FREELOADER
Custom/10 (Self Released)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale - © 2001 Shaun Dale
At first listen, Freeloader's debut CD gave me a salsa commercial flashback. New York City?!? How the hell does the best new Americana act I've heard this year come from New York City? A closer examination reveals that guitarist/songwriter/vocalist Scott Sinclair actually hails from Texas, which explains the drawl in his singing voice. He ended up in NYC after picking up Masters degrees from the University of Virginia and Stanford, to carve out a career as a financial analyst for a brokerage. As any regular reader of the financial pages would know, that's a high risk field, so he set his sights on a career in a more stable industry. Like, say, music....
Well, it turned out music isn't all that stable either. No sooner did he get the tracks for Custom/10 laid down and ready for the pressing plant than the band collapsed around his ears. He recruited a new bass player and drummer, and a reborn Freeloader set about working the New York area and the southeast to some degree of critical acclaim.
Replacing players might not have been his intent, but I'm glad that Sinclair decided to do it and keep pushing this music out there. His songs feature smart, literate lyrics over laid back country rock rhythms and melodies, and put him immediately in the league of established songwriters like Steve Earle, John Prine and Guy Clark. I'm particularly taken by "Renee," an ode to a middle aged counter clerk and her broken dreams. It's a tough subject to tackle without coming across as trite or condescending, but it's a subject that Sinclair handily masters.
Actually, he handily and poetically masters every subject he takes on, from bad luck at gambling and love to environmental decay. He manages to find original takes on familiar subjects, and sets them to melodies that set off his subjects superbly. With a SXSW showcase on their resume and a commitment to the road that is bound to build an audience, it's just a matter of time before they strike a deal that puts this in record stores everywhere. Meanwhile, you can get ahead of the pack with a click on the button to CDNow, where an advance order for Custom/10 can be placed.
Charleston Post and Courier
Thursday, February 22, 2001
by Devin Grant
FREELOADER - CUSTOM/10 - (INDEPENDENT)
In the world of alternative (read: real) country music, most bands seem to be happy to exist in semi or total obscurity as long as they can play their music their way. Occasionally the odd band will break through and actually gain some mainstream accolade. Some of the acts that have accomplished this feat include Wilco, the Jayhawks, and guit-steel virtuoso Junior Brown…
Right now, Freeloader is hovering just a step below those surface skimmers. The New York City based band is led by Scott Sinclair, who is originally from Texas. Joining guitarist/vocalist Sinclair is bassist/vocalist Mason Pitts and drummer Adam Chasan. Sinclair has a Texas-sized drawl that is perfectly suited for this type of music, and the three musicians really seem to have that No Depression sound down.
There are plenty of twangy guitars and hard-popped snare drums on Custom/10, Freeloader's debut recording. Take a listen and you'll hear a myriad of influences. "Lemonade" is reminiscent of some of Gram Parson's livelier stuff, while "Gutless" has the same backwoods stomp as Big Back Forty… Probably the best track on Custom/10 is "Easter Lament," which finds the group sounding mature without letting the listener forget that they're having fun making this music.
As stated before, Freeloader seems to be hovering just below the radar of the mainstream… It is immediately evident that these guys love the kind of music they choose to make. Those of us who like to listen couldn't agree more.
A- (album rating)
Time Out New York
March 2000
"Freeloader brings a sense of purpose to the stage at CBGB 313. Provocative original songwriting with shades of early '70's Stones and Steve Earle. The playing is raw and inspired."
Virginia Magazine
Spring 2001
by J. Mark Stewart
"Freeloader's first CD, Custom/10, which is available on Amazon.com, harks back to the lyrical genius of Paul McCartney and Bob Dylan, carrying the guitar-based sound of the Rolling Stones into the fertile soil of the American South."
"Sinclair formed Freeloader in April 1999 when he left his position as media analyst at Tiger Management, where he had been since graduation from U.Va. Sinclair excelled in his role as a financial analyst, and had earned his master's degree in developmental economics and an MBA from Stanford. After playing guitar with various bands in his spare time after graduation, Sinclair finally made the decision to follow his dream by becoming a full-time musician."
"Sinclair has been writing music since his days at U.Va. and was able to use one of those songs on Custom/10. 'Ghost Town' was written in Colorado, where Sinclair spent the summer before his fourth year playing guitar and traveling. The song exemplifies Sinclair's writing style. The destruction of the beauty of the Colorado Rocky Mountain slopes moved Sinclair to write metaphorically about the lost landscape. 'The telegraph man is tapping a frantic line from a splintered chair,' he writes. 'Environmentalists are saving the whales, but even roaches are doomed in Ghost Town.'"
"As the band's founding member, Sinclair has significant influence over Freeloader's direction, but his goal is to allow a well-rounded group of musicians to put its stamp on the music he has written. Sinclair is the only remaining member of the Freeloader that produced Custom/10, but with current band members Mason Pitts on bass and backup vocals, and Adam Chasan on drums, Freeloader is once again rocking in New York City and up and down the East Coast. The band will be in Charlottesville in June to perform at Reunions Weekend and at Starr Hill Music Hall."
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