Pawn Shop

Description

Pawn Shop – an instrumental album – is the third full-length album by the American guitarist and composer Jeff Scheetz, released on Bam-Zoom! Records in 1997. The album was produced, recorded, and mixed by Jeff Scheetz at Grey Wolf Studios in Kansas City, Missouri. All tracks written by Jeff Scheetz except tracks 2 and 4 co-written with Eddie Pruitt and track 6 co-written with Jim Riley, as well as the trad tune “Rock of Ages”.

Featuring Jeff Scheetz on acoustic and electric guitars, guitar synthesizer, dobro, and banjo (as well as bass on track 7); backed by a rhythm section consisting of Eddie Pruitt on bass and Jim Riley on drums and percussion; with Ted Gardner providing organ. (“Space Madness” intro “psychotically compiled by Jeff, with clarinet by Brittany Scheetz and additional noises by Jeff, Jim, Brittany, Jackie, Gwen and Elmo.”)

I was never really into instrumental albums until asked to help make one a while back. Now I appreciate a lot more the effort needed to maintain interest. This offering from America’s well respected guitar virtuoso is excellent; with lots of variation in styles and textures, and an overall uplifting, celebratory feel which is hard to categorise (a clue may be in the insert note about the final track – a nice reworking of «Rock Of Ages»). What it isn’t is 45 minutes of glossy, over produced, ego-centric widdly-widdly – no, this is a very talented and imaginative guitar player and a tight backing band having a good time and letting us in on it. Insert notes (always welcome) give some insights into each track (would you believe this album features “Living Dog Drum”?!!). For me the more acoustic-based tunes work best («Soaring», «Lakota») and despite a slight sag into a couple of weaker melodies in the second half, ‘Pawn Shop’ is well worth investigation. (If you play guitar, have some Kleenex handy, then check out Jeff’s instruction videos). Another insert note says, “There were no drugs or alcohol involved in the making of this record.” Amen! No talent boosters necessary! [Paul Keeble, Cross Rhythms, August 1997]

> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/pawn-shop/128909226)

CD tracklist:

01. Coffeehouse Blues
02. Pike
03. Soaring
04. Platform Shoes
05. Lakota
06. Legend
07. Return Of The Wolf
08. Uncle Glen Shuffle
09. Space Madness
10. Rock Of Ages

Note: Available at Bandcamp: https://jeffscheetz.bandcamp.com/album/pawn-shop