Stephen Clair and the Pushbacks
Pushback
(2017, Independent)
STEPEHEN_CLAIR_AND_THE_PUSHBACKS_My_Crime__1_.mp3
With the vocal delivery similar to the Kinks' Ray Davies or Brad Roberts of the Crash Test Dummies, and the songwriter's melodicism of a more morose post-Replacements Paul Westerberg, Stephen Clair and the Pushbacks' Pushback has a restrained fervor. Don't get me wrong, the songs definitely rock. But it's rock in check, a learned and well-studied rocking. It should come as no surprise, since Clair is an instructor at Beacon Music Factory, that there is measure and thoughtfulness to the output contained in this disc's eight tracks. Stephen Clair and the Pushbacks will be at the Towne Crier on May 4, speakin' of Beacon, and at the Linda in Albany on May 11. Having seen the band live a handful of times before hearing this EP, I can safely say that the live incarnations of these tunes are not to be missed. Stephenclair.com.
