Live At The Tractor Tavern

"The odds were pretty much against us releasing anything from this show because, when it gets sh*tty outside here in the Northwest, we get sh*tty inside." That's how the liners of Supersuckers singer and official representative Eddie Spaghetti set up Mid-Fi Field Recordings, Vol. 1: Live at the Tractor Tavern, Seattle, Washington, which features seven Suckers songs delivered in tumbling and wrinkled country-rock form. But Spaghetti goes on to marvel at how not-actually-that-bad his band sounded on the tapes from the evening, and fans of the veteran group are used to this sort of irascible self-deprecation, anyway. The '94 anthem "Creepy Jackalope Eye" is reworked as a scraggly bar band version of Steve Earle's own country take on the song; "Doublewide" is better for its newfound Southern rock tendencies and the squawk of David Lipkind's harmonica; and "Killer Weed" -- from the '04 Spaghetti solo effort Sauce -- is exactly the rowdy, bleary-eyed, and solo-heavy crowd pleaser you'd expect. Another Live at the Tractor Tavern highlight is the "Weed" bookend "Pretty Fucked Up," which unfolds at a sawdusted tilt perfect for the drunken two-stepping that undoubtedly broke out during this recording. And of course Spaghetti is your host for the evening, providing wry and rambling song intro commentaries, a get-to-know-the-band session, and a few memorable heckler retorts. The set might have been a bit longer, but other than that there really isn't anything here for Supersuckers devotees to complain about. Mid-Fi Field Recordings, Vol. 1: Live at the Tractor Tavern, Seattle, Washington -- not awesome, but never a dull moment, either. ~ Johnny Loftus