Flower Petals by The Subdudes

Twangville readers picked ‘Flower Petals’ by The Subdudes as their favorite release for week of August 18, 2009. Deep in the heart of New Orleans is where you’ll find The Subdudes, a band that uses a tambourine in place of drums. They played together for 9 years before reuniting in 2002 to give it another go-round and haven’t stopped playing since. One of the interesting things about their latest record ‘Flower Petals’ is that it was originally conceived as a follow-up record to their 2004 recording ‘Miracle Mule’. The record label at the time convinced the band to put the record on hold in favor of a more ‘commercial’ approach. Thankfully, we don’t have to wait for this record to come out posthumously as the band plays on. ‘Flower Petals’ is a concept album told from the point of view of a soldier whose passed on set shortly after the turn of the century. So, I guess in some ways it truly is a posthumous record. Leave it to the ‘Dudes and their unique folk, country, and blues to help define what it means to play Americana and show the world that New Orleans still thrives..