Working-class rock—and that’s the bell the Yawpers ring again and again on American Man (Bloodshot)—has gone through a lot of permutations through the decades. This music is all over the map, stylistically; “Doing It Right” skews to amped-up speedway boogie, while the title cut and “Beale Street” bring more country trappings, though it’s a revved up country that would be totally alien to CMT. And there are left-field moments like “Kiss It” that go full-on dirty blooze hard rock. For all that variety, the music works well on its own merits. The Yawpers—singer/guitarist Nate Cook, guitarist Jesse Parmet and drummer Noah Shomberg—will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week.
Cook: Considering our music community is so isolated from the rest of the country, it makes sense to use this opportunity to share a bit of it. Denver has a long history of rock ‘n’ roll, punk and metal music coursing through its veins. However, in recent years, a lot of our breakout artists have come more from the indie-folk, flat pop side of things, with some notable exceptions (see Nathaniel Rateliff/Night Sweats). We do still have a thriving rock ‘n’ roll scene, replete with frenetic live shows, rabid fans and artists starting to break nationally. Case in point:
In The Whale is one of our local scene’s biggest acts, and definitely one of its best. Total violence incarnate. A mixture of Burnside riffs, Cowboys From Hell distortion and massive drums that recall Drive Like Jehu’s Yank Crime. Enough has been written about big-sound two-pieces, and frankly, who gives a shit how many members a band has, but it should be noted that they do everything they do with a limited set of tools: drums and guitar. They’re resume also should speak for itself, having done tours with: Jane’s Addiction, the Toadies, the Darkness, Presidents Of The United States Of America, etc. If you get a chance to see them, and with their outrageously rigorous touring schedule you will, do it. Don’t be a dick.
Video after the jump.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwLHojDhhlc
