The Chicken Hawks - Hard Hitting Songs For Hard Hit People

Chronology has never been my strong point and as years go by, I lose track of any linear timeline, but considering that this CD was released in 2001, I assume that we met and started gigging with Sioux City Iowa's Chicken Hawks in the late 90's/early 2000's and became friends with cool cat'n'kitten leaders of the pack, Pete'n'Betsy. Pete's hip/trashy/cool guitar stylings backed up scantily clad Betsy's powerful vocals with a revolving rhythm section (even this CD has two different sets of bass'n'drums) on blues/punk /garage songs of Iowa desperation.

Starting out with "Rollin' and Tumblin'", a Link Wray-ish take on the blues classic with some added swirling keyboards and biting slide guitar which appropriately goes into "101 Blues" that highlights more of Pete's slippery slide in this ode to Hollywood and its charms, followed by the punkier "Darksider" and the frantic frenzy of "Punch Up". For "Honky Tonk Girls" they add some pertinent honky tonk piano behind this bit of r'n'r, sing-along swagger, "Lime Ricky" is more bratty punk rock with hip "oh yeahs" answering Betsy's sassy vocals, the auto-biographical "Should Have Stayed Home (And Did LSD)" is a bit more garagey with more slithering slide guitar work, while "Texas Plain" is practically Stones-y, they do a group sing-along for "Sing Sing Prison Blues". and get pretty hilarious is the fast-paced "Ain't Got a Tan" and go full-throttled punk-blues for the fiery finale "Pearl". (There's a secret bonus track reprising "Rollin' and Tumblin'" with male (Pete?) vocals for those who don't turn off their set right away!)

Pretty freakin' great set of tunes from these hip folks from the unlikely Iowan flatlands. Fun memories from a better time, thanks to RAFR Records!