactly, but I really appreciate what they’ve done.
June 29, 2017 @ 4:46 pm
I wasn’t barely a twinkle in my pappy’s eye when this era of country music was happening . Never got into it until many many years later . THIS IS JUST INCREDIBLE ! The song , the vocals , the arrangement , the production , the groove ….the reverence . Almost has me tearing up a little . And as I said …not for nostalgic reasons . Just cuz its so honest and about the singer and the song ….not a vocalists’ pyrotechnics or a trendy over-compressed rock-guitar riddled mess . Just a treat .
June 29, 2017 @ 4:48 pm
That’s good stuff there!
June 29, 2017 @ 5:11 pm
I really dig the retro stuff like this. I shared a link to one of these guys’ performances on my site just yesterday. The other offerings from El Toro Records are also good. I think the first time I ever heard of Harmonica Sam was when I saw the name listed on the Ameripolitan site last year.
June 29, 2017 @ 7:12 pm
Update: I LOVE THIS SHIT. Thanks for pointing me in their direction. i have many like-minded friends who are going to dig the hell out of these dudes! wow! ?
June 29, 2017 @ 7:17 pm
This is the traditional country that needs a triumphant return, and the start of this is with The Country Side of Harmonica Sam. Can’t wait to hear more.
June 29, 2017 @ 8:16 pm
IN terms of style and sound, this is a great album, and I have to respect what they’ve done. I’m not sure I can name a modern record that evokes this age of country so well in sound. This is also quite a good song. However, at the risk of upsetting everyone who is loving this record, I have to ask, Trigger, about your opinion of the song “Country Girl.” Honestly, that was one of the first songs I heard from this album awhile ago, and it’s very offensive to women, at least to me, maybe not blatantly like the stuff on the radio, but it’s treating this girl who left him like property, asking if her new boyfriend knows “I bought the clothes on you” and “the shoes on your feet” and saying, “I taught you all you know.” He also says when she learned too much, it poisoned her mind. To be perfectly honest, even though as I say,, it’s not as blatantly degrading, I found this song just as, if not more so, offensive as some mainstream stuff. It’s promoting ideas about women that are as old-fashioned as the sound they are evoking. We all criticized “God Made Girls” for being stereotypical and archaic like this, and for me, this isn’t better lyrically just because of the sound.
June 29, 2017 @ 9:41 pm
Oh gawd. I’m offended by you. You’re offended by me….they offend you…we all offend each other. Everybody is so offended…blah blah blah! Cry me a river! You are the reason this world is screw up. I don’t even know what being offended is! Define it for me, because I bet you can’t! Because a dude bought his wife clothes, that is offensive!???? You’re whacked woman!
June 29, 2017 @ 10:16 pm
Yeah, I pretty much saw that coming. Thanks though.
June 30, 2017 @ 6:33 am
I liked your review of Crystal Bowersox.
June 30, 2017 @ 9:28 am
Well, my first observation would be this song was not originally sung or written by Harmonica Sam. It was written by Roy Drusky in the 50’s, and cut by Faron Young and others previously. Let’s face it, the way the world was perceived was different back in the 50’s, and this song illustrates that.
June 30, 2017 @ 9:29 am
Thank you.
June 30, 2017 @ 3:36 pm
Yes, it can be cringe-worthy to hear that sort of stuff. An excellent example using hyperbole is one from Tompall Glaser:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgxPq4isAI8
June 30, 2017 @ 5:05 am
Breakups are messy, I suppose. The character in that song is in deed a creep. No wonder she up and left him. He is displaying a vengeful and possessive attitude. The way he is putting her down gives us an insight into how affectionate he must have been as a lover… he was probably a controlling, manipulative, narcissistic sonofabitch.
For the benefit of the doubt though, this might be tongue-in-cheek? It would match the type of humor Scandinavians have.
This makes me think of that Ben Folds song which went “Give me my money back, you bitch – and don’t forget the black T-Shirt”. Folds wasn’t serious there. He was riffing on jealousy and the state it puts people into, he was using dark humor to paint this picture of this pathetic character who is utterly consumed by resentment. His own jealousy may have been the starting point of this lyric, but if it was, Folds took an outside look at himself and turned this character into a caricature, like a warning.
