VHF debut and second widely-available LP by Liam, part of a new generation of underground “American primitive” guitar players serving the traditions and smashing them up simultaneously. Prodigal Son is a portrait of an artist on the road, changing fast, recording things as they spring from the fountain. The sound here is raw – grass and dirt instead of pre-fab; homemade/handmade instead of high-tech, etc. There’s a visceral quality and immediacy of culture that’s being lost every day in modern life – Prodigal Son is a chance to grab some of it back. “Palmyra” has Liam on weissenborn-style lap steel, the sound fuzzed out and distorted by the guerilla recording technique. “Salmon Tails Up The River” stretches out to nearly 13 minutes, a dense meditation on 12 string that sustains a dark and heavy mood for the entire duration. On the B side, “Insult to Injury” reverses the mood, with an elegant and unhurried 12 string sequel of deep beauty. Liam’s unexpected take on Loren Conners’ “A Moment at the Door” is a perfect translation of Loren’s reverb-heavy electric drift to unadorned acoustic (and tape hiss) – a frozen moment of absolute grace. Wrapping things up is a take on “Old Country Rock,” with fiddle and banjo, just a brief taste of the barnstorming old-time sound of Liam’s touring trio.

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“The Prodigal Son returns!! Good lovin’ Lord! Where’s he been? He’s been out in the wilderness (ie The Road). The months, days, and hours spent traversing the endless highways of North America and Europe building up the calluses, muscle memory and psychic energy are now about to pay off. Liam Grant returns with a new LP of acoustic guitar playing on VHF Records, a follow up to his 2023 vinyl full length LP ‘Amoskeag’ on Carbon/Feeding Tube. On ‘Prodigal Son’ Liam expands and mutates his guitar playing to thrilling results. This is raw and real.

A quick synopsis of the LP tracks :

Palmyra: A down and dirty blowout boogie that would not feel out of place on an Xpressway cassette from a parallel universe.

Salmon Tails Up The River: Epic and mesmerizing. Encapsulates the journey of life, death and possibly beyond. Serene streams and raging rough waters. A thousand micro-dramas play out on the fretboard.

Insult To Injury: Deep meditative travels thru mountains, valleys and fog covered locales that lead to shimmering vistas that are visible to the mind's eye.

A Moment At The Door: A reworking of a Loren Conners song. Ghosts speak to us through faded photographs and through the needle vibrations on old phonographs.

Old Country Rock: The fire blazes and the instruments swell to a back yard throw down. Crack a cold one and do the full bottle throttle. This LP goes out with a bang!

Liam Grant saw fit to document his studies of the wilderness straight to tape with no overdubs and now we can all enjoy some time with the results together. The Prodigal Son is cause for celebration. Just know you can’t keep a travelling man in one place for too long.”

– John T. Schoen, 2024