Since I'm currently reviewing the latest Drive-By Truckers album for Earshot online, I got in the mood for some classic roots rock. So I thought of Lone Justice.
Back in the early 80s, anything that didn't fit into the pop and rock charts tended to be lumped into the new wave genre, regardless if the band sounded new wave or not. Los Angeles' roots-punk bands often had this problem. They weren't new wave bands, but didn't fit into radio, so they got called new wave.
Los Angeles has a vibrant and varied mishmash of sounds in the 80s. The style of music that Lone Justice did was often called cowpunk, with other bands like X, The Blasters and Arizona's venerable Meat Puppets doing similar styles. Lone Justice were formed by guitarist Ryan Hedgecock and vocalist Maria McKee. They were joined by stellar session musicians, bassist Marvin Etzioni and drummer Don Hefflington, who had played in Emmylou Harris' band. With the backing of Linda Ronstadt and frequent guest guitarist Benmont Tench from Tom Petty's band, they got signed to Geffen Records, with the thought they'd be huge.
Their debut self titled album came out in 1985, to critical acclaim. They set into a tour opening for U2, but their fabulous debut album failed to click with anyone. They were too in the middle of the punk and roots crowds to appeal to either of them.
The band split up, leaving McKee as the only remaining member. She put together a new version of Lone Justice for Shelter, their second album, in 1986. McKee's new band abandoned the cowpunk and roots rock sound they started with, and instead adopted a more generic new wave sound. This album, too, failed to excite audiences, and the band broke up for good afterwards.
McKee set off on a solo career afterwards, which gained her much more success. Her 1990 song, "Show Me Heaven", from the Days of Thunder soundtrack, went to #1 on the UK charts. She has five studio albums to her credit and has written songs for Feargal Sharkey, The Dixie Chicks and Bette Midler.
"Ways to Be Wicked" comes from 1985's Lone Justice, and was written in part by Tom Petty. It definitely had Petty's signature sound all over it.
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