A similar sentiment was in The Human Leagues 80s song “Don’t You Want Me” – Here the singer famously proclaims “You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar when I met you…” Of course in this song his pathetic stance gets the wind taken out of its sails by the female character, who is standing her ground and being the bigger person.
Jealousy – a fertile ground for songwriting i guess.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79eYEGsP_Ls
Here’s another favorite newer jealousy song of mine. Not Country though, Sorry.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5kxXmTu96s
June 30, 2017 @ 9:16 am
For a guy, the feeling isn’t necessarily so much that the girl is a “possession”; often, it’s the feeling the the girl took him for a ride, getting him to pony up for clothes, shoes, dinners, etc. and then dumping him contemptuously when he ran out of money or she simply found somebody with more money. In other words treating him as nothing but a life support system for his wallet.
June 30, 2017 @ 9:40 am
Thank you all for the insight, it served to help me understand this more than being told I’m the reason the world is screwed up for sure. That was insightful, but it didn’t really answer my question like you all have. To Trigger, it makes much more sense with the knowledge it was written back then. To the others, I can see that side of it, how she manipulated him into buying her clothes and shoes and stuff. There are some other lines in it that don’t really go with that picture, but this perspective coming from a guy helps.
June 30, 2017 @ 9:38 am
Megan,
I’m offended that you review Country music, but have never heard “Country Girl” before.
Any way, ungrateful, cheating hides deserve to have songs written about them.
June 30, 2017 @ 9:45 am
Honky,
That’s a completely fair criticism, there are many songs in classic country I haven’t heard before, and I’ll be the first to tell anyone. I’m not sure that undermines my opinions of today’s music, but it’s an area of knowledge I’m trying to expand.
July 15, 2017 @ 12:04 pm
A little of Bobby Bare and “Numbers”, or even some Rod Stewart and “Stay With Me” could help to de-sensitize you.
June 29, 2017 @ 8:57 pm
I wish there were more new bands like this one playing music like this. Weren’t they nominated for or winners of an Ameriploitan Award?
June 30, 2017 @ 9:22 am
Yes, SCM has covered them in passing as part of the Ameripolitan awards where they were nominated, and the Nashville Boogie. They’re pretty active in North America despite this distance.
June 30, 2017 @ 2:05 am
They are absolutely superb!
June 30, 2017 @ 6:10 am
I don’t feel country music should be RE CREATED. It should be real. This sounds sweet but it is FAKE
June 30, 2017 @ 9:16 am
The lack of originality of this music is a fair argument, and it the reason points were knocked off of its grade. Having said that, it adheres to the maxim “Do one thing and do it well.” For what it is, it’s an achievement.
June 30, 2017 @ 9:34 am
DavidD,
If there’s anybody who agrees with you here, it’s me.
I’m curious though, if someone loves traditional Honky Tonk music like this, is there a way to do it without being fake?
June 30, 2017 @ 11:05 am
I would settle for recreating an original honkey tonk that played the old songs, without the hipsters. Before line dancing, preferably.
July 7, 2017 @ 11:48 pm
”I’m curious though, if someone loves traditional Honky Tonk music like this, is there a way to do it without being fake?”
Yes . Throw in an oboe
June 30, 2017 @ 8:52 am
Sorry David D…I’m going to have to disagree with you, as does Dale Watson.
“Friends, and that’s what we are in this musical family in search of honest songs sung by honest singers backed by honest musicians. The Country Side of Harmonica Sam are honestly that, REAL HONEST MUSIC.”–Dale Watson
June 30, 2017 @ 6:12 pm
I agree with you and Dale. I don’t care if you’re from Texas or Tel Aviv, good music is good music. Sure, if someone just discovered classic country and tries to make their own, its probably going to sound inauthentic. But if they know it well enough to make it sound right, then you’re just splitting hairs arguing that its “not real country,” just shut up and enjoy it. Who can blame Europeans for loving real country and wanting to sing it? Hell, sometimes I think they appreciate it more than Americans.
July 2, 2017 @ 1:57 pm
It’s dress up. Role playing fetishizing Country music has to from the heart. And from real experience. If they were singing about Sweden and mixing in fresh sounds with the old it would be special
June 30, 2017 @ 9:31 am
Wow. I can’t stand admitting it, but I like this.
