Wagon

Wagon, the alternative country outfit hailing from St. Louis, includes Chris Peterson on fiddle, Ben Davis on guitar and vocals, Danny Kathriner on drums and vocals, Len Small on bass and vocals, along with multi-instrumentalist Steve Rauner, whose arsenal spans mandola, Hammond organ, lap steel, and accordion. Their earnest country-rock approach draws evident inspiration from the Scud Mountain Boys and acknowledges a clear debt to earlier Midwestern trailblazers Uncle Tupelo, all while relying on lilting two-part harmonies and accents of traditional instrumentation for added depth. The ensemble made its initial appearance in 1996 via the album No Kinder Room, produced by pedal-steel legend Lloyd Maines and issued through Hightone Records. A second understated release, Anniversary, arrived in 1998 on the European imprint Glitterhouse Records. Beauty Angel Queen came next in 1999, appearing on Stationwagon Music/Glitterhouse Records and spotlighting guitar great Dave Schramm (Yo La Tengo, the Schramms) as a guest on a couple of tracks.