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Week 11:

The Red Clay Strays

Artist Introduction

The Red Clay Strays started becoming popular in 2023, which makes sense for the style of music they play. When I was in college, I think country was at an all time low with garbage bands like Florida Georgia Line. The last few years has been a massive shift, and some of the best musicians out there play folk/country rock. Living in central NY and adapting to my surrounding culture, I’ve really fallen in love with this style of music and some of today’s most popular artists include Chris Stapleton, Tyler Childers, Billy Strings, Teddy Swims, Jelly Roll. Hopefully the Red Clay Strays impress you guys like they did for me, so enjoy!
PS: Their NPR Tiny Desk Concert was my intro to them, and I think it’s awesome, so check it out!

Joe Cascella

Wondering Why

This song really features the lead vocalist, Brandon Coleman, who has a really nice voice. This is a simple song, but a beautiful one. Just a nice love song with heavy blues influence, and a nice introduction to the band.

Wanna Be Loved

This song was written by Brandon’s little brother, and is considered to be one of the songs that led to their breakout in 2023. Mom, you’ll appreciate this, but he looks just like Grandpa Vin when he was young. I see Grandpa Vin, my cousin Lou, and then he has the swag, twang, and coolness of Elvis. This is by far the catchiest chorus they have, and this song has been stuck in my head for over a month, and I’m not mad about it at all. Beautifully written and performed. Simple again, but this music does not need to be overly complicated to have the impact that it does. I truly love this song! And don’t worry, we’ll hear some more rocking out in a little bit.

I'm Still Fine

Kind of a similar song musically, but this is just good southern blues slow rock. A sad song that can be interpreted in many ways. I view it as him not liking the fame and everything that comes with it, and although things appear okay and he’s telling himself he’s “fine,” he is not. In reality, he’s dealing with the same internal struggles that many other musicians face, especially with the rapid increase of popularity in a very short period of time. I hope you are all enjoying this listen as much as I am, but it’s time to kick it up with the next song, which is how they opened their Tiny Desk Concert and my very first intro to the band.

Personal Favorites

Ramblin

This is by far their most rocking song yet, with each member of the band popping off for the entirety of the song. I do wish it had a little more length. It feels like a familiar classic, with the layout and style of the song, but really an enjoyable jam.

Drowning

Extreme authenticity and passion, with some excellent meaningful vocals. This seems like everything he wanted to say in I’m Still Fine, but here he lets it all out. It’s a bit grittier than what we’ve heard so far, and the band truly pours their soul into this one. Great track.

No One Else Like Me

These Alabama boys are just playing good southern folk rock. It’s a relatively generic song until the last minute, where the band really picks it up and the song hits its peak. Good stuff.

Unique Songs

Devil In My Ear

It’s not very unique considering he’s singing about the same ideas from most of their other stuff. Fits the theme of the band. I like the ‘why, why, why’ a lot. Starting to feel like we’re on the same type of Amy Winehouse thing where they have their lane that they’re really good at, and they stick to it.

Disaster

It was nice to hear a solid guitar solo and the band popping off a bit more. All of their music is really clean and they’re a solid group of musicians. This was better than the last two songs, offering more to hear.

People Hatin'

This song was just released 2 months ago, and is going to be the lead single off their 3rd studio album, which should be released sometime this summer. It’s great to hear a totally different sound to start off this highly anticipated next album. This song had a bunch of different elements, combining for what was an overall great song. Ideally, this new album explores some different sounds and avenues for the band. They are still such a new band and they have a lot more music to make, so hopefully they can prove to be a staple in southern rock.

Conclusions

To me, this would be the ideal band to see in a venue like Red Rocks. They are an excellent southern rock, soul, blues, folk band. The lead singer is clearly the highlight of the band, and his power vocals are incredibly impactful. The rest of the band is tight and they each have their own ability to pop off when the time is right. I expect this band to continue to grow in popularity and become as big as someone like Tyler Childers. I would love to see this band live, but they are not doing a full tour this summer. They are playing MSG in August with The Revivalist opening for them, but I think I have something going on that weekend already. Overall, an awesome band in a genre we haven’t really touched upon yet. If you have the chance, please listen to some of their live music, because it crushes. I give them an 8.3/10, with the potential to grow even more when we get to hear more of their music. Hopefully they stay on track with the new single and explore new sounds. Hope you guys enjoyed it as well!

