According to Scott Fant, the featured Texas music  artist of “Rural Decay”, the original title was “Beer, Guns and Live Bait" and was actually released by Scott on cassette in 1997 with that title.  But since another artist, who has been pretty successful lately, released a CD with a similar name in 2000, Fant decided to christen this CD release with the new title.  I’ve had the pleasure of attending performances by Scott Fant on several occasions.  They were always solo acoustic acts that, while pleasant enough, didn’t really do justice to the music that I now suspect is actually bubbling out of his soul.  Listening to “Rural Decay” really gives you a better glimpse of that snoozing musical essence and caught me in a little snooze of my own.  I was expecting more of the same gentle, soothing, traditional country style I’d seen Scott exhibit on stage, and I was absolutely taken off guard by the fullness and variety of the total package.  There was so much more than his acoustic guitar here to satisfy your musical hunger.  The addition of electric guitar, percussion, and other instruments with the variety of musical styles was a real treat to my ears.  There is plenty of good, old fashioned country (you know the kind I mean…before it was supposedly cool to glitz it up just like top forty rock/pop), but also lots of good rockabilly and Texas western swing.  The Merle Haggard influence is so strong, you’d swear there are one or two of the tracks that makes you think you’ve heard Merle himself sing them before, although every selection is authored by Scott. 

At first I had a hard time getting past my preconceived notions of Scott Fant with just his acoustic guitar.  So the start of each new track, as I  listened for the first few times, with the definitive sound of the electric guitar kept surprising me.  Not normally a big electric guitar fan, I found I really enjoyed his electric use.  You can distinctly hear each note and the smooth blend into the next without the vision of some crazed drugged-up psycho smashing his guitar against your head.  Fant uses acoustic and electric guitars, dobro, bass, and percussion himself in these tracks, with help from Pat McGuire on bass and percussion, and Mark Giles on steel.  When I asked Fant about the instruments other than the acoustic and electric guitars that he plays he modestly disclaims, “I have a dobro and a lap steel that I bang around on and a harmonica that makes some strange noises when I blow into it.  I'm not a real musician at all. Untrained and not too terribly skilled, I just play enough to do my stuff and hopefully get my point across.”  Well, Scott goes way beyond that with the music.  His point is the message he has, and he has a very effective means to use his music to say it.  Scott’s voice is not one that will ever do much opera, but he’d probably want to jump off a cliff before giving that a try anyway.  I find his voice very soothing and suited to the material he had chosen to write.  Absolutely no complaints in that department.

The theme of the various tracks really focuses on the lives of ordinary people with straightforward motives.  Scott describes his music: “My songs are about the people I know and life as I know it."  And he further defines it, “I always try to be at least a small part of the voice of people like me.  We're pretty common, but we do a lot of the work that gets done in this country.  And that ain't nothin' to be ashamed of.”  It certainly doesn’t play to the sentimental fantasy of  “horny housewives” (per Brian Burns) as the over-produced Nashville formula advocates. 

Which brings us to the production side of this CD.  Mark Giles produced two tracks at McGuire Studio in Arlington, TX.  The remaining tracks were produced at the House of Twang (Ferris, TX ) by Scott Fant himself.  Interesting piece of info about the House of Twang is that it is merely an old shed behind his house in the middle of a cow pasture.  Scott used an old tape machine and a couple of cheap microphones to record the masters for this album.  Fant claims the acoustics in the House of Twang are pretty good.  Is it the bags of livestock feed or the farm implements stored there that make the difference?  The only sound I found out of place was a faint, single pop at the start of each track (probably the arcing of the switch on that old Fostex).  It’s wonderful that today’s technology can make it possible to produce such excellent quality for so little capital investment.  Who needs the big record companies with their fancy studios and touring connections anymore?  A regional indie can do it much cheaper, capture more profit, spread their music via the internet, and maintain their integrity and credibility to themselves and the folks that really get their message.  Fant explains his recording/producing choice this way: “The more I wrote on the project, the more I kept hearing these tunes recorded simply.  I think big production would have taken me completely away from what I wanted to say on 'Rural Decay'.  MP3.com to me was just the logical way to release a low budget lo fi record, sort of the ultimate in corniness and hillbilly chic.” So to all that turn up their noses at the MP3.COM label, they need to rethink.  It is perfect for some uses, this being one of the most successful. 

