From Proud Boys to Gaza, Landlords to the Civil War: The Great Disappointment Echoes Through New Album
The Great Disappointment is a newly formed Bay Area-based band giving Americana and American String Band music their own spin. They have recently released their debut album, Apocalypse Pickin’ Party, just in time for the upcoming presidential election. This 12-song record took just a year for Patton Price of The Great Disappointment to write. The band did what most bands could never do – track it live in studio in just 4 days. Patton Price also arranged the songs and produced the record.
“Most of the pickers in this band have known each other and played together (off and on) for years. The big exception is me: I started writing songs and getting serious about music when I was 40 – just a few years ago. BUT! We are a brand-new band. This was just supposed to be an album project but it felt great and the songs kind of want to have their own lives now so who am I to argue? Not a lot of bands are founded AFTER they record an album together.”
[If you are wondering where the band’s name comes from, read this: The band’s name, The Great Disappointment, comes from the pivotal moment in American religious history of the same name. Baptist preacher William Miller, after interpreting the Book of Daniel, told his following, The Millerites, that there would be a second coming of Jesus Christ on October 22nd, 1844. His following prepared extensively for the second coming of Jesus, even selling their possessions. The day came and went, and Jesus did not. This led William Miller’s following to be greatly disappointed, many stopped following him, some stopped following religion, some created a new religion known as the Seventh-day Adventist Church.]
Now that the history is out of the way, let’s dive in to the music! Rock the Pigeon is proud to unpack Apocalypse Pickin’ Party. The fun begins immediately with “Baby Bro.” The song is immediately captivating because of the string performance. The lyrics come in and listeners will find themselves hooked on the story. “Baby Bro was a proud boy, he never made much of a man.” This song is an excellent take on “Proud Boy” trump followers and their toxic, fragile masculinity. Anyone that leans to the left and lives outside of society’s boxes has probably noticed an increase of the behavior depicted in this song. The Proud Boy’s are out and about in person, waving flags, and maybe planning to storm the Capitol again, but mostly they live in the comment section (most of them are too afraid to show face). This song is catchy, it’s political, it’s provocative, and it’s well-performed and well-written. The ending line is pure gold: “You’re a worthless motherfucker, baby bro. And all your fascist friends have got to go.”
The pace picks up for “John Henry.” This song reminded me of Bob Dylan, Dave Van Ronk, and Woody Guthrie just from the opening lines. The song features excellent soloing and picking, it is an Apocalypse Pickin’ Party after all! Lyrically, this song is a take on what it would be like if American folk hero John Henry were alive today. From being an Uber driver to having college loans to struggling with landlords to getting a tech bro roommate, we get to hear about the exciting and very human 2024-esque adventures of John Henry. Personally, I think the most genius lyric in this song is: “Who woulda known that being broke ain’t free?” This calls out the broken system that we are all living under. When I asked The Great Disappointment what their personal favorite song on the record was and why, they answered with “John Henry.”
“It’s got to be John Henry. It’s a chaotic and very modern telling of a classic American story. I think that’s where we fit into the world as a band overall. To me, having reverence for musical tradition has to mean you keep USING the art form to DO something, you know?”
Up next is “Caterpillar,” accompanied by a powerful music video that is sure to move you to tears. This song addresses the ongoing genocide and war in Gaza/Palestine, capturing the profound grief, horror, and raw truth of the crisis. At its core, the song highlights the Caterpillar D9R bulldozers, armored machines used by the Israeli Defense Forces as tools of war, demolishing buildings and lives alike. The song references Rachel Corrie, an activist from the US who was killed by a bulldozer in the Gaza Strip. Lyrically, this song is so profound that I had to pause the record and then listen to the song a few times in a row to let the lyrics fully sink in. The vocal delivery is flawless, it is filled with meaning and massive amounts of sorrow. The horror continues… [Trigger Warning for Extremely Graphic/Violent Video]
The next song is about a simpler horror, a crooked landlord who seems to be caught in psychosis. “Landlord Special” is driven by two folky acoustic guitars, one strumming and one finger picking. The guitars give the song a warm feeling, making the song almost feel romantic, even though the lyrics are about a slumlord. The horn solo brings about the same feeling. The delivery is smooth and emotive. The horn player gives a stunning performance.
The folky feel and history lessons continue with “Saint John Brown.” This is a song that feels instantly classic. It has a warm feel to it, made possible with acoustic guitars, strings, and a banjo. This song is an ode to John Brown, the abolitionist leader, who was a prominent figure in fighting to end slavery, decades before the Civil War. John Brown famously led the raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in 1859, aiming to ignite a widespread slave rebellion.
There is a break in the intensity as the the record gets a bit more modern with the song “God of Time.” This is a fun song that asks a quirky question: “Do you ever wonder why we never worship time?” This song sounds like it is mostly comedic, but still, it brings up many good points. “Time can do what magic can’t offer.” The song ends with a fast paced performance as The Great Disappointment plays the classic song “8th of January.” The next song follows suit. “Bob Stack Rack” is another fun, quirky song. The songwriter says that this song is “the true story of the time my Unsolved Mysteries fandom got out-of-hand.” This song has a thick bass line and an awesome string section.
The record gets serious again for “Algorithm.” The record shifts to a minor key for this song about social media and society’s obsession with getting in right with the algorithm. The performance on this song is very tight. Vocally and stylistically, this song reminds me of The Band. When we asked songwriter Patton Price about his favorite lyric on the album he answered with one from this song. “This is depraved, but it’s the line ‘they’re sellin’ kids from the basement of that pizzeria.’ It just feels so wrong to sing, but it’s the perfect distillation of what’s going through the narrator’s mind.” Following “Algorithm” is a song that is just as lyrically intense. “Angel of Love” sonically sounds like a smooth and laid back song. “Angel of Love” features trumpet work by Ryan Scott of The Monophonics.
Slide guitars take over the speakers for “Own Stupid Way.” This song tells the strange story about a guy in finance who falls for a spy. Musically, the song feels like its own adventure. The performance goes perfectly with the lyrics, feeling much like a call and response style song. The percussion also plays a great part.
A jazzy flavor gets introduced on “Nerds.” With a booming bass and riffing horns, this song feels like it would blend right in on Bourbon Street. The horns deliver a flavorful solo while a player scats on the piano. The song has moments of brilliant chaos. This is a feat that not many musicians could pull off with such style. About the lyrical theme of the song, the songwriter says, “As a kid I believed that the world would improve once nerds like me took over, but I was wrong.” We are still waiting and wishing for the nerds to take over!
“Roots of the Redwoods” is a great grand finale song that will fill the listener with warmth. A lot of deep topics were discussed throughout the record, so this final song was an excellent choice for an ending. This bluegrass song is a love letter to California. The song is upbeat, is played with a classic folk strum pattern, and has a catchy chorus melody. Listen to Apocalypse Pickin’ Party on Bandcamp or Spotify now:
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