Welcome to another edition of "For The Record." In this edition, we focus on the Allman Goldflies Band’s premiere platter titled "Second Chance.”
For those readers not yet up on the Allman Goldflies Band, the Allman Goldflies Band is a southern rock and blues band based in Panama City, Florida.
Allman Goldflies Band
The group is driven by Gary Allman, cousin of Greg and Duane, on vocals, acoustic/slide guitar, and keyboards, and former Allman Brothers Band musician David “Rook” Goldflies on bass, drums, keyboard, guitar, fiddle, and vocals. The current roster also includes Joe Weiss on background vocals, guitar and bass, Shawn “Shack” Shackelford on drums and percussion and Matt Siegel on guitar.
Also on the album is the late, great guitarist Luther “Blue Lou” Wamble.
Track by track
The band’s signature sound is a mix of multiple music genres including modern blues, jazz, prog and southern rock. The 10-track release opens on the love-focused “Ever Been So Lonely Baby.” It’s essentially an Allman Goldflies' composed 12-bar blues piece with a touch of Southern flair.
The second selection, “Standing In the Georgia Rain”, another love-oriented Allman Goldflies song. It’s a ballad about redemption. It’s followed by “Southern’s All I Ever Want to Be” which was written by Goldflies and C. Menfi. The song is an upbeat sing-along number reminiscent of The Allman Brothers’ “Jessica.”
The slow and solid ballad “Yesterday’s Blues,” is next with a noteworthy combination of “up” guitar solos and sad lyrics.
It has a familiarity to it that is no doubt due to the evocative elements therein contained. It’s almost Procol Harum-like.
“Fadiddle” is a fiddle-fed instrumental that features a playful pairing of violin and drums. Goldflies opens with a touch of Cajun and takes off into a bit of bluegrass here. The strong and steady Allman Goldflies “Baby Show Me How” is a country-tinged ballad with memorable slide guitar work by Allman.
The honest Allman Goldflies “Pretty Green Eyes” tells the tuneful tale of a tour-weary musician complete with the right touches of country and blues. The subject of Goldflies’ “Can’t Turn Back Now” is not new, of course, but the song is upbeat with a touch of funky bass over a jazzy line that just makes it work. (And was that a cowbell in there, too?)
The remaining two tracks are both Allman Goldflies songs.
The tender “You Gave Me Love” is a soulful ballad that features what's believed to be Wamble’s last performance. The closing cut is the spiritual “When Jesus Calls” that both brings some hope to a troubled world and is a tribute to Allman’s late mother, complete with a full gospel choir.
For the record
For the record, this nearly 41-minute audio offering is new and innovative and yet is definitely inspired by its roots in classic blues, southern rock, and old-school influences. It features traditional instrumental work, raw emotion and all the expected prerequisite song styles to boot. So check out the Allman Goldflies Band’s “Second Chance” and you just might discover it’s much more than “Yesterday’s Blues.”