I took one look at the photo and thought, “Look at these hipster bastards. This is gonna suck big time.”
But it’s really good. This guy pulls off the fake twang better than anybody I’ve ever heard. And the music is wonderful.
If I can somehow forget that this is utter fakery, I could really get into it.
June 30, 2017 @ 9:36 am
Can we get off Midland’s case now?
June 30, 2017 @ 9:43 am
Authenticity always deserves to be an issue in country music, but ultimately it is the music that matters. I just brought this up again in an article I just posted about the mainstream going Americana, and specifically about Midland. The Midland EP actually got a slightly higher grade (by 0.5) than this album did. Yes, a guy from Sweden singing classic country is strange. But ultimately, it works, and that’s what matters. Just like with Midland.
June 30, 2017 @ 11:08 am
Swedes are infatuated with the 50s and 60s Americana. I sold an old Cadillac to a guy that imports the beasts to Sweden for a hefty markup.
June 30, 2017 @ 11:49 am
You right there I’ve got an Mercury-63. One of my brothers have tree vintage car, my oldest sister’s husband. has 6 from 57-66. But his brother have somewhere between 40 and 50!!! Ranging from -32 up to mid 60s. And there are about 100 000 out on the roads during the summer. And it’s among these people that old country and rocka-billy bands are popular.
Here is video from a car meet called “Poewr Big Meet”.
and the last 2 years there have been over 20 000 cars attended
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kWUJuU-H5A
June 30, 2017 @ 3:03 pm
Neat video with a lot of cool cars.
June 30, 2017 @ 11:13 am
I’m from Sweden and over 40 years now I’ve seen bands like Harmonica Sam come and go. And with the exception of a swedish bluegrass band i listened to in the 70s, I’ve never bought an album by a Swedish Country band and the reason has mostly been the accent. Because they always exaggerating the (southern) accent to a point there it just sounds ridiculously.
This band Harmonika Sam seem to been able to avoid that, even though I can
hear they Swedish and not Americans, so maybe I do an exception this time…
June 30, 2017 @ 1:33 pm
Also Swedish, but under 40, I feel the same. With the exception of the eminent Red Jenkins. The fact that Trigger just tipped me of a Swedish country band just blows my mind. That’s the magic of Trig, if it’s country and good, no matter where it originates, he will somehow catch a wind of it and enlighten us with it’s existence. That’s our Triggerman…
June 30, 2017 @ 2:37 pm
I went to see him a few times then he was singing in pubs and bars. But that was in the mid 80s And he was great to listen to live. But I do think he also exaggerating the southern accent, but apart from that the music and his singing was/is good. And I must admit that I didn’t even know he was still aktive…
And I do agree with you about the Trigger he’s really great I wish there were more people him…
And I’d really liked to read Triggers thoughts on Red Jenkins he, (Jenkins), must have been around for over 35 years now… 🙂 🙂
June 30, 2017 @ 4:19 pm
Red actually released his last album last year “stone cold country”, and it features names such as willy nelson, amber digby, johnny bush, dean dillon & georgette jones. A pretty solid album. nothing groundbreaking, but it goes well with a cold beer. check out his cdbaby page: https://store.cdbaby.com/Artist/RedJenkins
June 30, 2017 @ 4:10 pm
I’ve been listening to a few songs, The one I liked the most is “A Violin That Never Has Been Played”, I’m still not sure what to think about the lyrics but he and Amber Digby , (and the whole song for that matter), do sound very 70s honky tonk…But still have problem with his accent…. 🙂
June 30, 2017 @ 11:33 am
Love it!
June 30, 2017 @ 2:43 pm
Country music can be a hundred different things but it has to be real. Not a recreation of a certain sound or time period. I have a feeling these guys could do anything they are great but this is a tribute not real in any way
June 30, 2017 @ 3:54 pm
If you love this sound and style, and it’s what you want to do musically, how do you do it in a real way?
I’m genuinely curious what you think, because I agree with you.
The thing is though, is that although I can’t stand copycat, role playing musical acts, I’m also someone who doesn’t necessarily believe Country music needs to evolve. I don’t mind some evolution, but I don’t need it. I love 50’s and 60’s Country, and would be perfectly content if we stayed within the sounds of that era forever.
