Dastardly

For Gabe Liebowitz to give up his sweet gig driving double-decker buses in Chicago and go full-time with his band, it had better be something special. And Dastardly, the weird Americana-art-pop outfit that he fronts, really is. Liebowitz lets his voice fly fully open with unhinged soul. The band constructs a ramshackle ship carrying swaying percussion, string instruments of all sorts, and a modern spirit that grounds the bits of old jazz, country, and bluegrass that worm their way into the songs. On 2012’s Bury Me In The Country—which was recorded in a laundry room—the band does justice to song titles like “Fever” and “Freight Train” by whipping up holy racket, stomping, yodeling, yelling, and doing whatever else comes to mind. 

Updated 03/07/2012