Grab a bowl. Place a few New Yorkers in the bowl. Give one of them an almost Dwight Yoakam-like vocal. Mix in a little jingle, a dash of jangle. Throw in a few nods to the glory of 70′s Southern-Rock while folding in some serious Country sensibility that retains a sense of humor and you just might cook up something similar to Brooklyn’s The Weight.
Drawing the obvious comparisons to Tom Petty and even the Drive by Truckers will often paint a band into corners that will limit the imaginations of most listeners. Thankfully, Are Men (Tee Pee Records) is a solid LP that uses the clear influences to guide them without ripping off the bands who have perhaps blazed the trail they are currently traveling. Clean, raw rhythm guitar strums gently through “Talkin’” before a nice and fuzzy lead takes over. “Johnny’s Song” and “Sunday Driver” are two great examples of songs that have what many bands who claim to be “Southern-Fried” have forgotten to include in their work in recent years, soul. Kicking it up from the slower, melodic vibe is “Had it Made”, an ode to BTO with its retro-fitted intro that wastes no time in both rocking and rolling. Are Men is able to cohesively display multiple sonic-styles without ever coming off as a musical Jekyll & Hyde.
I have long held a fascination for bands and albums that seem to transcend simple geography and remind listeners that music has it own longitude and latitude. While it’s unfair to suggest that The Weight contains more Dixie swagger than Mike Cooley or Patterson Hood, the case is made here that Southern Rock doesn’t always have to be Southern. Similar to last year’s Rattlin’ Bones, by Australian couple Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson, where the group from Down-Under gave us a lesson in what true American Roots music should feel like, we get a lesson Southern Cooking from one of the five boroughs.
Check out songs from Are Men on The Weight’s Myspace page.
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