Judging from the tunes he's written as a solo performer and as part of the two-man wrecking crew Flat Duo Jets, I don't know if I'd want to live in Dexter Romweber's head. It seems sorta dark and murky in there, and full of Martians and guys in ape suits and zombie girls with Bettie Page 'dos, and the ghost of Liberace duetting with a skeleton dressed like Buddy Holly. Like the old saying goes, I wouldn't wanna live there, but it's a nice place to visit whenever he releases a new CD, and with his latest, Blues That Defy My Soul, it's refreshing to hear that things are still as berserk as ever inside Dexter's dome. Southern Culture on the Skids' Rick Miller rides herd on the disc as producer, but you get the impression that Rick's job was to make sure the tape was always rolling and then stand back while Dexter raves about dead guys (Rockin' Dead Man), his permanently broken heart (I Lost My Heart To You and You Broke My Heart, natch), paranoia (Outta Sight, desperation (Man Walks In), and, um, something about death and loneliness (Unharmonious - that's just a guess, though). That may sound like a wheelbarrow full of bummer, but rather than sinking into a morass of self-absorption, Dexter feeds his obsessions through a saw-toothed grinder of rockabilly, surf, broken blues, and garage whomp. The final product is raw, bloody and more than a bit strange, but also totally unique among roots performers, and always electrifying to hear, even if you puzzle over exactly what he's raving about. But that's sorta like asking why the ghosts look so crummy in a carnival spookhouse, or why your hands turn into rainbow taffy when the tab of Yellow Sunshine really kicks in. Just shaddup and enjoy the ride.
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-Paul Gaita