Some may know Doug Jutras from his project Fear God which is some Orange County – tinged punk rock also released on Thumper Punk Records. Having seen rough times and being on his own since his early teen years, the Fear God project was to inspire and encourage others who may be searching for some meaning just as he was. Having grown up where he did certainly influenced his taste in music and in Fear God, one can hear TSOL, Social Distortion, and other bands synonymous with the Southern California punk scene.
The Miss that Walk (ep) in one sense goes a whole different direction as it’s primarily an acoustic album. “Miss that Walk” brings me back to Woodstock, the movie, that is. The fast and somewhat furious guitar strumming reminds me a lot of Richie Havens at the beginning of the film, while Doug’s voice has a certain Bob Dylan tonal quality. The song also has a certain Rolling Stones “Sympathy for the Devil” feel to it as well, all of which make it an interesting listen.
“Single Red Rose” does get away from the “acoustic” part but the clean guitar is close enough for at least for this review. Either way it’s just vocals and guitar and that does provide a more intimate feel to the song. Compared to “Miss that Walk”, I’m not picking up a host of influences, but the song moves along quickly and has some pauses where one could easily hear some feedback as the distortion kicks in should the song ever be done in full punk rock mode.
“God’s Town closes out the ep and features more voices and some harmony not found in the other tunes. This song is the one on the ep that is most closely sounding like some Americana/folk music and yet one can still fairly easily imagine a punk version of the song, especially with the decidedly non-acoustic guitar solo.
There’s not a whole lot one can say about a 3-song (mostly) acoustic ep. The songs are a bit different from each other and have a gritty feel to them as one would expect given Doug Jutras background and influences. As it’s basically just guitar and vocals, production is fairly minimal and has a rough edge to it, but in a good, raw way, worth checking out.
Rating: 7/10
Written by John Jackson
Tracklist:
1. Miss That Walk 03:38
2. Single Red Rose 01:50
3. God’s Town 03:41
Band Members:
Doug Jutras – all instruments, vocals
Albums:
Fear God – “God Bless the World, Not Just America” (2012) [Review]
Record Label: Thumper Punk Records, Dec. 2014
Buy the album here:
Holland: First Paradox
Norway: Nordic Mission