Al Foul @ Yucca Tap Room

Mammoth, Arizona-based Al Foul's website proudly proclaims the rockabilly singer as the "One, the Only Al Foul." It's more than just an accurate boast: The duder performs solo, snarling over a fat Gretsch guitar and stomping on a bass drum. But his songs aren't rowdy BBQ Show/Bob Log-style tirades. No,...

By Jason P. Woodbury

March 28, 2013

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Mammoth, Arizona-based Al Foul's website proudly proclaims the rockabilly singer as the "One, the Only Al Foul." It's more than just an accurate boast: The duder performs solo, snarling over a fat Gretsch guitar and stomping on a bass drum. But his songs aren't rowdy BBQ Show/Bob Log-style tirades. No, there's a lowdown elegance to songs like "Sugar Me and the Boy" and "Maybe Tonight," a restrained noir element that's as in keeping with Jarmusch's black-and-white films as it is with Sun Records' heyday. "Maybe tonight I'll freeze to death," he belts over a "Tequila"-style strum, a sturdy hiccup in his voice and a steady beat pounded out by his foot. If the one-man-band routine is the standup comedy of musical idioms, call him a Louie C.K. — the kind of guy willing to bare his heart in order to make you laugh or break your heart.

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Jason P. Woodbury is a music and pop-culture writer based in Phoenix. He is a regular contributor to the music blog Aquarium Drunkard and co-host of the Transmissions podcast.

Contact: Jason P. Woodbury

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Twitter: @Jasonpwoodbury