Local Customs: Lone Star Lowlands (2-LPs)

by Various Artists

The second in Numero's series of peeks into the world of regional studios hones in on Mickey Rouse's Lowland operation out of Beaumont, Texas. Numero has painstakingly gone through every tape in the studio's archives, selecting the best of the best for this peerless compilation. The songs themselves run the gamut; southern boogie rock, CSNY clones, British blues thunder, garage-psych hangovers, Morricone-esque supper club instrumentals and yacht rock, are as threaded together in the way only a tightly-knit scene can be. From the ashes of the vibrant garage and stage band scene, the Lowland studio and its clientele were formed. Holed up in a run-down strip mall, groups like Mourning Sun, Insight Out, Sage, Sassy, Mother Lion, Hope, Circus, and Boot Hill tracked out hundreds of demos, most of which were put on the shelf and left to bake in the South East Texas heat. Until now.