Monday, September 10, 2007

THE PACK: Canada rocks again!



When a thousand foot tall tree falls in the woods does it make a sound? Hell yeah it does and it sounds like The Pack. What’s that Barbara Walters? What kind of tree? While I’m gettin’ all dendrological let’s say when it falls it makes the same sound the last Golden Spruce on the Yakoun River made when that psycho bastard cut it down…if the Yakoun was running thru the turpentine woods of North Mississippi. Can you not love a band that lists the Confederate prison of Andersonville, Aretha Franklin, Buddy Rich, Jeremiah Johnson and the years 1860-1920 as influences? Not to mention Hooker, Blind Willie, and Junior Kimbrough? A two-woman band with crossed swords for a logo and a photo that shows a Farley Mowat book amongst their jumble of important stuff on the back of the album is something worth hunting down. Oh gee... yeah…I said two woman. Got a problem? Skeered? They rock much much harder than you ever will. They do not play at pretty girly songs (‘tho their music is no less womanly than say L7 or Jessie Mae Hemphill) or act like they need to prove a damn thing to the men folk or anyone else. Imagine if you can the raw power of a young Courtney Love, had she listened to more Joplin and John Lee than Patti Smith, backed by early Black Keys or better yet Polly Jean Harvey backed by The Stooges and you might have a very vague idea of the level of thick beautiful heaviness you are in for. But even that sells them short. While the B.K.s understandably and respectably disavow their “blues-ness” The Pack fully embrace the vibe and best of all the sonics of the blues music they love and live. They understand that it’s the feeling you get and give that gets you and that’s what’s important. What they can and will do is get your rump shakin’ , your head bobbin’ and your ears listening hard. They play like they got something in ‘em that needs to come out and it’s gonna come out rough, hard, sexy and deep dark blue and neither you nor this weeks Tyra-fied faux fierce mini skirted cat walkin’ melisma maniacal stiletto shoe stomper is gonna stop them. I’m reminded of the gals who used to come into the bar I worked when I was young that drank Irish Coffee. Oh it’s coffee for fuel alright but the real fuel for those gals was the whiskey. Those were the women I wanted to hang with. The Pack's brilliant 17 track album TiNTYPE is available at CD BABY. Newly signed to a three album deal with Canada’s sooper kool Mint Records they’ll be in yr local record...er..cd bin soon and on the eternal tour winning the hearts and minds of you and their fellow blues insurgents world wide!

THE PACK @ MYSPACE
THE PACK @ CD BABY

STRAY MP3
PAPER BAG MP3
CABiN MP3
BONE HANDLE MP3

PS- Dear Canada, as a former U.S. Northwesterner i've talked a lot of smack about you. I take it all back. I'll try to never say frostback again.
Thanks for The Pack!
Luv ya,
-Rick
PPS- Could y'all do something about Montreal bands? I mean, are they all required to do skits and costume changes? Is it like some kind of Quebecker law? If so I support annexation.

2 comments:

  1. canada Does indeed rock, it just takes some pokin' 'round to find it.

    http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=2025042561

    ReplyDelete
  2. Holy smokes! gameshowacedemy's link leads to a vid by this band:
    http://www.myspace.com/thespeakingtongues

    Check 'em out!
    Thanks!
    -Rick

    ReplyDelete

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