Los
Angeles based singer-songwriter and recording artist Chris Laterzo has
managed to keep the muse alive with the release of his fifth and latest
album West Coast Sound. Blending
varying degrees of folk, rock, and alt- country, Laterzo is an artist
who continues to create a unique style of song best described as
American cowboy-rock. The spirit of the open road, the imagery of
boundless landscapes and weathered travelers, the loping rhythms- as
with Laterzo’s previous work, it’s all there in West Coast Sound.
Laterzo
spends a great deal of time supporting his indie albums on the DIY
touring circuit both solo and with his band Buffalo Robe, covering
various parts of the US, and across the Atlantic to Europe. The core of
Buffalo Robe is Laterzo-- lead
vox, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, harmonica; Jeff LeGore—bass,
background vocals; Dan Wistrom- electric guitar, pedal steel, acoustic
guitar, background vocals; and Ron Pak—drums. Along with this seasoned
group on West Coast Sound,
Laterzo included many guest musicians from the burgeoning Los Angeles
Americana scene; Bret Jensen- electric guitar/ John Bird and Paul Inman-
piano/ Rami Jaffee- B3 organ/ Jesse Greene- violin/ Rachel Dean, Jen
Gibbons, Devon Rowland- background vocals and Justin Smith and Denny
Weston, Jr adding drums. Co-produced by Jeff LeGore and Chris Laterzo, West Coast Sound is a culmination of a seasoned artist dedicated to the craft of songwriting.
The title track, “West Coast Sound” kicks it off and was written by Laterzo after he came to terms with being an Angeleno. “Although
my hometown is Denver and I still consider Colorado ‘home’, I also grew
up in Brussels, Belgium and Boston, MA.” he laughs, “I now live in Los
Angeles- and have for, oh my- how long did I say I was going to be
here?” “Tumbleweed” is just that, a song about being on the road,
rootless and where the wind takes you. “There ain’t no use in fixin’ To
domesticate/ Or put a handle on a nomadic trait.”
“Echo
Park” marks a change in the artists life—“ I still visualize sitting in
the back room of my Echo Park house staring up at the near vertical
backyard,” said Laterzo “Not only was the geography vastly different
from Venice Beach, but my lifestyle had taken a turn- living with my
girlfriend and having a kid.”
The
8-song album ends with “Chaperone” which Laterzo said was inspired by a
dream. “ I was visioning walking through past scenes of my life as if
in a gallery and the thought that maybe having a chaperone/guide along
the way would be fitting.”
Laterzo’s first three albums, American River (1997), Waterking (2002) and Driftwood (2004)
found him experimenting with sounds from rock to folk and finding his
signature sound which led Performing Songwriter Magazine to describe him
as “a gifted melodist with an ear for hooks that sink in more deeply
with each listen” and “...a worthy figure in a lineage that includes
Neil Young and Gram Parsons.”
Laterzo’s fourth album, Juniper & Pinion (also co-produced by Laterzo and LeGore) established him firmly as an Americana rocker to be reckoned with. Without losing that cowboy rock trademark, West Coast Sound has more of an air of ease about its production and is a much more concise album. Laterzo
explains, “This record I wanted the listener to be able to get in and
out of the songs- and the album as a whole- in one breath. That’s one of
the reasons I kept it to eight tunes and under 35 minutes. I write
songs that I feel good about, and when I record them, I try to produce
them in a manner where the production doesn’t become the song.”
With
what has been described as his “sweet So-Cal drawl and confessional
melodies” Laterzo has the ability to articulate things both moving and
straightforward, which makes you realize he is a singer with an
observant mind and a big heart.
Already a contender on the California music scene, this new record reaffirms that Chris Laterzo and West Coast Sound can compete with the best of Americana sounds nationwide.
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