The Coal Men - Skeletons

 The Coal Men - Skeletons - 2013

Founded in 1999, The Coal Men have been playing there own brand of roots rock ‘n’ roll for twelve years with the same core line up.  Guitarist and lead singer Dave Coleman grew up with bassist Jason “Hitch” Hitchcock in rural Jamestown, TN.  After playing in high school bands, the blood brothers from the Cumberland Plateau both moved to Nashville.  Coleman started writing his own songs, and through luck and fate, wrote for two years at legendary Acuff-Rose Music Publishing.

The Coal Men formed as an outlet for these songs with the addition of drummer and singer Dave Ray, a Virginian native.  The band tightened with residency gigs in Nashville.  “Playing every Tuesday night for six months was a way to explore songs in every avenue.”  The band released their first E.P in 2001 and their first full length record in 2004.  Coleman spent time as a side guitarist for major label acts on Warner Brothers Records and Big Machine Records.  The band started touring with ventures into North Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia.

The album “Beauty is a Moment” brought The Coal Men into 2006 with an extended band.  Jen Gunderman (The Jayhawks) joined on keyboards, and Chris Frame (Son Volt) joined playing a second guitar.  The Song “Louisiana” from that record was featured on a Benefit album for New Orleans Flood Survivors.  The album has been played extensively on Sirius/XM Radio’s Loft Station.

The Bands 2009 album Kids with Songs, found the band back as a stream lined three piece and on the road in the “Silver Beagle” van for a long time, opening for acts such as the Avett Brothers, Chris Knight, and Roger Clyne and the Peace Makers; and also a performance on West Virginia’s Mountain Stage, alongside The Squirrel Nut Zippers and Southern Culture on the Skids.  In 2010 the band  opened for and backed the Banjo/Slide guitar virtuoso Tony Furtado on a tour out west to Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Oregon, and Wyoming.

Skeletons is a 7-song E.P. offering brand-new material from the band. Right on the heels of the release of their album Escalator, it features guests: Jimbo Mathus (mandolin, harmonica, guitar), Ericson Holt (organ & Wurlitzer), and Eamon McCloughlin (strings).

Produced and engineered by Dave Coleman, Skeletons is a roots rock/power pop album with heart, guts, and energy. The band tracked all the songs live in one day, and vocals were recorded in their southernmost home of Key West, FL.

While on tour with the Tri-State Coalition, Jimbo added some of his Mississippi Catfish harmonica and mandolin to "Half the Price," a booking bar room shuffle that rebukes the predatory bar fly. Boogie Woogie piano master, Ericson Holt, gave tasteful keyboard work to "Heartfelt" and "So Easy" (wry post-exit relationship songs).

"Dog Won't Hunt" features Coleman on an amped up acoustic through a fuzzed out Vox amplifier. Eamon McCloughlin adds gorgeous strings to the groove heavy song about devotion to marriage.

All seven songs feature the powerful rhythm section of Dave Ray on a 1968 Slingerland drum set and Paul Slivka with his vintage Gibson Les Paul recording bass (oh so many switches).

01. Dog Won't Hunt
02. Heartfelt
03. Half The Price
04. Homesick
05. Never Been Good
06. So Easy
07. Cough Drop

Dave Coleman - Vocals, Acoustic, Pedal steel Guitar, Farfiza
Dave Ray - Drums, Vocals
with:
Paul Slivka - Bass Guitar

Guests:
Jimbo Mathus - Aoustic Guitar (1), Mandolin. Harmonica (3)
Eamon McLoughlin - Violin, Viola (1)
Ericson Holt - Organ (2), Wurlitzer (6)

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