I just don’t know how that music can be done authentically by modern people, unless those modern people are truly raised on it, which most aren’t.
Thoughts?
July 2, 2017 @ 5:44 pm
David, Why? Why does there need to be fresh sounds? What’s wrong with working within a specific genre? I like 50s honkeytonk. I like 60s countrypolitan. Don’t care for Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton or some of the other names praised on this site. I like Farron Young and George Jones, but after a while, I’ve gone thru it all and like to hear new music in the genres I like best. Can’t I have new music that I like too? I mean, these guys are good at it. Hank Williams is dead. So is George Jones and Johnny Cash. I can’t go see them, but I can see these guys, if they ever come my way. Does all new country music need to be inventive?
June 30, 2017 @ 5:49 pm
Eating biscuits and gravy as a kid with TNN playing at your house in AMERICA is a start.
July 1, 2017 @ 6:48 am
“I just don’t know how that music can be done authentically by modern people, unless those modern people are truly raised on it, which most aren’t.”
That’s a good question. If “authentic” means that a band must be from a certain
era (in this case the 50’s) and / or must be Americans Harmonka Sam is naturally “fake.”
But if you mean “authenticity” means that if a band trying to recreate a sound from a certain era out of pure love of the music from that era. Then they, and many other bands, in Sweden (and the rest of Europe) authentic.
Because no band can get rich in playing 50’s of music in Sweden without loving the music. And it’s that love that motivates them to continue playing it year after year…
And I have read that it’s even in America is difficult for younger people to find teachers that can teach them how to play the Steel Guitar. Then try to imagine how difficult it is in Sweden. It requires both love, patience to do it
And this video is from 1983. Is this authentic? or maybe it is only Half authentic…:-) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljzLfJL0Brw
Or this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9hXi71MDmk
The two girls singin are not part of the band they are only guest singing they have their own band called “Good Harvest” (and singing Folk pop from the 70s)
and again would Joni Mitchell concider this authentic ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8x-DoOYJn0M
July 1, 2017 @ 9:49 am
Sorry if I have started spamming. But it doesn’t happen so often that a Swedish band appears here and I promis this will be the last one 🙂
This is live recording from a village, Enviken, about 17 miles from were I live.
And I’ve been to this danshall many times when i was young… Jumpin and dancing like these guys. Nothing has changed in 40 years. Just the bands…
This band is called Emmy Lou and the Rhythm Boys. And comes from Enviken. And I think there are at least 2 more band coming from this village….
Sadly the audio isn’t the best…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m37K_sC65NQ
July 1, 2017 @ 10:41 am
I’m living their cd. Saw them at the Ameripolitan Awards Week in Austin and at the Nashville Boogie. They are marvelous!
July 5, 2017 @ 10:21 am
Authenticity to me are the lyrics behind the songs and the sound of the music. These guys are singing about heartache and heartbreak, and I see nothing about those topics that require any, native US born, experience.
Is it weird that I like their music more than 99% of the stuff that comes out of Nashville? Sure it is. Is it their fault? Not at all.
July 6, 2017 @ 6:15 pm
Just an observation here, but don’t just about all country singers exaggerate Southern and / or country accents? I mean how many of them actually have a rural background these days? It is pretty much all dress up these days.
September 5, 2017 @ 8:03 am
7.5 out of 10? Really? WAY too low of a score. These guys kick serious ass. Better than ANYTHING playing on “country radio” today.
September 5, 2017 @ 8:19 am
I think this is a great band and a great album, but to get to the top grades, you need more original material. That’s not a knock on these guys at all, it’s just you have to measure great cover material and great original music differently.
June 13, 2018 @ 10:22 am
From Sweden or not… they got that sound and done by real musicians playing the hard stuff… I like it!
October 7, 2018 @ 2:39 am
The full albums are on spotify… if interested…
December 28, 2020 @ 4:44 pm
Growing up in the sixties hearing all the good old ones, waiting for Denver stock show and Frontier Days, it’s great to run across this. I could see buying a ticket at Greeley Stampede or some such venue. I wish I could say that for another band.