Artist: Copperhead Six Project
Album: Muscle Shoals Record Shop
Release: 2024
Copperhead Six Project is an Americana / Rock and Roll outfit that consists of six seasoned musicians including Tom Ciurczak, Elliot Clifton, Nathan Frazer, Stephen Grillos, Lee McCormack and Sidney Whelan. The sound is charmingly loose with diverse influences. The record has a Traveling Wilburys approach in the sense that some of it rocks and some of it doesn't, but it all feels natural. The influences run the gamut from The Stones to Jimmy Buffet, Dylan and maybe even throw some classic outlaw country in for good measure.
Muscle Shoals Record Shop is a concise ten song set clocking in at approximately 37 minutes. It was recorded at Cypress Moon Studios in Sheffield, Alabama. The production team includes Brad Timko doing the engineering and Jeff McMurrie handling the mixing and mastering. It is a well crafted little piece of production, leaving the glitter where it belongs...which thankfully is nowhere within this music.
We Are The Copperheads is most definitely one of the more upbeat cuts on the album reminding this writer of late 70s Springsteen. It has an energetic bounce with the big chorus and clever little musical turns. It starts with an acoustic intro that is catchy and Rod Stewart-like but quickly takes a well executed seamless turn into Asbury Park, NJ. The Jersey blues eyed soul influence is unmistakable and always fun. I suspect Tom Ciurczak, the writer of this one, has done his fair share of listening to Darkness and The River. Two must hear albums for anybody with a pulse.
Another standout is The Greatest Sin, reminding me of Drive By Truckers and maybe even Georgia Satellites a bit. There is a sweaty honky tonk quality to it that is somewhere between the music that came out of Macon, GA and Nashville. It was penned by Stephen Grillos and would've been right at home on Exile on Main Street or some of the late 70's Kinks albums like Low Budget. It's the kind of music that should be played in a dirty bar for people in faded blue jeans drinking warm beer.
Our Love Song is co-written by Tom Ciurczak and Elliot Clifton. This one seems to embrace the Laurel Canyon sound a bit more than the rest which is a welcome shift. James Taylor and Jackson Browne come to mind in its laid back delivery. It is the simplicity of the ideas that works so well on this cut. There is nothing here that is groundbreaking, it's just done really well. When songs are written well they don't need to challenge musical standards, they just need to sit right in the speakers and this one does so with comfort to spare and a heartfelt performance.
These are songs that are clearly written by mature men that seemed to have fun in the process. Cool guitar parts are peppered throughout, but never become overbearing. It is interesting how simple lines played through old school amps with restraint and taste never gets old, despite all the ingredients being older. When music is executed like this set of songs it has the charm of a 100 year old barn that time has peeled the paint, but not the bones.
Check out the interview below!
Tell us the brief history of your band and this special record project.
This last May, six songwriters that met at Steve Earle’s inaugural 2014 Camp Copperhead, headed down to Muscle Shoals in Alabama to record an album to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of that first Copperhead experience. In addition, our plan was to also honor the memory of Adam Yount, one of our friends from that camp, who had recently passed away, by recording one of his songs as well. It was a magical week, lots of fun and laughter, and in the end, we were able to record a really cool Americana/Traveling Wilbury-esque style album of original music.
We were from all over North America and needed to pick a spot to record. We decided to head to Muscle Shoals in Alabama (home of the legendary “Swampers”) for our get together. The Group consisted of Stephen Grillos, Nashville; Sidney Whelan, NYC; Nathan Frazer, Minneapolis; Lee McCormack,Toronto; Elliott Clifton, Mobile and Tom Ciurczak, Los Angeles. We decided to call ourselves the “Copperhead Six Project” after Steve Earle’s “Camp Copperhead” where we had all met.
The album entitled “Muscle Shoals Record Shop” was named after a gas station that was converted to a record store a few miles from the studio that many of the greats frequented when in town. It consisted of original songs from each of us, plus 2 songs written by the entire group and one that was written by Adam Yount. Additionally, the CD version has a bonus track of Steve Earle’s “Steve’s Hammer (for Pete).”
