Cory Grinder and the Playboy Scouts, formed in 2016, are a nostalgia band for those too young to remember the classic country honky tonk of the ’40s and ’50s, before slick country-pop crossover became a big thing.
The Cleveland-based band, which cites Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard as major influences, formed in 2016, and put out their debut Cahoots and Other Favorites in 2018, exposing wider audiences to their infectious, old-fashioned dancehall sound. And unlike many local bands, they’ve exposed wide audiences through touring. They’ve resumed that this past month, post-pandemic, following the June 11 release of a new ten-song album called Honky Tonkin’ Beauty Supreme, on Cleveland-based Blue Arrow Records, with shows in markets such as Nashville, Memphis, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Kansas City, Chicago and more, where they’ve played a lot of venues with “lounge,” “tavern” and “saloon” in their names.
The album was recorded bluegrass/indie rock musician/producer at his Canton-based studio, Sweetside Recording Company, with Mayfield on bass, Bee Roberts on drums, Anthony Papaleo on guitar and Tebbs Karney on pedal steel, backing guitarist/vocalist Grinder. It includes the expected mix of tearjerkers such as “Light Headed” and uptempo tunes such as the title track, “The Best Punishment,” and those that are both such as “Trouble Again” and “My Own Game,” with Grinder’s resonant, supple voice avoiding affected twanginess. His matter-of-fact delivery assures that heartbreak songs like “Make It More” and difficult, complex “Out of Sight, Out of Mind” don’t sink into a puddle of maudlin goo.
The new album came out on Cleveland-based Blue Arrow Records.Find out more about the band here.