Mark Germino’s Rank & File
Germino is a story-teller, more in the vein of a Dylan, perhaps, than
either Bruce Springsteen or Joe Grushecky, although he brings to his work more
country, rather than folk, influences. Germino is working class all the way, a
self-described “politically incorrect, liberal redneck.” With an artist’s soul
and a wanderer’s experience, with more angry attitude and self-righteous
frustration than any punk rocker could ever muster, Germino breaths life and
energy all of its own into every song that he puts to music and sings.
From
the self-crucifixion of the artist in “Poet’s Lament” (“Well the poet laid his
pencil down/excused himself and took/A loaded pistol in his hand/and shot
himself in the foot”) to the not-so-subtle social commentary of “Field’s of
Man’s New Order” (“I don’t like your tabloids, I don’t like your networks/they
manipulate me while keeping me informed/your misuse of headlines, your sad
propaganda/I hate your self interest as sure as you’re born”), Germino has an
eye for the small details that effect our lives, and the superb ability to
relate them in stories that will touch us.
With “Fire In the Land
of Grace,” a fanciful retelling of the singer’s visit to Graceland, Germino
takes back the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll and delivers Elvis from purgatory,
while “Rosemary’s New Constitution” is a call to arms for the average man, a
fantastic outline of a utopian nation: “And all the blacks own the food and
the whites own the fuel/and the natives own the land so they’re covered/the
rich own the schools, the poor own the banks/so we’re all forced to deal with
each other.” Germino’s songs often express radical ideas, related simply
through song without the bombast and bullshit that often accompany public
discourse.
Rex Bob Lowenstein
Even for a songwriter as masterful as Germino, he sometimes outdoes even
his best work. “Felix Tucker’s Biggest Lie” is one such moment, a classic
story of “an honest man from the hills of East Tennessee” that evokes the
spirit of an innocence long passed, a tale of morality that showcases
man’s constant philosophical struggle with what’s right and what’s wrong. The
song’s chorus, the delightfully paradoxical “And he was and he is and he will
be, he’s been honest since he was a kid/but the biggest lie that he ever told
is the most honest thing that he ever did” perfectly frames the verses (and
the moral) sung in between. Delivered in a Delta-influenced, talking blues
style, “Felix Tucker’s Biggest Lie” is a perfect example of art at its best,
entertaining and thought-provoking. To go into too much detail would weaken
the song’s strength; you’ll just have to check it out on your own.
Rank & File’s other transcendent moment is in the story of “Rex Bob Lowenstein,” retold
from Germino’s electric album Radartown. The song’s protagonist, a
mythical deejay at radio station W.A.N.T. is the music lover in all of us,
playing a loose format of songs: “You can call and request Lay Lady Lay/he’ll
play Stanley Jordan, U2 and Little Feat/he’ll even play the band from the
college down the street.” Rex Bob is a champion for music in all of its
diversity, a friend on the box that will play your tunes and keep you company
(a purpose that radio serves for many late-shift and all-night workers who
fight fatigue with the songs sent out across the airwaves).
The
station, of course, changes formats and Rex Bob, like many of the talents of
his generation, is sent out to pasture (albeit not quietly). The song is less
about what we’ve gained by technological advances in entertainment (equipment,
formats, delivery systems) and more about what we’ve lost by placing profit
before pride and personality. At once both tragic and triumphant, “Rex Bob
Lowenstein” may well be the most fervent damnation of corporate domination in
the entertainment world that will ever be written.
The Reverend’s Bottom Line
Germino collected a fine group of musicians to play on
Rank & File. Veteran Mac Gayden, a talented songwriter in his own
right, offers his multi-instrumental skills, while bassist Tom Comet played
previously with Germino on Radartown. Drummer Pat McInerny keeps the
entire affair solid, while keyboardist Michael Webb’s contributions are
subtle, though necessary. They’ve together created a soundtrack that is sparse
and minimalist, perfectly echoing the spirit and nature of these songs. Like
those artists mentioned alongside him in this piece, Germino offers music
direct from his heart, allowing the songs to speak for him, and, by extension,
for us, as well... (Winter Harvest, released 1995)
Review originally published by R.A.D! music zine, Spring 1996
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Mark Germino’s Rank & File
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