Cole Withers is a singer/songwriter from Los Angeles who collided with Steve Desterhaft, a lead guitarist from San Diego, in Idyllwild California. Together in 2017, they went to work on songs Cole had written in Los Angeles and the result was THE LAST BOOKSTORE, a collection of ten songs which has been called a “spectacular rock and roll achievement” and “Van Morrison for the 21st Century” by critics in the United States. The combination of Cole's powerful voice and evocative lyrics and Desterhaft's unconventional guitar influences and mathematical precision make for an experience both “haunting and transformational.”
“Wash Away” announces itself with a powerful American rock n’ roll sound reminiscent of
Bob Seger’s work from the ‘70s. “Mary Queen of Mt. Washington” features an upbeat drive, jangling guitar rhythms with a memorable solo. “Surrender to Win” is a fast driving, soul lifting pop song with deeply imaginative lyrics and an inspirational message. “Rescue Me” accentuates the band's acoustic flavors with warm, bright guitars, soulful backing vocals and a guitar solo that will stay with you long after you hear it. “Eastern Standard” is a “love song to New York City” written by a man who's spent too much time in LA and features a beautiful saxophone part by Paul Carman, who played with Frank Zappa.
“As It Is” has hit the FM radio waves in the USA with a driving rock radio sound, powerful vocals, catchy guitar licks and an excellent guitar solo. “Ghost of God” has a swinging beat and taps well into a soulful classic, R&B style and delivers a transformational vocal message. “Love Never Ends” features a great shuffling beat, designed to getting people on the dance floor. Wither’s lyrics get spiritual, as he sings about “swimming in mercy, find I'm human and divine, both at the same time... Love, love never ends... It's the Alpha, the Omega, the beginning and the end.”
“The Last Bookstore” reveals the storyteller in Cole Withers with lyrics about meeting a girl with a “scarf in her hair and reading Voltaire” inside a bookstore that is the last one to ever exist. “Heartbeat Away” has a “wind-in-your-hair” open road pedal to the metal driving sound. It's a feel good song and anthem to the thrill of the moment before a first kiss.
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