“On a warm, August evening — a few goofy people got together at a local bar to play a few goofy songs,” goes the story of Live at your Local Waterhole, the first album by the Sven Curth (Huge) Trio.
Sven Curth, a singer, songwriter, guitarist and banjo player based in Lake Placid, is no stranger to releasing collections of music — he’s put out nine over the past twenty-some years — but this is his first live production with the Sven Curth (Huge) Trio.
The nine-track album, released in February, transports listeners to a dive bar where guitar solos rip, and one song flows effortlessly into the next. The band’s upbeat rockabilly-meets-jazz vibe and wry sense of humor is certain to put a smile on listeners’ faces.
“How come everything good is so damn fleeting?” Curth asks at the start of the album’s first track, “How Come?” The song ponders some of life’s most existential questions, all accompanied by Chris Carballeira’s groovy organ melodies. “If you’re poor you break your back for every dollar/If you’re rich you try to occupy your time… Before you know it, another year’s gone by.”
Curth is a whirlwind of energy on “My Baby Hates Me When She’s Drinking,” a rocking tune so fast, it’s impossible to resist tapping your foot along to the beat. “Must be a day that ends in ‘Y’/’Cause I am ruinin’ people’s lives,” Curth sings of the song’s love-to-hate-you couple. He considers, “Sometimes I wonder if it’s even worth drinkin’/But then I think — ‘Man, that’s crazy talk. What was I thinkin’’?”
“Jesus Loves Tractors”, another humorous track about “a marriage made in heaven,” is a funky ode to hard-working farm machinery. “Now I wouldn’t presume to try to speak for THE LORD, but I’ll bet he’d like a Massey Ferguson, or maybe a Ford,” Curth sings, before adding to that list, “Case, McKormick, Allis Chaulmers…” Tongue-in-cheek, he admits, “What he’d pick isn’t clear/But I smile when I think of Jesus — driving a John Deere.”
“Go Away, Cloudy Day”, the album’s final song, closes out the night with a nearly nine-minute-long jam filled with playful organ, rollicking guitar, and jazzy percussion. “My wallet’s empty and my cabinet’s bare/My stomach’s rumbling and I’m losing my hair… But I guess today I woke up on the right side of the bed,” sings Curth, with a ray of optimism.
Often times — and especially these days — laughter and music really is the best medicine, and The Sven Curth (Huge) Trio delivers in spades.
