Dark side of the moonshine

>> Luther Wright & the Wrongs country-fry a Pink Floyd classic

by JOHNSON CUMMINS

You've got to admit, Luther Wright & the Wrongs have brass cojones as big as Texas and twice as tough. Y'see, these country bumpkins from Ontario had the audacity and nerve to cover part one of Pink Floyd's classic The Wall. Not only are they gumbooting on sacred ground but they do it using God's two favourite forms of music--country and western.

Now, surely that old stuffed shirt Roger Waters would steer clear of such a thin by a country mile. I mean, he did turn into quite the grumpy prog rocker when he found out his old mates Pink Floyd had performed The Wall live without him, to record crowds, complete with a stage production that would've made Donald Trump blush. Luther Wright & the Wrongs' approach to Floyd's monstrosity is a little less full of hot air. It feels like a hootenanny, which is probably why Waters went for it after all, giving it the official "Yeah, yeah, sure, sure."

The whole thing was done on a shoestring recording budget that doesn't even come close to pay for Floyd's crumpets at tea time. "We recorded this record for $88 on analog tape that was 10 years old," explains Wright. "We really wanted to do this project with a lot of love because everybody in the band at one time or another really liked this record and I think that's what makes it sound so good."

Well, okay, you like The Wall and even I have to admit it's one of the best dire, depressing records you could ever listen to, but the big question in everybody's heads is, Why in blazing tarnation would you want to give it a country touch? "We always thought that The Wall was a country and western record, which may be a bit delusional but we figured if we didn't do it soon somebody would beat us to the punch."

What the...? Has this guy got his 10-gallon hat on a little too tight? I can't really hear a single word on this concept album that talks about country staples like trains, old dawgs and pick-up trucks, but now that I think about it, they do have a couple of tear-in-your-beer odes to mama so maybe Wright is on to something. As he explains, if you look a little closer, the record is rife with country clichés about hurting, separation and the death of one's parents. Perhaps that's why Waters, who is normally hyper-protective of his work, granted them permission to do Rebuild the Wall and even wished them all the luck in the world.

Just because Waters has given Wright the nod of approval doesn't mean every Floyd fan is doing the same. "On our Web page, we get some pretty nasty e-mails about it," says Wright, "but my friend in Kingston is the biggest Pink Floyd fan in the world and he gave me full approval, so that kind of means more. It's not like we're taking the whole thing for a laugh. We do take the serious songs seriously and we really did this with a lot of care and love. After all, that's what country music is, one part comedy and one part heartbreak."

With Lederhosen Lucil at Jailhouse Rock on Thursday, May 3, 9pm, $5