Steve Eck And The Midnight Still

ANTIGRAVITY(Dan Fox) "Lingering acoustic numbers that speak of murders and midnight showdowns make it seem as though the singer sits at a table with a .38, a bottle of whiskey and a microphone, wondering which one to put to his mouth. You’ll probably find Eck himself in better spirits, recalling fondly his days as the bassist for Amerigo, his penchant for late ‘90s straightedge hardcore and Jesus Christ Superstar. But while he may borrow the intensity there is little chug-a-chug or extravagant production in the lingering clarinet solos or his singular, abrasive guitar style (who knew a classical guitar could sound so electric?). His voice makes you wonder what would happen if Elliott Smith and Tom Waits tried to teach each other to sing. They’d probably get in a fist fight—Eck’s music sounds like that sometimes, too."______________________ LIVE NEW ORLEANS(Jason Sange) "Steve Eck plays well arranged, dark rock that has tastes of rockabilly, blues, and zydeco. On Saturday night at Carrollton Station the local singer-songwriter was joined by an accordionist, a double bass player, and a drummer. Eck stuck to his black electric guitar. Though the songs were consistently quality, the best part about the show was Eck's voice. He got real emotive with his vocal chords, almost like he was exorcising demons. As he awkwardly shook, it was obvious the tortured music was cathartic for him."