released August 1, 2010

SLW-vox, wires, keys, drums
Grace LW-drums #9, vox #14, drums, keys, autoharp 16
Bob Bucko Jr.-gtr #1 & 5
Pete Balestrieri-sax #2 & 5
Marty Christensen-bass #5
Simon Joyner, Jesse Joyner & Chris Deden sang backup on #10 although you can really only hear Simon because we were all drinking and Simon was closest to the mic.

Written and recorded by SLW
#16 co-written by GLW
co-mixing & engineering by Kent Williams
Front painting by SLW
back photo by GLW
Layout & design by Nicole Bruse

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From Babysue:

The first thing that caught our attention about this package were the photos. We were immediately intrigued that anyone would choose to use extremely unflattering photos of themselves in their promotional kit. But Iowa City's Samuel Locke Ward did just that. Although this disc serves as an introduction for us, Ward has apparently been recording and releasing music since 2002. He's rough and unpolished...and he obviously doesn't give a rat's ass about trying to fit in or become a major celebrity. Barely Regal Beagles has the sound and feel of a real home recording. None of that fancy techno polish here. Most of these songs sound like they were recorded on the fly...and that spontaneity is probably Samuel's greatest asset. This guy must've had a blast recording these tracks. They have a cool vibe and come across sounding totally honest and real. Neat, funny stuff.


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From One True Dead Angel:

This is old-school DIY at its best -- one guy, one guitar (actually a banjo much of the time), the occasional guest (including Violent Femmes sax sideman Pete Balestrieri on two tracks), and lots of strange (but strangely appealing) songs. There is no one predominant sound here; Ward's muse wallows in punk, pysch, noise, and experimental sound, all coming together in songs whose primitive sound and experimental bent are often reminiscent of early Pere Ubu. Combining the absurdist punk aesthetic of bands like the Dead Milkman with an original delivery (including unpretty vocals that might give some pause) and the enthusiastic DIY sound of Midwest punk bands like those in the orbit of Columbus Discount Records (an appropriate reference here, since Ward's sensibility and delivery aren't all that far removed from the work of Tommy and Jay), the songs are structured in a straightforward manner but leavened with bizarre touches (distorted guitars, eccentric banjo flourishes, other strange sounds) and festooned with lyrics devoted to peculiar concepts. The seventeen tracks boast a considerable variety of sounds and genres and burst with unpredictable energy. It's a rough-sounding document, to be sure, not something that's going to pass for radio-friendly AOR twaddle, but that's precisely the album's charm.