Chris Bethmann
‘Naked Bourbon’
Self-released
chrisbethmann.com
Rochester-based
guitarist Chris Bethmann is a storyteller at heart, capable of producing
countrified ingenuity in an ever-changing world. Raised on Americana and having
studied jazz at Eastman School of Music, he brings a thoughtful, alt-folk
approach to the table on his debut EP “Naked Bourbon,” released in December
2018.
Bethmann has a
nasal, baritone voice with harsh vowel articulation, yet surprises the listener
with an operatic vibrato in higher registers. He uses situational imagery to make
societal observations in songs like “Blanket” and the title track. While
the album’s lyrics feel too wordy at times, Bethmann has serious guitar skills,
ripping through fast-paced solos as if the instrument were another voice on stage
with him.
Each of the five songs
is different: from a languid, nostalgic shuffle in “Picture of an
Indian” to “Flower City,” a heavier, Staind-like song that reflects hard
times and a shrinking local economy, to an uplifting, mischievous rebound in
“Didn’t Use All My Love on You.” Chris Bethmann creates musical irony
on this new EP, using soft arrangements with hard lyrics to bring motivational
awareness to the listener.
This article appears in Apr 10-16, 2019.