The opening track of  “I Smell Diesel” really jumps right into the heart of this CD.  Its binding theme thread centers on ordinary lives, but told in a lively, slightly humorous vein.  This selection has a nice upbeat lilt to a peculiar problem of choosing between his truck and his Linda Jean: “Kinda made me sad to lose my Linda Jean thataway.  But it wasn’t long ‘til I was over it.”  Scott explains this song with: “I’ve always been fond of songs about everyday working folks with a passion for their jobs.”

“Swingtime” is one of my favorites on this CD because of its western swing root.  “A man’s spreading cornstarch across that hardwood floor” evokes an image anyone that has truly lived the Texas culture can relate with.  It was as if Scott felt he needed a swing number for this album.  As Fant revealed with the question about swing revival…..”I didn’t realize that swing had ever gone away. Of course I live in Texas and I can tell ya’ll, it didn’t need revivin’ here!”

“Been There, Done That” as Scott describes it himself is a cliché (like “get over it… life goes on… cowboy up, etc.”).  However, it describes very adequately that plain straightforward approach to life that his music typifies.  Take life for what it is and try to see the lighter side of trouble.

Fant’s real life job is with the Texas Highway Department as a material and process inspector (translation: he makes sure Texas uses best quality rocks and sand for our highways).  Once you know that, it’s easy to see where he was able to find the story for “It’s Already Hot”.  It’s story about working the highways “on one of these 105 degree Texas July days”.

Scott leaves Texas and jumps to Bakersfield, CA (or at least to that sound) with “The Way You Do” and “Groovy Country Girl”.  Both of these are real rockabilly numbers and remind you a lot of Dwight Yokum.  Just a few lyrics from Groovy Country Girl, “She can rassle, she can wrangle, but she sure can’t cook.” reveals the essence that jumps through. 

The last track, “My Home”, is tribute to home, land, and family.  Scott says it best, “About a mile off the blacktop road, cattle graze on the grass that grows by a house that will always be my home.”  Simple, but eloquent.  Very appropriate that the acoustic guitar is featured here.

The rest of the CD carries on the primary theme of ordinary people in ordinary lives.  You’ve got train, prison, and love songs in a combination of  rockabilly, Bakersfield, and traditional country.  Fant says he is especially fond of the Americana or Texas Music genre because, “Americana and Texas Music is so damn cool because there are no rules to follow about styles or categories.” 

Fant is especially appreciative of Texas music fans:  “It's always fun to play for people that are actually listening, and the Texas Music Family is wonderful. Music aside, it's an honor and a pleasure to be around folks like that. We're so blessed in this state to have a culture we can be proud of and I can't say thanks enough to the folks that come to hear us and support the music. I'm also proud to get to share the stage with artists of the caliber we have around here…people like Tommy and Justin Alverson, Dirt Stinnett, and Jim Reiss (just to name a few).  Just good people I reckon.”

Scott makes no apologies about not trying to attract the Nashville music machine.  He jokingly says he would have liked to have been the backbone of some famous country star, but there were just too many thousands of better guitar players.  I don’t think that’s what really sent him down the road he knows so well.  I believe it is his refusal to compromise the integrity of his music and his family that has stood him so well over the years.

 POST SCRIPT:

“Diesels, Demons, & Dreams”

While reviewing “Rural Decay”, I was also offered the opportunity to get a peek of Scott’s new 3 song CD, “Diesels, Demons, & Dreams”.  I felt like a kid back at the movie theater on Saturday afternoon where they teased you with the coming attractions for next week.  Scott got a little help on these three songs from a couple of friends:  Tommy Alverson, who produced, and Curtis Tilton, Doc  & Julie Wesson, Ray Austin, Snuffy Elmore, and Chris Booher.  The contrast is electrifying.  Where “Rural Decay” is simple and earthy; “Diesels, Demons, and Dreams” is full bodied and intriguing.  If this is the sound of future Scott Fant, count me in!  Scott also shared with me that he has been putting together a three piece power trio to take his music a little farther.  They also intend to record a live CD at The Texas Theater soon.  You can get Scott’s “Rural Decay” at Parish Music in Waxahachie or WWW.MP3.COM/SCOTTFANT.