Cascella Family Reviews

Vin Cascella

Quick comment about what Joe said about country music today vs when he was in college. That type of “Country” music still sucks, not as much as it did a decade ago but I just checked the charts: Morgan Wallen, HARDY, Parmalee, and Shaboozey are all dominating the country charts. I do agree that overall that’s a lot better than Florida Georgia Line and Sam Hunt (dude single handedly made me stop listening to ”country”) but still not great. That being said, the culture has shifted: Folk, Bluegrass, and the Blues are hot right now and are sharing a space that was previously dominated by shitty pop songs with a country twang. I know next to nothing about this band going in and I’m looking forward to hearing some deep lyrics backed by strong instrumentals. Wondering Why: Yea it’s good. Lyrics are the real winner here, instrumentals compliment the song but aren’t anything special. Middle of the road. I try to focus on just the music when I do these reviews but in my research of the band their Spotify “About Us” summary tells next to nothing about the band and literally just talks about how “Wondering Why” is a breakthrough hit and that they are crushing the charts while selling out shows on the tour that they are currently on. “A crummy commercial? Son of a bitch!” Wanna Be Loved: So much better than the first song. Lyrics and the vocals hit so much harder, and it feels so much more authentic. A band from the Bible Belt asking God for love, validation, and acceptance, a tale as old as time! Emotionally this song really reminds me a lot of Joe Jordan’s stuff (another up and coming country artist worth looking into). I’m Still Fine: Another strong lyrical song and his voice really excels. I think I prefer his voice here more than when I think he sounds like Stapleton. More depressing lyrics to add to our ever expanding list of depressing music. Musically it compliments the song as well. Nothing special but fits the general vibe of the song. Ramblin’: Hey, they can rip, fun! Fun song, old school Blues/Southern Rock. Elvis, Allman Brothers, The Outlaws. Fun quick song. I’ve heard similar songs plenty of times, not a bad thing. Song seems like a tribute or just heavily influenced by that genre and they do a good job with it. I would like to see this song live. Drowning: Chris Stapleton? When his voice kicks in, especially in the chorus, it’s nearly identical to Chris Stapleton. Not sure if that’s what they are going for but I have no complaints. Lyrically this could be a Paramore song. I really like the bridge and interlude before the final chorus, really ties the whole song together. No One Else Like Me: Repeating myself but if I didn’t know I was reviewing the Red Clay Strays and just heard this song organically I would have assumed this was Chris Stapleton. Sometimes he sounds nothing like Stapleton but it’s all I can hear these last two songs. That’s not a diss, it’s a compliment. Good song, nothing special, I wish they broke out a little more musically. There's been multiple times where it feels like they’re going to break out and then they just loop back to a chorus too soon. Devil in my Ear: Unless something happens in the other two “unique” songs I’m going to have to dock them a little for being one-dimensional. Even if that dimension sounds great I need a little more variety. Kind of like Ramblin’ I feel like I’ve heard this song before. I don't know if it’s because I married a psychologist or it’s just the culture in today’s world but it feels like country bands are more open about their depression and insecurities. Back in the day artists just sang about how they drank their sadness away. Now we sing about anxiety and validation (my favorite buzzword that immediately tips me off to someone that goes to therapy). There’s actually a few words in this song that are “therapy speak”. You can pray to God for the pain to go away all you want but maybe talking to a professional would help as well. This review was brought to you by Heart Meets Mind Psychology Group PLLC. Disaster: Slightly different. Great lyrics, and Chris Stapleton shows up again during the second verse. I love the short guitar solo that kicks in at 3 minutes. Heavy Free Bird Influence, wish it carried on longer or they returned to it after the last chorus. Even a soloing lead guitar through the last chorus would have been so good. It doesn’t need to be a five minute solo but I think it's a missed opportunity to not shred a little more during this song.I hope they jam more in their live stuff. This and Wanna Be Loved are my favorite two songs. People Hatin’: Sure. Possibly their most radio friendly song with lyrics telling everyone to be nice to each other in 2025. Not great. I hope the rest of their upcoming album is more adventurous than this. Overall this is a really good band. Lyrically they are great and the musicians are for sure more than capable. I wish they would open up a little more instrumentally. A few of the songs could use an extra 30 seconds of instrumentals, especially when they start soloing or going into an outro. Outside of that my only problem was that the unique section was a little one dimensional, though they’ve only been around for a few years. Would I see this band live? yes. Would I listen to this band while drinking a dozen domestic macro-brews, while close to a body of water? 100%. I need to find a stellar live performance of theirs to add to my drunk Youtube playlist. 7.6/10

