Radio Free ABQ
“Dave Purcell’s music has ranged from the sturdy Americana of Pike 27 to the gauzier after-hours ephemera of Ghost Man on Second, but at its molten core, where the magnetic gravity is created, it’s been a rootsy Midwestern romp through a soundscape peppered with sonic references to the likes of the Jayhawks, Soul Asylum and Bottlerockets with a dash of badass Detroit bluster, boiled down to a purified essence and filtered through Purcell’s singular songwriting perspective.”
-Brian Baker, Cincinnati CityBeat
Radio Free ABQ brings a mixture of Indie rock, Americana, and desert noir to Albuquerque, NM. The journey began in the summer of 2021 when songwriter, drummer, and singer Dave Purcell relocated to Albuquerque after leading successful bands in Cincinnati for thirty years. Destination is the band's first album, which will be released on Friday, November 1, 2024. The first single, "Tito (Far Away, Not Lonely)," was released on Friday, August 16, 2024. The second single, "Figure it Out," was released on Friday, September 20, 2024, and the third, "Playing For Keeps," was released on Friday, October 18, 2024
Further Information on Destination and the band: The upcoming album Destination was recorded, engineered, and mixed by Matthew Tobias at Empty House Studio in Albuquerque, NM. It was produced by Dave and Matthew and mastered by Doug Van Sloun at Focus Mastering. Dave mentions, “My best studio experience was absolutely this current record. Matthew is a producer and engineer here in Albuquerque who is also a fantastic drummer. He recorded us and co-produced the record with me. We were on the same page from day one, and I gave him the license to push back on me and make suggestions. It was a blast from day one and I’ve gained a friend in the process. I used to find recording stressful because, as the band leader, I’m the guy responsible for the budget, watching the clock, and herding the cats. However, in the last few years, I have come to love it. A big change was becoming proficient with recording software at home. I’m so much better prepared now when I go into the studio now than I used to be.” Radio Free ABQ is Dave on drums, songs, and lead vox. Ryan Goodhue is on keys, and accordion and brings a deep knowledge of musical styles, including jazz, Tex-Mex, and country, to the band. Travis Rourk is the band's Swiss Army Knife, putting his UNM music degree to work on trombone, synth, and guitar. Scott Brewer holds down the bottom end as one of the city's most melodic bassists. Newcomer Tom Andes displays a deep knowledge of Americana and jazz on lead guitar. Two of the special guests on the record include Brian Lovely and Mike Fair, two of Cincinnati's best guitarists (Mike is a longtime former bandmate.)
Together, they bring to life the concepts that Dave scribbled in his journal after listening to Joe Strummer's radio show on BBC World Service: "Shortwave radio in the attic at midnight. A Jim Jarmusch soundtrack. Good grooves. Somewhere between London, Kingston, New Orleans, and Memphis. A musical conversation among us and with the audience." Over 13 years and three records, the fiery Pike 27 – driven by Purcell's songs that were equally influenced by alternative and roots music – garnered enthusiastic reviews and radio airplay, won regional music awards, opened for national acts (including Dave Alvin, Tim Easton, Chuck Prophet, Jason Ringenberg, Robbie Fulks, Vigilantes of Love), and earned a reputation as one of the region's best live bands.
Desiring to write different types of songs, Purcell took a step closer to his vision by founding Ghost Man On Second, an instrumental quartet with the motto "soundtracks for the movies in your head." Ghost Man quickly gained a following while drawing on a wider range of influences than Pike 27. After settling into ABQ, Purcell drummed for other artists for a year while laying the groundwork for Radio Free ABQ.
Inspiration comes from artists who blend genres and cross musical borders such as Calexico, Los Lobos, R.E.M., Wilco, Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros, Hurray For The Riff Raff, Elvis Costello, David Bowie, Mark Guiliana, Paul Weller, Alejandro Escovedo, Morphine, Grant Lee Buffalo, The Iguanas, Bill Frisell, and Medeski Martin & Wood. “Some common themes are communication, community, searching for meaning, and fighting to stay hopeful and maintain dignity in unfavorable circumstances. That sounds weighty, but it doesn’t come across as heavy-handed in the songs. On the record, for example, these themes can be found in a small-town boy dreaming of a bigger life in “Tito (Far Away, Not Lonely),” a formerly accomplished writer continuing to write while his declining circumstances destroy him (“Before It’s Gone”), or the characters in “End of The World” saying “Yes, the world is messed up – fuck it, let’s drink like long-lost Irish brothers coming home again.”
Reviews:
“The band's latest single "Tito (Far Away, Not Lonely)" is a fantastic ode to big dreams. Dave cites inspiration from artists as diverse as REM, Los Lobos, and Calexico, and it’s not hard to find strands of DNA from each throughout the track. However, listeners may also hear traces of singer-songwriters like JJ Cale and Mark Knopfler. Whether listening in full sun or under a canopy of stars, it all makes for quite an adventure.”
-Kevin Alexander, On Repeat Records
“Radio Free ABQ have evolved a distinct and clever indie music sound in the high-desert southwest, skirting the soles with ornaments of Latin party and dance influences, then wrapping the whole damn thing with a tinge of high-altitude rock. If vocal refinement and delivery matter, imagine beginning with a stock metallic core of Bruce Springsteen, then modernizing to a lesser-dense alloy to get Eddie Vedder, then refining that creation even further by forging, polishing, and sealing for a much cleaner, lighter, yet powerfully convincing vocal delivery that is Dave Purcell.”
-Joe Smith, The Crossing
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