Chris Acker (from the album Famous Lunch

Chris Acker (from the album Famous Lunch

Chris Acker (from the album Famous Lunch available on Gar Hole Records) (by Douglas DuPont)
With Famous Lunch Chris Acker has released a truly delightful Folk album with some Alt Country tendencies. His fourth album overall and second for Gar Hole Records, it’s palpably evident that Acker is in his groove. He tapped his Growing Boys bandmates for Famous Lunch, giving the record a fully formed and welcoming magnetism.  Folk & Singer-Songwriter styles are often distinct from Alt Country, and forays into such a sound often come with a few eyebrows raised. Chris Acker is able to straddle the line between Singer-Songwriter and Country expertly. He accomplishes this with slice-of-life writing, and a humorous approach to candid songcraft.
 
Things get underway with the old school sounding “Shit Surprise”, a number about things not going exactly how Acker might’ve hoped, but nonetheless rolling with the punches and having fodder for a great tune. Second track “Stubborn Eyes” is about the tumultuous relationship between a son and his father. Nikolai Shveitser’s pedal steel really adds a lot to this album, and to this song in-particular. Third song and highpoint “Swimming in My Calvins” isn't just about Chris Acker swimming in his undies. We are treated to gothic descriptions of other memories like eating milk duds with braces, and the tuna sandwiches his mom would pack him for lunch that he became known for. Hence the album’s title, Famous Lunch. Acker doesn’t linger on any one thing for too long, hinting at the ephemerality of formative memories. A resonant metaphor is heard in his description of someone ‘quiet as putting in a bookmark’.
 
Famous Lunch’s fourth cut, “Bunn Machine”, cranks the Alt Country up a notch. This tune pays homage to a deceased person, though sparse heuristics are given. He’s never named, but now the listener feels as if they’re clued-in to what type of man this must’ve been. The chorus, partially sung in unison with the Growing Boys Sam Gelbrand & Dave Hammer, leans-in to that Country sound. Halfway point “Wouldn’t Do For You (Buddy)” is seemingly about falling in love with a someone’s nuances. Again, Shveitser’s dobro and pedal steel prowess kick this song into the next level. “Cursive Proverbs” finds Chris Acker contemplating his surroundings. Lines like ‘pumping gas in the August air smells like the underside of a fingernail’ speaks to the use of gothic-descriptions and humorously candid writing capable of bringing the listener in. Seventh song “Don’t You Know (Who I Think I Am)” is about the perils of being a people-pleaser. Howe Pearson’s piano playing gives this number an almost ragtime feel.
 
Another highpoint is heard on “Game 6 of ‘86”. This beautiful song explores the Mets coming back to defeat the Red Sox in game six of the 1986 World Series. It’s a slice of Americana in more ways than one: it’s biographically reverent in its description of Red Sox first baseman and left fielder Bill Buckner. Penultimate song “Eyelash” puts a past relationship under a rose-colored microscope.  Album closer,“11/8/23”, like many of these tracks, finds Chris Acker reminiscing on a particular memory. Delivered in the style and cadence of an old Country spoken word piece, there is no percussion to be heard. This leaves us on a somber note, itching to give Famous Lunch another spin. This album is recommended for fans of Dean Johnson, Kevin Morby, and Kurt Vile. (by Douglas DuPont)
 
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Head over to Chris Acker website for more information