Dad Cascella

OK, on to the RED CLAY STRAYS. Honestly, before this introduction, I never heard of this band, didn't know any of their music, and figured it's another country band making its way, hopefully, to stardom. Let's see what we got. And of course (I promise I won't print this line again) my deep dive include studio, lyrics, and live performances:

WONDERING WHY- Very nice start, bluesy simple song, with a catchy verse and chorus. His voice is very different (does he sing in the studio thru a megaphone or some other contraption?). And I sure hope the girl in the song is real for him.

WANNA BE LOVED- Bluesy, country vibe (a very good combo) with some heavy religious tones with his faith in these lyrics. Really liked the twangy guitar throughout, and again, very catchy verses/chorus. The singer definitely stretched a bit more as the song went on. Again, his voice is so unique, can't put my finger on it, like no one currently in the business. 2 solid songs, both similar. Hope we're gonna hear some different sounds.

I'M STILL FINE- So watching Tiny Desk, he talked about this song. The singer was on the phone with his brother (who was in Nashville) and the singer was kind of down in the dumps. When asked by his brother, he told his brother "I'm still fine, Gods still got me". Brother then wrote this song. Cool story. And a really good, solid song it is. Slow and bluesy with excellent singing and lyrics. "God's not giving me up, no I'm just fine, it's just a matter of time" really hits home. Yup, definitely worked for me. But, I do have to mention, in Tiny Desk, the guitarist harmonizes with singer, and it's great. I'm surprised they don't harmonize more (saw very little in live shows).

RAMBLIN'- short, fun song. Bluegrass meets rock and roll. As if George Thorogood and Elvis had a baby. Slide guitar is great, and whole band jamming and rocking. Reminded me a bit of Marshall Tucker Band. Really got me moving.

DROWNING- Oh No, is this a depression song? Again, bluesy bluesy, bluesy. His singing was more harder and raspier, kind of reminded me of Chris Stapleton, especially during chorus and when he holds the note to "Drowning". But I hope this isn't autobiographical, like Chester on NUMB.

NO ONE ELSE LIKE ME- Another bluesy some, with some of their best lyrics. And musically they sounded a bit like The Allman Brothers, especially in the last minute. When this band is let loose, it's a great thing. Real good song, had me moving.

DEVIL IN MY EAR- Country/Blues, tho a bit more rocking. Different, spacey opening with haunting guitar mixing with the twangy guitar. Ok song, could have been any country/rock band.

DISASTER- Pretty good song with very good, cool lyrics. But at the 2:30 mark, the band cuts loose, and the song takes off. Yea, fucking,yea.. Rocking jam that fires. That's what I'm looking for. Definitely different/unique.

PEOPLE HATIN'- Well, ok, that was different. Not my favorite. First he's yelling at us, then the whole band is yelling at us. Didn't work for me. At 2:20 mark, there's a cool rocking guitar, then a speed up jam which definitely helped the song. But wait, at 3:02, they're yelling at me again. Oh well. Song did end on a cool note tho. Definitely different.

Overall Review: So that's it for RED CLAY STRAYS. I read that they're a Christian Band, which the singer refutes. I would describe them as country/bluegrass, heavily, heavily influenced by American Blues. They tend to follow verse, verse chorus on many of their songs, but they do mix it up. I really liked how they use electric chords chased by background lead or slide guitar, it works great. And lyrically, they are very good, telling stories and instilling their faith and beliefs without drowning us with them. I do wish they would harmonize more. Many of their songs, (yes I listened to others outside this batch) lend themselves to possible harmonies. And the singing, I still can't figure it out, but it most definitely works within this band. Btw, I know there are comparisons to Elvis, but I see someone else. With guitar strapped, standing in front of a microphone, if the singer had a deep voice, I'd say a very young Johnny Cash. So would I go see RED CLAY STRAYS. A venue like SPAC would be perfect for them, so yea, I'd go.. My rating, 7.8

Mom Cascella

Red Clay Strays- Love this choice Joe. Something very new and different for me. And yes, the singer definitely reminds me of my Dad and Louis. And I truly enjoy the tone of his voice.

