The lead-off track on J. Isaiah Evans & the Boss Tweed’s debut album, Americana Radio, may as well be a mission statement: “Let’s Rock.”
An intoxicating fusion of old-school rock ‘n’ roll and blues-charged boogie dragged in from a Texas juke joint, the trio — frontman and guitarist J. Isaiah Evans, drummer Spud Crowley and organist Matthew Vasquez — conjures a kinetic way-back sound that feels utterly of the moment.
“This music goes back to my favorite artists growing up, like Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry, but I don’t want to be a retro act,” Evans said in a statement. “This is something different. It’s a garage power trio that drags the classic music I’m talking about — kicking and screaming — into the current century.”
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The 10-track Radio, produced by Scott McEwen, is indeed a tight, bright, non-stop blast of soulful rock, shot through with Evans’ passionate delivery, Crowley’s relentless backbeat and Vasquez’s swirling organ licks.
The trio punched out the LP in its entirety (live to tape, fittingly) over a 72-hour trip to Memphis, working out of the Memphis Magnetic Recording Co. That rawness courses beneath every tune here, exemplified by Evans’ full-bore howl during “Pullman Porter Blues” or the knowing snarl of the title track.
To celebrate the release of Americana Radio, J. Isaiah Evans & the Boss Tweed will perform at the Kessler Theater July 19, delivering its trademark incendiary live set to open up for Low Cut Connie.
“It’s important to me that this band honors the history and roots of rock and roll,” Evans said in a statement. “Rock and roll comes from guys like Chuck Berry, Ike Turner, Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley and Howlin’ Wolf. It’s Black music, and that fact gets overlooked sometimes.
“I hope the songs we play can shine a light on the people who made this kind of music before us, and I hope we’re a reminder that it takes all kinds of colors and backgrounds to make up this thing we now call Americana music.”
J. Isaiah Evans & the Boss Tweed at Kessler Theater, Dallas. 8 p.m. July 19. Tickets are $31.79-$61.33.
Preston Jones is a North Texas freelance writer and regular contributor to KXT. Email him at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky (@prestonjones.bsky.social).Our work is made possible by our generous, music-loving members. If you like how we lift up local music, consider becoming a KXT sustaining member right here.
Source: https://kxt.org/2025/07/j-isaiah-evans-the-boss-tweed-let-it-rip-on-debut-album-americana-radio/
