MAPACHE ‘LONESOME LA COWBOY’

Clay Finch, Blasucci’s musical partner in Mapache, continues: “We make music that’s reflective of the landscape we grew up with in southern California. It’s a sweep of all the really rich influences you encounter around here: folk and psychedelic and country and Latin and rock and cowboy and Hawaiian. We’re drawing from a really deep well. Plus these songs still speak truth in the present. ‘Lonesome LA Cowboy,’ even though it was written in 1973, couldn’t be more accurate of life here in LA as a musician.”

At the recording session for the EP, Mapache gathered around a single microphone to capture the tunes in one or two takes. Which makes it all the more impressive that ‘Lonesome LA Cowboy’ encompasses a far broader swath of time and space than the hour it took to record would suggest, effortlessly bridging decades and genres. Tapping faithfully into an era that ended well before their births, Mapache’s performances here conjure up dry desert breezes and lush coastal canyons with a distinctly southwestern brand of harmony-driven folk and country that’s at once vintage and contemporary. The pair relies on nothing more than acoustic guitars and enchanting vocals to work their magic, pulling influence from the architects of American roots music, yet fully immersed in the present.

Their self-titled debut was recorded in a similarly stripped-down fashion with producer Dan Horne (Cass McCombs, Allah-Las). It introduced the duo’s infectious songwriting and airtight harmonies, earning obvious comparisons to The Louvin Brothers in addition to more cosmic keepers of the flame like Gram Parsons and The Grateful Dead. Aquarium Drunkard hailed the duo as “a blazed up Everly Brothers” and raved that “the LP faithfully radiates the intimate warmth of their live shows,” while No Depression said the album “weds lilting melodies to lyrics that often extol the beauties of nature.” Saving Country Music declared that the duo “can fill up a room with more soul soaring harmony than most symphonic assemblies.” The music helped earn the band festival appearances from Pickathon to Mountain Jam to Huichica, as well as tour dates with Chris Robinson, Nicki Bluhm, Beachwood Sparks and more.

Ultimately what Mapache does best is reach into the past and return to the present to create something truly timeless and deeply personal. Their sound isn’t an exercise in nostalgia, but rather a link in a chain that stretches far behind and ahead of them. ‘Lonesome LA Cowboy’ draws strength from what’s come before and lays the groundwork for what’s to come next, building on tradition at the same time as it creates its own. If Mapache can do all that in an hour, just imagine what the future holds.