Am Anfang standen eine Handvoll Songs eines gewissen J.Chris Smith und der Wunsch, sie mit einer Begleitband auszuprobieren. Das war 1999 in Raleigh, North Carolina und die Gelegenheit kam, als seine absolute Lieblingsgruppe, die Drive-By Truckers, in der Stadt gastierte. Die waren nämlich noch völlig unbekannt und quasi, um überhaupt Zuschauer in den Club zu locken, beschlossen Smith und ein paar Kumpels, selber das Vorprogramm zu bestreiten. Einige Freunde und Neugierige der lokalen Szene würden dann wenigstens kommen... – aus heutiger Sicht mit Wissen um die Entwicklung der DBT eine fast aberwitzige Situation! Brauchte man nur noch einen originellen Namen, schließlich schlug jemand in Anlehnung an The Patty Duke Syndrome (Ryan Adams' pre-Whiskeytown-Projekt) Patty Hurst Shifter vor. So geht die Sage…

Jedenfalls war das die Geburtstunde für das Trio mit Bandleader J.Chris Smith (akustische, elektrische Gitarren, Harmonica, Lead Vocals, Texte), Marc E.Smith (Guitars, Bass, Percussion, Backing Vocals) und Drummer Johny Williams mit nur einem "n", der auch mal live zum Bass greift, wenn sie ex-Whiskeytown-Drummer Skillet Gilmore zur freundschaftlichen Verfügung haben. Marc E.Smith spielt übrigens parallel bei 34 Satellite, einer etwas gitarrenpoppiger ausgerichteten Truppe der Szene. Trotz eingängiger Riffs und so manchen cleveren Refrains haben Patty Hurst Shifter allerdings mit Pop gar nichts zu tun. Es handelt sich bei dem sympathisch roh belassenen, rauh und eckig klingenden Stoff um Guitar Rock Music im typischen "North Carolina-Gewand", dem berühmten Dreieck Durham-Raleigh-Chapel Hill zur vollen Ehre gereichend. PHS gehören somit zur Szene von Caitlin Cary, Chris Stamey, Backsliders, Whiskeytown, Two Dollar Pistols, Greg Hawks, Nickel Slots, Acceleratos, Hobart Willis usw. Obwohl sie einige wenige Akustikballaden in ihrem Programm führen und auf "Beestinger Lullabies" auch mal (fast versehentlich) klassische Country Rock-Elemente einstreuen, wehren sie sich zu Recht gegen das Etikett Alt.Country oder No Depression. PHS machen durchweg geradlinige Rockmusik, die gerne laut gehört werden will – in bester Tradition so bekannter Idole wie True Believers, frühe Go To Blazes, Replacements, V-Roys, Steve Wynn und auch der fetzigeren Seite von R.E.M. Leadgitarrist Marc E.Smith versteht sich als glühender Verehrer der Peter Buck-Schule!

Insgesamt erleben wir hier natürlich keine Runderneuerung des Themas R&R, das dann aber unbedingt mit allen branchenüblichen Qualitäten und mit einem Höchstmaß an Leidenschaft, Charisma (mitreissender Leadsänger!) und musikalischem Knowhow. Astreiner "old fashioned" Electric Guitar-Sound durchweg in einer konventionellen, analogen Produktion von Byron McCay im ehrwürdigen JAG Studio in Raleigh, das leider jetzt auch digital aufgerüstet wird. "Beestinger Lullabies" hält darüberhinaus einige wahre Killersongs für uns bereit, wie z.B. 'The Fast And Fevered Fall' gleich an Nummer 2 – ein Ritterschlag für good old Tennessee Whiskey ("...damn Kentucky Bourbon..."). Oder das lässig schlurfende 'New Orleans Cocaine Blues' mit einem konstant vibrierenden Gitarrentwang. Oder das wuchtige 'Princess Radio', das mit seinen eingängigen Hooks geradezu zwingend ins Radio gehört. Oder 'Say Like You Mean It', das die musikalische Botschaft dieser famosen Band punktgenau trifft! Reichlich Gäste sorgen für zusätzliche Klangfarbe und erhöhen zweifellos den Aufmerksamkeitsgrad: Chip Robinson (Backsliders), Skillet Gilmore (Whiskeytown), Greg Readling (Tift Merritt, Two Dollar Pistols), Rob Farris (6 String Drag), Brent Lambert (Swamis), Caitlin Cary, Tonya Lamm (Tres Chicas, Hazeldine).

