Flying Burriot Brothers meet Dylan, The Band
"Continental Drifters," Continental Drifters
October 7, 1994
The Herald Sun
Raleigh, North Carolina
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For two years running one of the buzz bands of Austin's South by Southwest confab has been the Continental Drifters, a New Orleans-based semisupergroup featuring ex-dB's leader Peter Holsapple, former Bangles guitarist Vicki Peterson, Dream Synicate bassist Mark Walton, Tori Amos session man Carlo Nuccio and grown-up bubble-gum heroine Susan Cowsill (yes, that Susan Cowsill).
Despite their alt-pop pedigrees, the Drifters come across more like the Flying Burrito Brothers and Sisters, a jangling country-rock ensemble anchored by taut guitars, soulful harmonies and bluesy roots that owe debts to The Band and "Highway 61 Revisited"-era Dylan. The group's repertoire includes some inspired covers - Michael Nesmith's "Some of Shelly's Blues," a seductive reading of Carole King's "I Can't Make It Alone" (also recently done by Maria McKee) and Gram Parsons' "A Song For You." But it's Cowsill and Peterson's passionate vocals and such impressive orginals as "Get Over It," "Mixed Messages" and "Mezzanine" that make the Continental Drifters more than just a hip bar band. - David Okamoto
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