Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Ladyhawk

A quick preview I wrote about Ladyhawk, for the Charleston City Paper

The Melting Pot of Ladyhawk

By Andrea Warner

They look and sound like the love children of Neil Young and the Drive-By Truckers, but thrown from the back of a dirty Ford pick-up driven by the Killers. Famous for energetic sold-out shows in their native Canada, Vancouver's Ladyhawk has crossed the border, bringing with them their special brand of unrelenting guitar riffs, crashing cymbals, and a sound that refuses to be corralled into any one category. Southern rock? New classic rock? Indie alternative? It's a smorgasbord of sound, with songs that will keep the feet tapping from the bar to the dance floor and back to the bar again.

Ladyhawk pays proper tribute to some of their forefathers. "Night You're Beautiful" is all pounding drums, but offers a sly throwback to the Velvet Underground's "Walk on the Wild Side." The quieter parts of "Fear" are reminiscent of the Doors, as is the steady drum roll of "War." The sexy bass on "Long 'til the Morning" virtually guarantees vertical hip-to-hip action. And, while it's unlikely the crowd will need any motivation to put their dancing shoes on, the sing-song clap-along "My Old Jacknife" is maybe the happiest song to ever include the line "no one cares about me."

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