Blaze Foley

Duct Tape Messiah: Soundtrack From the Documentary Film (Lost Art)

In the 12 years Kevin Triplett spent tracing the threads of Blaze Foley’s life for his documentary, the filmmaker uncovered countless scraps of songs that Austin’s “Duct Tape Messiah” left behind. The requisite songs that have posthumously come to define the songwriter’s mythic legacy are marked well here in stark recordings (slickly picked “Sittin’ by the Road,” haunting “If I Could Only Fly,” the delicious live licks of “Big Cheeseburgers and Good French Fries”) and placed alongside often overlooked gems like the gorgeous “Moonlight” and crushing “Our Little Town.” The unreleased, raw recordings that Triplett revives from cassettes given to friends – most impressively the trembling blues of “Goin’ Away” and a fantastic take on “In the Misty Garden/Should’ve Been Home With You” – add an archival thrill for the devout.

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This article appears in June 3 • 2011.

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Doug Freeman has been writing for the Austin Chronicle since 2007, covering the arts and music scene in the city. He is originally from Virginia and earned his Masters Degree from the University of Texas. He is also co-editor of The Austin Chronicle Music Anthology, published by UT Press.