Andrew Landers' online biography states that the guitarist, singer, and songwriter is "unafraid of complicated topics and looks beyond the easy sentiment."
So the lead track on Beautiful Depravity is titled "Not in My Backyard" and faults folks for keeping a safe distance whenever possible from the horrors of the world: "You might fall into / Someone else's bad day / 'Sorry I can't stay.'" And in the rush of a verse, he sings: "Tell me again / What would Jesus do? / In fact, what will you do?"
It's a risky directness, and the most confrontational track on the whole record. But it's sweet medicine - propulsive, funky folk led by Landers' detailed acoustic guitar and a bright piano - and it's nearly impossible to begrudge the man's preaching. Crucially, the lyrics don't exclude their singer, and in the brief liner notes, Landers writes: "These songs reflect both who I am and what I want to become."
That humility is evident in these 17 songs. On "Lowercase Prophet," for example, the narrator is honest and weary: "Laying here staring at the ceiling / So tired I'm awake / Trying to unravel my latest mistake."
The benefit compilation CD Moondances Chapter One begins with a song Ellis Kell wrote in memory of his daughter, and it ends with one written following his father's death. The second track, "You Can't Hurt Us Anymore" was penned for Sheltering Kevin, a documentary by Carolyn Wettstone about domestic violence.
Jason Parris, the booking agent for the Rock Island Brewing Company, knows there is something special about the local bar. "The room feels and looks like a New York club," said Parris. "You can see the history in the room with all of the black-and-white photos of people who have played here. You can definitely see that it's been around for 30 years."
