FEBRUARY 2010 ONLINE EDITORIALS

Clint Clymer & the Outlaw Gypsies - Still Alive

album cover

By Joseph Prinzivalli

Clint Clymer and the Outlaw Gypsies’ live release Still Alive rocks from beginning to end, and for a live recording the quality is excellent. Frontman Clint has an honest country twang that manages not to wear on my nerves like most country vocals do. These boys are way more blues-rock oriented than straight up country.
The rhythm section, made up of Tim Hempstead and Ikaika Pekelo, tightly holds it down throughout the entire album. Particularly enjoyable is bassist Tim Hempstead’s work on “Bootleg” and “Cross Roads,” where his lines stand out a bit more. Joe O’Bryan’s sometimes subtle and sometimes screaming guitar riffs are a perfect match for Clint’s vocal work and styling. The two really play off each other on “When the Lights Go Down.” On this track we get our introduction to the entire band as they pass around solos.
It is moments like this that make the concept of live albums great. It gives the listener an opportunity to experience the band in a way that a studio recording does not. It is more raw and personal. In my opinion, this format is ideal for this group. They are talented performers as well as musicians and you can really get that from this recording. This is simply exemplary American music. It is just edgy enough to rock and just country enough to twang, but not so much that it loses its appeal to the mainstream.
myspace.com/clintclymertheoutlawgypsies