Robert Wagner Continues the Little Wretches Legacy with a Spiritually Inspired New Album “Red Beets & Horseradish”
Little Wretches - Robert Wagner - Red Beets & Horseradish
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Robert Wagner was the heart and soul of the seminal Pittsburgh rock band Little Wretches as the vocal frontman and co-founder. Little Wretches flourished commercially and built a massive following during the indie glory days of the 80’s and 90’s. Having gone through a variety of renditions over the years since then, incorporating a mix of interchanging members, Wagner now performs under the Little Wretches moniker as a solo recording artist and live performer.
Wagner is set to release his latest album project, another landmark in the storied Little Wretches legacy titled “Red Beets & Horseradish”. The new album is slated for release this Friday, March 18 and it is an eclectic compilation of 13 tracks that capture the many facets and sub-genres of rock and folk. Each song is uniquely crafted and presents a distinct theme, however, Wagner’s adept songwriting ties them all into a common concept that he had in mind for the album. The title “Red Beets & Horseradish” is compelling in itself as that name alone peaks your interest in seeing what this project is about. But what actually sparked the creation of this innovative album?!?
“Red Beets & Horseradish” is inspired by a relish or side-dish usually served around the holidays of Easter or Passover by various ethnicities of Eastern Europe. For the Serbs, for example, the red of the beets is symbolic of the blood of their people, and the horseradish the bitterness of their suffering. For others, the symbolism involves the blood of their savior and the bitterness of His suffering. People in the Jewish tradition also enjoy the dish, but there is no blood involved—the beets are merely for flavor—but the horseradish does represent the memory of bitter suffering in bondage.
The songs on the album involve vignettes and portraits of people who’ve suffered—old people, sick people, crazy people, people who are alone—but the heart of the songs lies not in the suffering of the characters but in the indomitable faith and humor that sustains them.
Source: Press Release for “Red Beets & Horseradish” Release
As you make your way through the album, you will be extremely impressed with the assortment of tones and sonics that the albums’ songs project as well as the intimate, heartfelt lyrics that Wagner scribes. Tracks such as “Winter’s Grace”‘ “Rise” and “Lovingkindness” present a gentle and engaging soundscape, very “down-home” and down to earth, extremely relatable to your everyday person. The instrumentation is driven by a wistful guitar lead and interspersed with tremendously melodic harmonica sections. These songs conjure up images in my head of a saloon full of revelers singing along in unison.
As noted above, the album also its tracks which project moments and situations of levity with an injection of humor such as “Old Lillian’s Story” which is essentially Wagner lamenting and reflecting in a spoken monologue of his conflict with a neighbor at the time. Also, on “Its All between me and God”, he coyly reminisces on a variety of circumstances or events in the past where his behavior may have been called into question, however the other parties involved are no longer around so…
Every one who knew me,
They’re all gone now
My friends are gone now, every one
Those lifelong, heart-to-heart friends that you’d die for
They’ve gone to where you cannot come back from
Source: excerpt from “It’s All between Me & God”: Little Wretches
Another standout on the album is “Palms and Crosses” which departs from the mellow acoustics of the other songs with a more hard rock edge that is mobilized by a surging lead guitar draping an uptempo drum section.
Wagner’s smooth cadence and even-keel vocal delivery add an alluring presence to the songs on this album, that are equally incredible compositions. Mark your calendars! “”Red Beets & Horseradish” will be available on all streaming platforms soon on March 18. Once it’s available make sure to stream it and save the songs to your Favorites Library! Scroll further down below to read the credits on the album and learn more about Robert Wagner and Little Wretches in the More About section. Enjoy!
“Red Beets & Horseradish” TRACK LISTING
- Rise
- Lovingkindness
- Palms and Crosses
- Nothing Was Given to Me
- Winter’s Grace
- Tiger Pajamas
- Heaven Was Open
- It’s Raining
- Old Hundredth
- Old Lillian’s Story
- Walked Along
- Duquesne
- It’s All between Me & God
Credits
- Drums—Mike Madden
- Bass—John Carson
- Piano—H.K. Hilner, Hollis Greathouse
- Guitars—Robert Andrew Wagner
- Lead Vocals—Robert Andrew Wagner and Rosa Colucci
- Background Vocals—Emma Golebie, Jack Erdie, Rosa Colucci, Robert Wagner
- Produced by The Little Wretches
- Recorded by Hollis Greathouse
- Mastered by Tom Dimuzio
All songs by Robert Andrew Wagner except RISE by Jack Erdie (with additional traditional lyrics), WINTER’S GRACE by Annette Dietz and Robert Andrew Wagner, and OLD HUNDREDTH by Traditional, arranged by Robert Andrew Wagner
Artwork by Melinda Pietrusza
Robert Wagner Bio
My songs are mirrors, and I often begin or end my performances by playing a version of The Velvet Underground’s “I’ll Be Your Mirror” extended to more than ten-minutes in length to include some of the images that most shaped my view of the world as a young man—working men and women enslaved in pursuit of the dollar, the now-vacant void from whence the spirit fled filled with the distraction of mindless entertainment, alcohol and assorted drugs, people so numb that self-destructive violence has lost its impact and the only way they can hope to feel anything is to hurt the people they love…God wanted me to grow up to defend the weak and vanquish the evil- doers by writing songs and telling stories. And if I’m wrong, I’ve wasted my life. – Robert Wagner
As frontman and chief songwriter/lyricist for 80s/90s seminal Pittsburgh rock band, Little Wretches, Robert Wagner rode a wave of local notoriety that led the band to the forefront of the underground music scene. The Little Wretches were founded as a folk/punk band by Robert (guitar) and his brother, Chuckie (violin). The “classic” Mach 2 era of Little Wretches included Ed Heidel (bass), Chris Bruckhoff (percussion, wind instruments, backing vocals) and Bob Goetz (guitar), rounded out by Dave Mitchell (drums), Mike Michalski (bass) and Ellen Hildebrand (electric guitar.) This rock edition of the band performed regularly and helped the band build its massive following in Pittsburgh. Michalski, Mitchell and Chuckie Wagner left the band, effectively ending Mach 2.
Mach 3 began with the addition of David Losi (keyboards) and Mike Madden (drums.) When Madden couldn’t tour, drum programmer Gregg Bielski took over. When Ellen switched to bass guitar, this version of The Little Wretches entered the studio. They recorded two albums, with Angelo George playing drums and Jon Paul Leone playing guitar on a third. National press, attorneys, managers, and publicists came calling, as did life’s obligations, and the Little Wretches disbanded in the late 90s.
Robert Wagner continues to perform at coffeehouses and small clubs. A Master’s Degree holder, Wagner also counsels abused, neglected, traumetized and court-adjudicated youth. He is the co-founder of The Calliope Acoustic Open Stage, an event that has lasted 15+ years. He has also recorded and released two new albums in 2020: Undesirables and Anarchists and Burning Lantern Dropped In Straw. The former having spawned an itunes chart-topping single and having received airplay on more than 115 North American AM/FM radio stations.
Follow Little Wretches
- Website : https://littlewretches.com/
- Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/thelittlewretches
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