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Formed in September of 1999, Patty Hurst Shifter immediately began to attract the attention of local music fans with their direct and unpretentious delivery of well crafted songs set off by punchy, melodic guitar lines and a rock solid rhythm section. Here, at last, and once again, a true band had emerged from the constant forming and reforming of musical groups in central North Carolina.
And an unexpected chemistry it was as well. There was only supposed to be one show with ten days to rehearse. To make a long story short, the band had entirely too much fun to stop playing together. In addition to this serendipitous amalgamation, the band was offered a recording budget by local label Ricebox Records at that fateful first show. Patty Hurst Shifter took their loose, rollicking sound into Byron McCay's JAG studios, and put just enough shine on it to make "one of the best records ever printed in the southeast", "Beestinger Lullabies".
The combination of Chris Smith's superb songwriting skills and voice, rich with local color, Marc Smith's "sometimes subtle, sometimes scorching" guitar playing, and the teaming of Johny Williams' bass guitar and Skillet Gilmore's drums, has brought to life a band of unquestionable worth.
Impressive ensemble musicianship and exceptional songwriting are always keys to a great rock album, and PHS brought both qualities to "Beestinger Lullabies". The music has a rootsy feel, but it isn't so overtly twang-rich that it rates an alt.country label. To hear PHS go at these tunes live is to understand that Chris and his bandmates rock first and ask style questions later, if at all. As far as Chris is concerned, the undeniable country music vibe of songs like "King's Hill" and "The Sweetheart Song" is mainly an accident. "I never really got into alt.country or twangcore," Chris stated. "I liked Whiskeytown, but that was because I knew everybody in the band. I've got one Uncle Tupelo record, and I like Wilco pretty well, but that's all the music I've listened to that really fits that alt.country category.”
"From the time I was about 17 until I was 22, I completely swore off listening to the radio," he continued. "All I listened to were blues and jazz and mix tapes given to me by these guys I worked with. Greg Elkins told me, after hearing me do some acoustic shows, that the way I sang and the way I structured my songs reminded him of John Prine. But I'd say I pretty much missed the boat on the alt.country thing." As far as the rootsy sound of "Beestinger Lullabies" is concerned, Chris Smith attributes some of that to Marc's guitar playing.
"Marc learned to play guitar listening to REM, and you can probably hear some of that on these songs," Chris said. "Peter Buck played on some of that Uncle Tupelo stuff, you know, so he's a rootsy kinda guitarist. Marc did work awfully hard to put the rock in my John Prine-inflected songs. And when we got in this studio, we sorted out more about our sound than we ever did before. Everybody did their part. Byron's fond of saying that it's not what the song can do for your part, but what your part can do for the song."
When asked how he liked working with producer Byron McCay, Chris responded by observing: "Probably more than he liked working with me. I mean, we're good buddies and all, but I'd made a decision early on that these were all my songs, and if anything was going to change in any of them, the person who wanted the change was going to have to fight me for it. We did have some pretty serious arguments about certain parts of certain songs.
"I don't mean I didn't want to budge at all," he continued. "It was just that I wasn't going to let someone change what I thought was a good song already. If they felt a change was the right thing, they were gonna have to show me why rather than just say it. Bryon and I did go 'round and 'round about mixing and levels and such, but we struck a balance. I remember thinking at the time -- and I still believe this -- that doing this album was the most difficult thing I've ever done, from an emotional standpoint."

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