Hillstomp, After Two But Before Five (Fuzzmonster Records)

[July 25th, 2007]

[LIVE-'N'-STOMPIN' DELTA BLUES] Hillstomp's latest, live release, After Two but Before Five, ought to come with the following listening instructions: 1) Enjoy in good company, 2) Take with liberal amounts of fine Northwest beer or iced bourbon, 3) Dance, dance, dance. Then again, the name of the album—a nod to the rowdy, booze-fueled events that go down after hours—implies all three.

If the venues where After Two was recorded—Portland's Mississippi Studios and Eugene favorite John Henry's—aren't enough to drive home its familial vibe, the enthusiastic whoops and hollers peppering every break should do the trick (hell, your neighbors are probably on this record). And everyone knows misery (i.e., the blues) loves company, which could explain why the crowd happily joins in, clapping along to the final refrain of "Lucy's Lament," a bittersweet, hayseed-tinged original that declares: "Someday under cover/ Cover of the night/ Someday you'll discover/ Discover that I was right."

Though the duo—singer/guitarist Henry Kammerer and bucket-drummer John Johnson—has never been shy about its love of North Mississippi blues (the first track is a cover of R.L. Burnside's "Goin' Down South"), After Two also includes plenty of country-tinged Hillstomp originals. And the band's singular creative energy easily melds tunes by Burnside and Mississippi Fred McDowell with originals and traditionals. Whether it's the thumping, "uh-huh"-laden traditional "Stewball"; Hillstomp's own slide-guitar-heavy meditation on the devil, "Mr. Charlie III"; or hometown grinder "NE Portland 3am"—on which Kammerer's guitar sounds like an accelerating muscle car—it's clear these guys know how to have a good time in the wee hours.

Which leads us to dancing. There is no way to listen to After Two but Before Five—or go to a Hillstomp show, for that matter—without moving your ass (or at least tapping a foot). The tight, muscular rhythm of tracks like "Rollin' and Tumblin'" (which is grittily enhanced by Philip Guttman's razor-sharp harmonica) acts as a high-tension wire throughout the album, and it's enough to drive even the most heavy-footed guy or gal to bust a move. Sure, After Two but Before Five can't fully recreate a Hillstomp show—or a night of debauchery—but it's as close as you're gonna get, on record, to stomping the night away with a pack of good friends. .