Hackensaw Boys "Look Out" (Nettwerk)
By Tim Bugbee
Monday. Jun 25, 3:00 PM
Perfect fit for hosting a Southern-style brunch.

Greasy overalls... a 55 gallon oil drum converted to a BBQ smoker... dirty and beaten pickup trucks in the driveway and/or yard, maybe one up on cinder blocks... a crooked smile and a firm handshake... fill in the musical accompaniment to this set scene. Chances are you'll pick the genre Hackensaw Boys excel at: a mix of country, bluegrass, and otherwise traditional Americana, the sort of easy-going, mandolin- and fiddle-driven music that is always suited to playing on outdoor porches, as long as the two wash tubs can fit (one used as a kick drum, the other fit out with a broom handle and rope as bass). The opener, “Look Out Dog, Slow Down Train,” expertly captures the “grab yr hat and haul ass, Bessie's in danger” mood straightaway; the skittering clatter of the percussion, quickly barked out vocals, and frenetic sawing of the fiddles is a great match for the implied visuals of people running to help a pet in mortal danger of being coming a canine version of a flattened penny. "Radio" has a real nice swing to it: cold Bud in hand and ass in hammock type swing, easy and free, and with a good chorus hook. Hearing this, it's not surprising to learn that Hackensaw Boys have done some work with David Lowery and Johnny Hickman of Cracker; sympatico runs deep. There's also a Modest Mouse connection, as Tom Peloso (aka Pee Paw Hackensaw; he didn't get the coolest nickname of the group, which belongs to The Kooky-eyed Fox [Jimmy Stelling, on banjo and fiddle]) contributes two songs to this disc, and has worked with them in a fuller capacity in the past. For me, this isn't the sort of stuff which would send me into completist frenzy, but if you have a hole in your collection when hosting a Southern-style brunch and you are scrambling for some music, this would be a perfect fit.
www.hackensawboys.com
www.nettwerk.com

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Tim Bugbee

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