Independence 76 is an Americana rock band (with a touch of bluegrass) from Oklahoma City, OK. Band members are Eddison, John Cody, Nathan Eicher, James Spalding, Ivan Pierce, Marlon Carbone, Tyler Burns and M'Lee Wells.

Here are some thoughts about their new debut album, Magpie Parables:

VOLUME ONE

Burn Ban

A sweet, slow and heartfelt piano blends into a single guitar lead solo that carries this tune to memories past… and lyrics like "yeah, i'm gonna light up", "she's tossing out her cigarettes as she's cruising down the interstate"…nuff said.

Eminent Domain (side A/B)

Nice Springsteenesque track, and stands easily on it's own. Some interesting and thought-provoking lyrics go with a hard-driving beat."Trading Manhattan for a bucket of beads - there's no end to the greed"…again piano as a constant denominator here culminating in an unexpected but poignant bell riff at the end.

Summersaults Into Fall

Basic rock track with lyrics like "sitting here staring at your grave, wondering who's life i'm here to save"… words which have come from a deep place.

Minor League Town

Cascading chord progressions create a Three Dog Night Shambala reflection with overtones of Jimmy Buffett in this track. Easily the song from the album that i would play in the first rotation turning out onto the interstate for that long cross-country haul.

Magpie

A truly heart aching and pensive window into memory and the custody loss of one's child. i can listen to this track again and again. "ten days a month is never enough - take it or leave it she said… i swear i'm still breathing, so why does it feel like i'm dead?"

VOLUME TWO

Sundance Squares

Not stone's throw from the sound of Arlo Guthrie, this track reaches for new ground with lyrics that are both grounded and exploratory.

Kickapoo Riffraff

"I love her second cousin cause she does it the best… almost died when she showed me the test… she said she wants to keep the baby… well it don't make no difference to me… it ain't easy when you're trying to be free."   ...not my kind of song.

For Worse

Worth the price of admission. Easily the most outstanding track on the album in my view.

Justifiable Homicide

Drugs, murder, stuff like that… dark lyrics about execution, prosecution…
'live by the sword die by the needle…" also not my kind of song but an interesting inclusion.

The Epic of Pat Tillman and i

A heavy Steve Earle influence comes to mind in this track.

75 Seconds of Immolation / Malachi 11:3

Drum solo lead into Malachi 11:3 which stands on it's own.

12 June

Nice track - okay this one is also - by itself - worth the price of admission. "no need to wonder why my heart's so guarded… bones so brittle and so… sentimentally retarded…in this hurried world of acronyms i love you means i lie… all those promises i couldn't keep but i tried". Good song with some serious legs. Keep it up guys!

Mending / Sienna Don't Cry

Slow rockabilly undertones with a steady driving beat.