Song of the Day: Guthrie Scarr – “Voice of Reason”

Posted by Todd Hamm

It's not often I'll stumble upon a honky tonk jam that's rompin' stompin' enough to hold my attention for three and a half minutes, wake me up like a slap in the face or cup of coffee, and--although it would undoubtedly be of the awkward mock square variety--make me feel like dancing. "Voice of Reason" is written and performed by Seattle folk rocker and former Darlings of the Lo-fi bassist Guthrie Scarr (pictured left) along with an extremely talented backing band of young playmakers like Nate Stone (keys), Paul Ohnemus (drums), Brett Massa (bass); and journeyman grunge-era sound tech Ed Brooks (check your old Pearl Jam liner notes).

Guthrie Scarr - Voice of Reason

The song itself is not overbearing in it's complexity, nor does it rely solely on the singer/songwriter format that many name-bearing bands seem to. The track is rich and textured, uptempo and ironic in it's rowdiness. Scarr's chops on the guitar are evident in the ferociously picked riff that sets the tone from the jump, and holds steady through the duration of the track, interrupted by delightful minor breakdowns and his Axl Rose meets Ryan Adams vocals that lay over the top nicely, nearly daring the listener to have a good time.

Front cover

I pulled "Voice of Reason" from Scarr's debut solo EP Wasted Grace which you can track down on CD Baby's site HERE. While the remaining four songs on the release are of a more reserved nature, and often beg for a gentler melding of the soft instrumentation with the sharpness of his voice, the songwriting is promising, and the quality instrumentation matched with Brooks's crisp studio work serve well to carry the weight.