Review by Chris Van Etten for Spirit Caravan - Jug Fulla Sun (1999)

Spirit Caravan is the band Scott “Wino”  Weinrich led after the Obsessed broke up in the mid 90s. There really isn’t much of a difference stylistically, although Spirit Caravan is arguably a bit less dark. Anyway, Wino is musician whose personality is huge but not flamboyant. Kind of like Lemmy in Motörhead, he is the undeniable center here.  He has strong, almost authoritative voice, coming across like patriarch of some off the grid biker family. The music has a polished, almost classic rock vibe to it, but too heavy to fit in that category. I think what makes Wino’s work interesting is how, at a glance, the music sound can sound like straightforward rock, but the closer attention you pay, the more it drags you in. This is not background music, it requires your attention (and, dare I say, patience)for full effect, and it needs to be played  LOUD. Wino is a motherfucker on the guitar, and I could write an essay just dissecting his riffs. Again, the riff style is fairly traditional heavy rock, but the guy has so much control he keeps it fresh.  “Jug Fulla Sun” may be a little too long, and honestly I think the weakest tracks are the  first two, but none of them are duds, and the stronger tracks are DAMN strong.  My favorites are “Cosmic Artifact,”  with it’s commanding vocals and “Melancholy Grey,” which melds Wino’s melodic and doom guitar skills perfectly.