Approachable SLO CAL vineyard rock uncorked by The Taproots.
Half a century ago, many sweaty nights were spent enjoying a few beers and some pub rock at the Hope & Anchor in Islington. Today, though, it’s vineyard-rock under consideration, in the form of The Taproots’ sophomore album, Comedy of Fools. An inspection of the band’s Instagram account suggests that many of their live appearances take place in the San Luis Obispo County wineries of California’s Central Coast region, where sleeve notes meet tasting notes. San Luis Obispo, the county seat of ‘SLO CAL’, is roughly halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Once described by Oprah Winfrey as America’s happiest city, SLO is home to both The Taproots and Bubblegum Alley. The band formed in 2016 and draws nourishment from the fertile soil of the Los Osos Valley. Its defining vocal assemblage is supplied by former mental health worker Tom Walters and music therapist Nicole Cassingham, who are backed by a cast of studio musicians. The Taproots’ SoundCloud account describes elements of americana, rock, reggae, country and folk as making up their sonic signature. Comedy Of Fools production comes courtesy of Steve Ahlgrim and Michael C Mason, and is as crisp as a Riesling.
First off the press, Bourbon Street is a bright and breezy pledge to sobriety made following a Mardi Gras experience. Mexico is the next stop for the reggae tinged I Don’t Believe, with subtle hints of Steely Dan’s Haitian Divorce. Monterey might find a place on Pacific Coast Highway road trip playlists with its poppy West Coast cruising vibes, but the fog referred to here is a sign of cognitive decline rather than a marine layer phenomenon. A ukulele-fuelled tropical lilt lends the title track earworm potential. Next, the riff-enriched FM-friendly Families of Origin heads north up Highway 101 to the Mendocino County seat of Ukiah; a suitable vinyl pairing might be The Doobie Brothers’ 1973 vintage, The Captain and Me, track named for the city. Enjoy both with a tipple of Doobie Red from the B.R. Cohn Winery in the Sonoma Valley, founded by The Doobie Brothers’ manager Bruce Cohn.
The album’s flow shifts with Silly Dreams, a whimsical accordion-and-mandolin-driven lullaby that is more Montmartre than Monterey. This is followed by the incongruous Every Child, which might appeal to a very young audience, and has something of the sentiment, if not the charm, of Graham Nash’s Teach Your Children. The Taproots home in on the loam again with two uptempo numbers that round off the entertainment, which clocks in at just under 33 minutes. Pedal steel adds twang to the tang of Katy, which the band performs with gusto, but some of the song’s formulaic phrases may grate with time. Shine brings proceedings to a close, with faint aromas of Hall and Oates.
Jay Ferguson, formerly of the band Spirit and a founder member of Jo Jo Gunne, was one of the producers of The Taproots’ debut album, Tales of Wonderland. He said of them, “Great players with real stories to tell. Rocking yet literate. If John Steinbeck were in a band, this would be it”. Although touching on themes from several stages of life, Comedy of Fools inevitably lacks the complexity of Steinbeck’s Pulitzer Prize-winning The Grapes of Wrath. It may not travel well, nor be one for lying down. Nevertheless, the combination of a glass of California red and The Taproots’ small-batch SLO CAL sound may help induce a golden state of mind when needed.