WONDERING WHY- Sweet love song. Back in the day, I would have dated this guy. Bluesy with great, sweet lyrics. Sidenote, I read that the singer and his wife are expecting their first baby.

WANNA BE LOVED- Another bluesy, mellow song. The chorus is stuck in my head, I keep singing it. I like this one a lot, but somebody, PLEASE, give this boy a hug. Two songs so far, fairly similar.

I'M STILL FINE- alright, this is different. I really like the way it kicks in. Really good, emotional lyrics. And his singing fluctuation works for me. And by the way, I think he's FINE.

RAMBLIN- Elvis is in the building!!! This one is rocking fun. Got me dancing around. Great riff.

DROWNING- Wow, he sounds like Chris Stapleton on this one. Sad song, but I like it very much. I like the slower tempo. And lyrically, again, real good.

NO ONE ELSE LIKE ME- there's that voice again, very soulful. The chorus reminds me of S. Miller, "I'm a joker, I'm a smoker, I'm a midnight toker". But more church like. The rhyming really works for me. Good song.

DEVIL IN MY EAR- The very beginning reminds me of "Lucy in the sky with diamonds", then it immediately changes. It's a fine song. A lot of good and evil, Devil and God in their lyrics.

DISASTER- Again, I hear some Chris Stapleton in his singing, this guy really has a good voice. I like the guitar bit in the middle. Good song.

PEOPLE HATIN- Ok, not my favorite. But very different. Don't like chorus, sounds like boy cheerleaders, LOL. And that's not the tone of voice I like, missing his softer tone.

Overall Review: I truly enjoyed this band. Something new for my playlist. I love the bluesy, country feel. Real good stuff. I give them a 7.9

Uncle Vin Cascella

A quick note- I prefer to listen to the songs without a deep dive unless I’m hearing things I need an answer to! I write notes while listening to each song, occasionally re-listening to part or all of the tune. Although I read the chooser’s introduction, I do not read anyone’s review until right before I write mine from my existing notes.

WONDERING WHY: I’m hearing a Chris Stapleton vibe/sound and vocal! Nice love song, very simple. Decent start.

WANNA BE LOVED: Similar theme to the first song- a theme I understand why it’s used but I’m n ya ot a fan of: too much “I’m not worthy/am I worthy”! Musically boring. I always try to find something I like about a song- very difficult to do that here.

I’M STILL HERE: Boring musically again. OK lyrics, good vocals. The first three songs are disappointing. Although I’m hearing a number of influences- country, folk and blues, all 3 songs sound too alike to me. And, unfortunately, I’m not hearing anything even remotely interesting musically.

RAMBLIN’: Thank you! Yaaayy, some pace! 3-chord old school RnR sound is appreciated. Very good vocal. I don’t wanna sound…uh... whatever, but it still isn’t very impressive musically. Better, but very simple stuff.

DROWNING: Guest vocals by Stapleton? No? Oh, ok. That’s a compliment, people! I really like the lyrics here. Cool sounding bridge.

NO ONE ELSE LIKE ME: Ahhh, an homage to the Allman Brothers Band! Me likey! Awesome, old school, southern Rock sound. I’m diggin this one- and finally hearing some musical talent- I’m sorry, did I say that out loud? Some really great lyrics in the last couple of verses. By far the best of the bunch to this point.

DEVIL IN MY EAR: Oh dear, I hope our singer doesn’t have access to a gun. This one sounds a little like an old downer of a song by Johnny Cash. Not a fan of this one- even the good vocal doesn’t save it for me.

DISASTER: I’m kinda over this band’s sound- even the Stapleton-esk vocals. Praise Jesus for the lead- which isn’t really all that special. It’s simple and generic, been done thousands of times. But still good to hear.

PEOPLE HATIN: Oh good Lord. I (kind of) like the chorus and that they put some pace on it at around the 3 minute mark.

OVERALL: Very simple song structures, nothing difficult or interesting musically. Mostly ok lyrics- some finer moments do outnumber the awful, but not enough for me. The singer is good, sometimes very good. However, if he didn’t sound a lot like CS I would’ve needed 3 to 5 pours of Irish Whiskey (4-6 Tennessee) to finish all nine songs.

My scale for scoring music is much higher than y’all- I’m a 6.5 here. I’m curious where you guys landed.

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