The Gunshy "No Man's Blues" (Latest Flame)
By Tim Den
Sunday. Jan 16, 11:43 PM
Smoky aesthetics and late night / early morning drunken serenades.

I met Matt Arbogast, aka The Gunshy, during the summer of ’01 when he was getting over a broken arm and finishing up his first record, To Remember/To Forget. I stayed at his house in Lancaster, PA and he played me some rough demos that sounded right at home with my Tom Waits collection. We stayed in touch and saw each other a few more times on tour, his arm eventually healed, and a good deal of time later – just when I had almost forgotten about The Gunshy – he has returned with No Man’s Blues to thoroughly impress me.

Though I liked To Remember/To Forget, it is here that Matt finally nails the Waitsian ability to meld smoky aesthetics and late night / early morning drunken serenades. The debut seemed too busy trying to capture the essence instead of the actual songs, but all 10 tracks here accomplish both. His husky voice (which sounds nothing like his speaking voice) conveys emotions without sacrificing tune-ality, painting within the same lines as The Heart of Saturday Night and reeking of trauma and drama. As I listen to No Man’s Blues, I can’t help but smile at the memory of the first planting of The Gunshy’s seed three years ago.

Great job, Matt. You sound fabulous and I hope to see you soon.
www.thegunshy.com
www.latestflame.com

Tim Den

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