GRADUATE: The Ted Painter Band
By Suzy Geers
This isn’t the teen set’s pop country music. Nope, not by a long shot. The Ted Painter Band is neo-traditional country. Think Willie to Johnny to Alan Jackson ~ songwritin’, hard drinkin’ outlaws hangin’ out with Brad Paisely and Dierks Bentley.
Take a listen to charming, talented songwriter/ guitarist/singer Ted Painter and bassist/ arranger/ all around prodigy John Prunier and you will become a [willing!] student in the school of traditional country music ~ and embrace it and want to preserve it with the same gusto the band does.
With a new five song EP, Keepin’ It Real, The Ted Painter Band is doing just that, featuring the real life, coming-of-age road trip tune “When We Were 18” to the murder ballad (Yes, I said “murder!”) “She Knew.” Painter elaborates, “Usually it’s the man killing the woman — BUT in our song, the woman does in the man and gets away with it!”
I can’t help but laugh and exclaim, “YES!”
Both “Drink A Lot” and “I Wanna See You Naked” are FUN, good time, “It’s happened to everyone” (myself included ~ ladies, you know what I mean when a guy drinks his social skills away?!) kind of tunes. Says Painter about “Naked,” “People will probably think I am a chauvinistic asshole but I am not — I have two daughters! This is the REAL deal. We have all been at a bar on Friday and Saturday nights!” Rounding out the EP is a humorous, saucy, sweet ode to Painter’s wife, “Turn Me On,” which he wrote for her birthday.
So where is this guy from? Massachusetts, by way of a tumbleweed, desert kind of town in Southern California where walking into a bar and listening to Waylon Jennings is a way of life. And although Massachusetts may not exactly be a hot bed of country music (with the exception of Painter!), it did allow him to hook up with Prunier ~ and the two have proven to be a perfect musical match.
I took in a short set with the two and was blown away. Painter has a great animated voice and stage presence and Prunier’s jug band bass style (OK, so I’m no country connoisseur, but that’s what first came to mind) made my head bob and toes tap nonstop. I was getting just what I want when I go out ~ to forget the day’s comings and goings and have nothin’ but a great time.
I’d tell you to ditch your country stereotypes and give these guys a listen, but Painter summed it up perfectly: “In every show we get the same comment, ‘I don’t like country BUT like what you guys are doing!”
Head to tedpainterband.com for ALL Ted Painter Band info, music and shows ~ and try to catch the band on Jul 24 at Countryfest out at Indian Ranch in Webster.
Catch & Release--Song Review
Worcester Magazine
Written by staff
Thursday, 31 December 2009
Ted Painter
Singer/songwriter Ted Painter’s brand of country has a distinct flavor. Painter blends country-fried pop with stories drawing on everything from his military experience to his day-to-day life — he’s a modern-day minstrel, and most red-blooded Americans can identify with his tales. “Thinkin About Drinkin,” his newest track, starts out recounting a difficult morning where getting the baby dressed and putting the dog out makes him late for work. Later on, stories of “RPGs, IEDs, and nearly 12 months without any sleep” take over, but his point is as clear as the acoustic guitar chords and walking bass line that accompany Painter’s sterling vocals. It doesn’t matter if you’re “raising your kids” or “digging a ditch,” everybody must remember to relax with a “big old bottle” now and again because “life’s damn short and it’ll pass you by.” “Drinkin” is a track everybody can raise a glass to.
The Ted Painter Band, Keepin’ It Real CD Review
January 26, 2010 | by Skope Staff
This review marks another first in my tenure at Skope Magazine in that this is the first time I have reviewed back-to-back country acts. Former U.S. Army infantryman turned country crooner Ted Painter has released Keepin’ It Real, a five-track EP of contemporary country-fried tunes that run the thematic gamut from kids coming of age to contemplating the economy while imbibing bar side.
The album opens to “We Were 18” a country equivalent of “Jack and Diane” or Joel’s Brenda and Eddie from “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant.” The “how we met” lyrical matter, agro acoustic strums and Painter’s gruff vocals make this track the clear album standout and saves the best for first. “Drink A Lot” thematically covers current financial and economic events over Painter’s ubiquitous jangle country strums. “She Knew” slows the album pace with its demure backing guitar and tells a tale of a philandering husband and a vindicated wife. While Painter tends to spin a clever yarn throughout the album, this is perhaps his songwriting ability at its shiniest.
While the musicality is put forth in a simple, straightforward manner, the real strength of the album lies in Painter’s lyrics and vocal delivery. Several of his awards echo this sentiment. And while some of the lyrics come across a bit campy (“Drink A Lot”, “I Wanna See You Naked”) there is a serious vein of thinking and cleverness to the tracks. More so than any other aspect, the notion that Painter is enjoying his newfound profession is apparent from track one to five. Though brief, this simply put, is just a fun album.
By Chris West
"Ridin' High" CD Review
The Pulse Magazine
By Dawn Fenton
Ted Painter, a performer and songwriter who, in 2006, began writing songs and playing guitar “for real,” may be one of the year’s greatest success stories.
Painter and his ensemble, the South County Band, released their first CD, Ridin’ High, this summer and have received generous praise from fans and critics alike. Recipient of the 2008 New England Country Music Organization’s (NECMO) Songwriter of the Year and winner of the 2007 Great American Song Contest, Ted Painter may very well be one of the most humble guys you’ll ever meet.
“I received an award,” he stressed, speaking of the 2007 Great American Song Contest. “I wasn’t the only one or the highest winner…I was another award winner among others. I was very pleased and surprised. I guess I’m always surprised when I get positive feedback of any kind…I’m very happy if someone likes what I’m doing.”
Painter also made it clear that he wasn’t the only award recipient of NECMO’s Songwriter award in 2008. “Again, it was unbelievable to win. I was very surprised when it happened. There were many categories and I won in one of them, so it wasn’t just me…I’m very thankful for the recognition.”
In fact, two of three songs that were submitted to NECMO won in 2008: “Slammin’ Doors” and “Toughest Job (of the War),” and both are featured on Ridin’ High. “I guess that’s kind of good odds,” laughed Painter.
Not too shabby for a self taught guitarist, “…which explains why I am so bad,” laments Painter, adding that “Without the band behind me there’s nothing… they are really good at what they do. I am very lucky to be able to work with them. Any one of them could be a professional studio musician.”
The members of the South County Band include Steve Blake on bass, Keith Prescott on drums and John Prunier on lead guitar. Prunier, the newest member of the band, did not play on Ridin’ High, but replaced guitarist Pete Zolli, who performed on the CD. Said Painter, “John really knows his way around the country genre probably even more so than myself… [that was] an element that was missing on the current record.”
All modesty aside, Ted Painter and the South County Band have put out an impressive debut CD that will please fans of country and rockabilly alike. Even those who don’t have a penchant for country music will find themselves singing and toe tapping along to the music – this is almost a guarantee.
