The Blind Owl Band

Skeezy Patty

2017-11-16

The Owls are part of an ongoing retrolution seeking to reinstill folk music with grit. Four kids from upstate New York grew out moonshiner beards and learned to wail on the axes of their grandpappies. “Skeezy Patty” is powered solely by acoustic strings except for the single appearance of a banjo that sounds like it's plugged into the bottom of an electic beer bottle. The Blind Owl Band's third album is named for their tour van, who indeed looks like she's cruised through her fair share of ruts. The music is old-fashioned but thankfully unrefined, sometimes even verging on a jerky ride. While here are times when the overall sound gets monotonous and the threat of the electric chair is pretty quaint in 2017, the band's self-described freight-train energy and lines like “I'd climb the highest mountain just to bring the lightning down” carry the album through. Pros: grime, gutbucket. Cons: some tracks drag on. Primest cuts: “Electric Chair” “Weathered Friend” “The Gates”

review by Kollen

More reviews tagged #Folk

  • reviewed 09/2006

    The Be Good Tanyas
    Hello Love

  • reviewed 02/2012

    HONOR FINNEGAN
    The Tiny Life

  • reviewed 11/2016

    Brett Martin Hoerner
    Somewhere in Sonoma

  • reviewed 12/2006

    LACH
    Blang!

  • reviewed 03/2012

    AZTEC TWO-STEP
    Cause & Effect

  • reviewed 03/2008

    Detour
    Detour

Compiled by the WYCE Journalism Club

The opinions expressed in these reviews are those of the individual volunteers that submitted the article and do not necessarily reflect the views of WYCE or GRCMC; nor its staff, donors, or affiliates.