A spare acoustic guitar figure serves as the intro to this country-rock morsel from the Blueheels. But that's a tease. As with a lot of the Neenah/Madison band's material, "Wedding Day" features brisk verses that jump to a gallop as twangy guitars, an urgent, train-kept-a-rollin' drum part and lead singer Robby Schiller's desiccated moan make a strong push for airplay.
The penultimate tune on their 2006 album Long Gone, its lyric takes an ironic turn in the choruses as Schiller drawls "You know I'd give up my wedding day, for one more day with you."
But it's not just this clever twist on cheatin' songs that makes "Wedding Day" so memorable. No, the hook here is really Schiller's world-weary voice. Even though he's a young guy, it sounds like he's steeped those aching pipes in a lifetime of heartache and losing.
I don't know whether the Blueheels have their hearts set on a L.A.-approved music career, but if they have any interest in Nashville, Schiller's time-worn vocals should be a very effective calling card.
An MP3 of the track are available in the related downloads at right. The Blueheels open for country legend Marty Stuart at the Majestic Theater on Thursday, November 29.
MadTracks highlights and provides MP3s of songs performed by local musicians. All tracks here are provided with permission of the artist. If you are a musician based in the Madison metro area and are interested in sharing your work as a MadTrack, please send a message.
