What do you get if you mix a bluegrass fiddle player, a hardcore rock bass player, and a jazz-schooled drummer? It’s hardly the blueprint for an alt-country band, but it is the bricks and mortar that cement St. Louis, Missouri-based outfit Nick Gusman and the Coyotes. Their core sound is a throwback to the 90s when groups like The Bottle Rockets, Drive-By Truckers, and Blue Mountain shook up the mainstream market with their signature mix of country, indie, and punk. Nick Gusman and the Coyotes are Nick Gusman (Guitar, Vocals), Sean Kamery (fiddle), Justin Haltmar (bass), Tony Hall (keys), Garrett Rongey (guitar) and Jeremy Reidy (drums).
As was the case with the band’s previous albums, DEAR HARD TIMES (2018) and the self-titled release (2021), LIFTING HEAVY THINGS, was recorded live at Native Sound Recordings in St. Louis (‘We came in hot, turned up way loud, and recorded everything live,’ explains Nick Gusman) and the end results are pretty impressive and will most certainly appeal to lovers of the alt-country genre, which has been overshadowed by the all-embracing Americana classification in recent years.