Johnny and the Triumphs | Gone Too Far
(Belly Boy Records)
With deep roots north of Saratoga Springs, Johnny and the Triumphs have been making a unique brand of jumping Adirondack rockabilly for nearly 40 years. Led by inimitable songwriter John Kribs—who has also performed around the region solo and as a member of the McKrells and the Bluebillies—the band has long kept things lean and mean, with a deep respect and understanding for the form, twang you very much. A new four-song EP, with Kribs abetted by mainstay Michael Hadfield (bass), session ace Marty Feier (drums), and steel master Kevin Maul, along with the departed Joan Crane lending vocals to the genteel, hiccupping ballad “Stolen the Wind,” shows what a mix of experience and inspiration can still accomplish. The mandolin-fueled “An Angel in the Bar” calls up latter Everly Brothers; “Kiss Me Hard” updates Dion; and the driving title track is, at once, modern and retro.
This article appears in October 2022.
