Bedtime.
Tired people with jaded ears whine that rock'n'roll has run its course. I know a guy who claims that nothing fresh has come along in 25 years. He's unimpressed with my enthusiasm for acts like Wilco, the Flaming Lips and Prince.
I might hit him with The Lonely H. They're not a great band- not yet anyway. What makes The Lonely H so vital is that they represent a new era of blissful ignorance that allows them a musical freedom unavailable to previous generations. The five Seattle-area teenagers know nothing about the context or associations older musicians and fans had made with decades of songs and bands. These kids don't grasp that combining the pomp of Yes and the isolated edginess of Television- as they do on "Say Your Prayers"- breaks several fundamental rules of rock. They don't stop there- The Lonely H mixes and matches elements of CCR, Arctic Monkeys, Roxy Music and Weezer.
Their highly entertaining second album, Hair, is released Tuesday, July 24. In addition to offering insights into the album title, the excellent video of "For Barbara" shows that these fresh-faced pups know not what they do- and the future rock'n'roll is all the better for it.
Kansas City and Lawrence-area readers have four chances to catch Lonely H this week. They have an instore at Kief's Records before playing the Replay on Wednesday. And on Thursday, the band entertains at Zebedee's before a show at the Hurricane.
---
These guys played a party I attended Saturday night. I couldn't resist thumbing through the "cheat book" on the stage's music stand while they took a break. One of the pages had lyrics and chord changes for the Ramones' "Beat On the Brat." I'm still laughing.
---
Kansas City Click: The Abel Ramirez Big Band has a weekly Tuesday gig at Tony's, 8621 Quivira.
No comments:
Post a Comment