Kàsh Mojo offers up a ballad for doomed troubadour Townes Van Zandt with his moving debut single Galveston Gone — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
Named after the location of Van Zandt’s notorious psychiatric ward stay, the song finds the Albuquerque singer-songwriter’s booming baritone crooning soulfully about the love, opportunities, and memories lost in Townes’ tumultuous life — supported by a catchy bassline, baritone sax, and guitar that builds up to a gorgeously fuzzed-out and wailing lament. A mournful chorus of “Slow down, please, slow down” contrasts with mounting and breaking waves of sound, frayed at the edges with Mojo’s palpable empathy, as he wishes he could undo what’s already been done:
“If you keep drowning your spirit with spirits
Don’t you know it will always haunt you
Like the shadow that does not depart
Revealed in the light of the sun.”
For the track, Mojo is backed by an all-star crew from Austin, including members of Black Joe Lewis And The Honeybears. The song was produced by Bryan Ray (Lonely Child) and Grammy-winning engineer Stuart Sikes (Loretta Lynn, White Stripes, Modest Mouse).
When he’s not making music, Mojo works as an attorney in Albuquerque — but he’s not like the infamous TV lawyer you’re probably thinking of. If he’s not in a suit and tie, he can be found sporting an acoustic guitar and a vintage Western shirt. A stranger-in-a-strange-land storyteller like Lee Hazelwood, Jim Sullivan or even Neil Diamond, Mojo plaintively speaks and sings while his band serve up dynamics that alternate between big and bombastic, and relaxed and pastoral. His baritone lends a signature, almost Pavarotti-like theatricality that pairs beautifully with his band’s deft instrumentation. His debut LP Buried Or Replaced drops in 2023.
Check out Galveston Gone above and below, and find Kàsh Mojo at his website.