We played all the various instruments for the recording ourselves (Guitars, Drums, Bass, Keyboards, Mandolin, Harmonica), with everyone constantly switching off on instruments, making it a total group effort and a whole lot of fun. We all produced our own songs, while Lee McCormack oversaw production of the entire album. Brett Timko who was with us in the Studio the entire way, was the recording engineer and Jeff McMurrich came on later and handled the mixing and mastering. Tim Gabor, who had done album designs for the Smithereens, amongst many other famous artists, designed the Album and CD artwork and layout.
The album “Muscle Shoals Record Shop” was released 12-24-24 to all the various streaming sites and there still exists a limited supply of Vinyl and CDs that we pressed for those that still enjoy having a hard copy version.
What track/tracks on this album was the most enjoyable to record?
I think Adam Yount’s song, “It Ain’t Easy Being Easy” has a real deep beauty to it. We all took turns singing a verse and for the outro segment we were able to add Adam’s voice and guitar, which gave the song a very special meaning to all of us.
We also had a great time recording the CD bonus track, Steve Earle’s “Steve’s Hammer (for Pete)”. We recorded it live in the living room at the “Air BnB” that we were staying at in Muscle Shoals and you can probably tell from the back-and-forth banter between us, that it has that late-night fun and rawkus feel to it that is so magical.
How does your latest album differ from any of your others in the past?
The approach we took for planning this album was extremely different from what most of us had been used to. Since we were from all over North America and couldn’t get together in person, all the advance planning meetings and song co-writes were done via zoom meetings. The COVID shutdown seems to have opened the door to the use of video conferencing for many different things and it was a very useful solution for our project. When six solo artists get together to work on a project It becomes a very interesting exercise since we all have been use to being in charge of our own projects. It required that a lot of ego’s be checked at the door. But fortunately the music had a way of solving most disagreements we may have had.
Are there any plans of the “Copperhead Six Project” performing these songs live?
We discussed it and would love to do it, but it would be quite a challenge due to the fact we are so spread out, but then again “never say never”. On a side note, we had multiple camera’s rolling the whole time at the Muscle Shoals Studio and at the Air BnB, so we could have a documentary film from it. I envision it would be a Spinal Tap meets Animal House with a twist of Deliverance (in a musical sense.) Some of the late-night discussions at the Air BnB were just outright hilarious and from what I have heard, we captured all of it.
How are you all continuing to grow musically?
We all have our own individual bands and solo projects that we are working on. You can find us all on Spotify and the other various streaming sites with our own material: Sidney Whelen has been gigging around NYC area with his band “Nikki and the Skyrockets.” You can also find his fantastic solo album “The Story of Ike Dupree” on Spotify and everywhere else. Stephen Grillos has brought his “Del Bombers” and “Hang Jones” incarnations from the Bay Area to Nashville where you can now find him on stage these days. He’s a prolific songwriter and has numerous albums under both names on all the streaming sites. Plus, he moonlights as a Krav Maga instructor, so best not to pick a bar fight with him. Nathan Frazer, from Minneapolis has 3 albums out “Songs from Gunn Town”, “Songbook Vol1” and “Living Underground.” You can find him playing regularly around “the land of 10,000 lakes.” He’s a coffeehouse regular, so make sure you buy him a cup if you stop by to see his set. Lee McCormack from Toronto, headed on down to Memphis and Sun Studio’s to record his record, “Train To Heartbreak”. If you’re lucky you can find him playing around the Toronto area with his “Johnny Cash” tribute band, or you can listen to him on his Bruce Springsteen Podcast “Tramps Like Us”. Tom Ciurczak and his 6pc band have been playing all over Southern California at venues such as: the Whiskey a Go Go, the Mint, the Viper Room, and the Coach House. He’s released 3 albums and an EP since 2020, and his next Album Yorick is due out Summer 2025. Finally, Elliott Clifton who was the impetus behind the entire project was responsible for all the planning and coordination to make it all come together. And, although he is not as active a performer as the others, he is the epitome of a true music lover and takes the art of songwriting very seriously. His contribution to the album “Our Love Song” is a beautifully written change of pace to the up-tempo songs on “Muscle Shoals Record Shop.”