Simon Flory – Radioville

Introducing the world to the first proletariat, hillbilly, folk art honest persons concept album that transcends
commodity! artist and fiddler T.W. Rushing wrote me one morning while digging through this album, junking for
lyrics to illuminate the cover and insert with his hands and pen, xeroxed and cut in the styles of Roy Finster and
Norman Pettingill, just dont forget to spray paint the staples before you put it together.
Marshall Terry captured the songs with pedals he made, a 70s Neve console he rebuilt and a tape machine he
saved from certain death. No computers. Mixed down with his ears and fingers. I bartered most of the
engineering, mixing and mastering fees by playing bass at his Shaman Shack a former reefer truck turned
NBC remote feed truck, recast as a studio parked in a warehouse on Austins East Side.
The full band tracks were cut June of 17 in the midst of a central TX heat wave. We couldn’t all fit in the truck
so we ran a snake out to the back corner of the stagnant warehouse lit with a few flood lamps, butno talkback
mic to the truck. Wed holler after takes, reviewing before we rewound over the track or kept it. We only had 6
of tape left over at the end. Its all here on this record, ghosts and all.
Jody Suarez led me, Dan and Matt through 5 new songs over two evenings. I plugged my J45 into a tall amp
Marshall had made through one of his White Rabbit Deluxe pedals and it just sounded right. Playing with these
guys has always felt right.
Lyza Blair and Charley Crockett were my neighbors on the east side and I had just recorded on Charleys great
Lil G.L.s Honky Tonk Jubilee record, hes The Hard Luck Kid in my mind and in his voice. Lyza so deftly
captured me in uneasy contempt at the current political and humanitarian crises in front of the hope just beyond
the trucks doors.
I dogsat for Noel and Brennen when we were in and out of town with our old band, traded a week for the two
songs we recorded here live in the truck. Summer was passing through on tour, her voice lent with the
passionate yearning of my friends Wes and Hattie, who inspired County Fair. Dylan is a guitar legend in the
making and a friend who was new to Austin from Fort Worth, we were eating at a lunch counter when I asked
him to play on this record, I had the catfish, he had a po boy. Go find these great artists, theyre the lifeblood
of new American roots music, art and photography and Im happy to call them friends.
I would eventually move to Fort Worth in the fall of 17, I was off the road and ready for a change. The first
month there I was spending 3 days a week back in Austin mixing this record with Marshall. Nothing could
come close to a more pure and honest time. The least I can do is thank these artists, my close friends and
especially Anita for supporting me through this whole process. Some of the characters on this record are real,
some are inspired, most are you and me. We are where we find ourselves. I hope you find yourself
somewhere in Radioville.

-Simon Flory