This is my unedited review of Bryan Clark and The New Lyceum Players' album "Southern Intermission," which appeared in the July 2012 issue of Mix magazine. It was written under my pen name "Malcolm Rhoads."

1.
BRYAN
CLARK
AND
THE
NEW
LYCEUM
PLAYERS
SOUTHERN
INTERMISSION
RAINFEATHER
RECORDS
Produced
by:
Bryan
Clark
Engineered
by:
Bryan
Clark
Assistant
Engineers:
Mark
Lange,
Alan
Litten
Recorded
at:
Rainfeather
Studios,
Brentwood,
TN
Mixed
by:
Bryan
Clark
Mastered
by:
Jim
Demain
@
Yes
Master!
Mastering
Playing
with
familiar
forms
and
attempting
to
update
them
is
central
to
the
music
making
process as
is
championing
a
particular
regional
sound.
Taking
something
familiar
and
making
it
your
own,
however,
is
an
elusive
feat.
On
Southern
Intermission,
Nashville-­‐based
Bryan
Clark
And
The
New
Lyceum
Players
take
traditional
American
rock
and
roots
influences
and
elevate
them
beyond
their
Music
City,
Memphis
and
Delta
foundations,
with
often
stunning
results.
There
is
much
to
dig
here,
as
Clark
and
company
show
real
compositional
and
instrumental
prowess,
from
the
celebratory
Stax-­‐Crowes
raveups
to
the
levitating,
gospel-­‐tinged
panorama
of
combines
Mississippi
swamp
groove
with
film
noir
atmosphere,
while
the
sublime
evokes
James
Taylor
on
a
cool
night
drive
through
the
Virginia
woods.
Clark
is
a
remarkably
literate
songwriter
and
storyteller
and
The
New
Lyceum
Players
(Clark:
guitar
and
vocals;
Adam
Fluhrer:
guitar;
Levine:
bass;
John
Toomey:
drums)
are
an
ace
band,
able
to
inject
these
vivid
songs
with
performances
red-­‐hot
one
minute,
nuanced
and
subtle
the
next.
,
displays
the
instrumental
thrills,
arranging
dynamics
and
lyrical
craft
that
define
Southern
Intermission.
What
begins
cautionary
and
dire,
lifts
into
something
emboldened
and
buoyant,
as
Clark
appeals
for
transcendence
from
a
self-­‐destructive
world.
Indeed,
traditional
Southern
writing devils,
demons,
dilemmas
and
debutantes
muddy
the
sacred
and
profane
and
infiltrate
the
crossroads
and
the
crossing
over.
Produced,
engineered
and
mixed
solely
by
Clark
at
his
Rainfeather
Studios,
he
gives
the
instruments
plenty
of
breathing
room
even
when
the
band
is
wailing,
so
as
horns
or
strings
enter
the
mix,
the
songs
never
crowd,
only
deepen.
Recorded
live
in
the
studio,
with
ribbon
mics
(no
EQ),
through
a
Tascam
DM4800,
with
vintage
outboard
gear
including
a
EMI
Zener-­‐Limiter
12413
and
a
Shadowhills
Optograph
into
Sonar
X1
Producer,
the
album
is
infused
with
a
warm
sonic
richness
that
allows
for
little
touches
of
Hammond
and
gospel
vocals
to
sharpen
the
tracks.
Plus,
Southern
Intermission
-­‐guitarist
Adam
Fluhrer
seamlessly
cover
tremendous
stylistic
ground.
A
chicken-­‐pick
riff
might
drive
one
section
only
to
segue
into
some
liquid,
Allmans-­‐inspired
dual-­‐leads
the
next.
Tasteful
lines
reminiscent
of
Knopfler
laying
back
give
way
to
grimy
slide
vamps.
John
Scofield
jamming
with
Skynyrd
here
and
modal
jazz
runs
meshed
with
full-­‐tilt,
70s
tube-­‐driven
boogie
there.
The
range
is
pretty
astounding.
Ultimately,
i ongcraft
and
arranging
acumen
that
sets
this
album
apart.
He
elevates
his
tracks
into
something
more
sophisticated,
more
risk-­‐taking
than
straight
country,
blues
or
rock
without
being
derivative.
It
the
expanded
touches
put
through
cohesive
Southern
filter
that
engage
so
successfully.
established
musical
forms
and,
sure,
there
are
some
familiar
devices
at
work
here,
make
no
mistake,
this
is
no
clichéd
Nashville
chart
pop
or
beer-­‐buckle
redneck
rock.
This
is
multi-­‐layered
yet
totally
accessible
American
music
Nashville
counterparts.
A
gem
of
a
record.
Malcolm
Rhoads,
Contributing
Writer