Gene Pistilli I Still Get Dressed On Sundays CD

Gene Pistilli goes by the self-appointed nickname of "The Hoboken Saddletramp," and if that evokes an image of Frank Sinatra in chaps, well that's the point. A music industry fringe-dweller since his days in the folk-pop Cashman, Pistilli & West and as an original member of the Manhattan Transfer, it was his song "How the West Was Swung," originally recorded by Asleep at the Wheel (whose leader, Ray Benson, penned this album's liner notes), that set the stage for I Still Get Dressed on Sundays, a collection of suave Western swing. Not as deranged as Bob Wills or as edgy as Asleep, Pistilli brings a smooth, urbane attitude to a combination of covers and some terrific originals. Songs like the upbeat "Texas to a T" and the ballad "New Shadow" sound like lost standards but are newly composed. The witty lyrics of "Less of Me More Often" are straight out of the genre's heyday in the '30s yet mesh perfectly with covers of originals like Spade Cooley's "Oklahoma Stomp," Gene Autry's "Mexicali Rose," and Ernest Tubb's "Waltz Across Texas." Except for the crystal-clear sound quality, this could easily be mistaken for a decades-old Western swing album with its crying pedal steel guitars, sawing fiddles, honky tonk piano, and shuffling acoustic guitars. While that's certainly the intent, the new tunes show that Pistilli is more than an imitator of a dated music form. His respectful yet lively approach injects life into old songs and proves this sound can be reinvigorated, if not quite reinvented, with his recently penned material. ~ Hal Horowitz

by Ray Benson - Asleep at the WheelGino Pistilli! It sounds like the star of a spaghetti western or a character on The Sopranos. Or maybe a New York cowboy in Nashville, feeding the hit makin' machinery of the country music business. Well, he's all of that and much, much more! If he were only one of the founders of The Manhattan Transfer it would have been enough to impress me. If he only had written a number one tune for Randy Travis, "Too Gone Too Long," he would have impressed me. But he has written dozens of great songs, sings in a smooth smokey baritone that resonates like a cool breeze and keeps the tradition of great songsmithing in good stead with his original, yet familiar, tunes. So enjoy this CD (unless ya got it on 8 track) and imagine, if you will, Gino's tattooed hands playing notes outta his guitar, singin' thru a haze of cigarette smoke and riding off into the sunset in a yellow cab with A SET OF TEXAS LONG HORNS on the hood! Muchos gracias amigo, me gusto mucho mas! Austin, TX 2003 NOTES FROM THE ARTIST My love for swing music was handed down to me from my folks. From Count Basie to Spade Cooley, they liked it all as long as it swung. They were big Hank Williams, Sr. fans and if you listen close, beneath those unforgettable lyrics and melodies, all his songs had a sweet little swing to them. This swing thing led me to become on of the original members of the Manhattan Transfer. They veered off into modern jazz and I went after Bob Wills and I've been chasing him ever since. Gene Pistilli

Recorded at County Q, Nashville, Tennessee.

Personnel: Gene Pistilli (vocals); Mike Dowling, Gregg Galbraith, C. Michael Spriggs (guitar); Fats Kaplan (steel guitar, fiddle, accordion); Jim Hoke (clarinet, saxophone); Bryan Cumming (trumpet); Ronnie Godfrey (piano); Paul Scholten, Jody Maphis (drums); Raymond Davis (background vocals).

Audio Mixer: T.W. Cargile.

Liner Note Authors: Gene Pistilli; Ray Benson.

Recording information: County Q Studios, Nashville, TN.

Photographer: Chip Smith.

Personnel: Gene Pistilli (vocals, guitar); Mike Dowling (guitar); Fats Kaplan (steel guitar, fiddle, accordion); Jim Hoke (clarinet, saxophone); Brian Cumming (trumpet); David Hungate (bass); Jody maphis (drums).