With deep respect and emulsion in creative evolution, Austin Smith and Mark Tegio find their country folk duo now a five-piece known as The Lowtimers.
After troubadouring from San Diego to Seattle with seasoned twang and an open mind, they’ve morphed their Americana sound with each lineup shift, and last week The Lowtimers entered the ring with their debut album, Cracks.
Released as a single in February, “Flesh and Bone” sets a simple and poetically thoughtful tone for the album — we’re all made of the same substance, and everyone is doing their best. As vocals ring with Americana ease, “They don’t care / ‘Cause I just am flesh and bone / And blood and guts,” the accompanying guitar, pedal steel, and percussion adopt a 1950s swing that highlights the beauty in a mundane perspective. The bobbing tune’s music video embodies the freeness of the narrative, depicting Tegio rocking away as the passerby pays no mind.
“Thunderstorms,” with its cinematic black and white audiovisual, acknowledges the simultaneous encapsulating and passing nature of discomfort. “And the tears fall like rain / Wash my memory of you,” the tune calls, while fluid and stark melodies interweave for a sonic painting of conflicting emotions. It’s songs like these where narrative and composition meet to form a united image reining true to the human experience, that speak to the soul.
With a skip and hop-style jive, “Charlotte” tells the story of a grieving man as he’s drinkin’ and drivin’, reaching for the simple pleasures in life, like a sip of honey. A bittersweet timbre sways over the instrumentation, leaving room for the lyrics to complete the song’s inflection. Released to streaming in April, “Charlotte” also has a field version, filmed in a scenic California opening and offering a new stripped down perspective on a vulnerable tale.
“Pastures” slows things down, closing the album with a candid glimpse into man’s desire-fueled self-destruction. Past the used bottles and reminiscent reflections, a wish for God’s forgiveness emerges from an awareness of life’s swiftness. Harmonizing vocals bridge oscillating guitar and percussion to soulful singing, before the tune calls its end, “Because I pray to have back / What we once had / In the pastures of plenty that I loved.”
Made up of Tegio (guitar, vocals), Smith (guitar, vocals, harmonica), Tim Kelso (drums), Andrew Dreher (bass, harmonies), and Payton Vermeesch (pedal steel), The Lowtimers know how to tap into prepossessing originality while still placing necessary, all-knowing truths at the forefront.
The Lowtimers plan to rock their way through California, Arizona, and the western coast, starting June 12th, 2025, before wrapping up tour at The Oregon Opry in Salem, Oregon on June 28th.
