Phil Cody - Sons Of Intemperance Offering (1996)

Cincinnati-born Phil Cody, a longtime California resident, produces a smart, raw folk-rock blend that calls to mind Peter Case and Pete Droge. He released his debut album, The Sons of Intemperance Offering, in 1996 on Interscope Records. Most of the project was recorded live in the studio. In the years after its release, he hit the road, sharing the stage with artists such as Steve Earle, Golden Smog, Warren Zevon, and Jimmie Dale Gilmore. Cody was still on Interscope when he made 2000's Big Slow Mover, a compelling folk-rock/country amalgam full of sonic touches such as funk grooves and loops. It was co-produced by Ethan Johns and the Wallflowers' Rami Jaffe and featured guest appearances by Joe Henry and Emmylou Harris (on a great version of Townes Van Zandt's "If I Needed You"). However, the growing, changing label passed on it; so armed with a new Mac computer and a strong unreleased album, Cody went D.I.Y., starting his own label, Tiny Head Records.