One
for the greasers! Skiffle, beat, dirty rock 'n' roll, & hubcap
blues feature on the debut LP by LA's Bloodhounds.
An groovy album that
may came out towards the end of last year was Let Loose by
LA's rock 'n' skifflers The Bloodhounds. With a nose for
stripped-back bluesy rock 'n' roll, honed while busking on the
sidewalks of downtown LA, the band have been helped in the studio by
producer Arthur Alexander (The Poppees, Sorrows). The resulting album
captures that street energy and adds some extra sonic punch.
Anyone lucky enough to
have witnessed their impromptu busking gigs must surely have had a
real treat. You can imagine this band whipping up a storm, on one
hand they're a high octane jug band, on the other a punked up blues
'n' beat outfit. The music is a stripped-back, energetic romp,
fuelled by spirit and enthusiasm more than technical ability, and all
the better for that.
As well as the classic
two guitars, bass and drums set up, The Bloodhounds make the most of
cheap instruments and household objects. Washboards, banjos and
kazoos sit happily in the mix. With a sound roooted in '60s rhythm
and blues there's also a hint of punk. The overall effect is akin to
Joey Ramone fronting The Pretty Things.
The Wolf pays homage to
bluesman Howlin' Wolf, with guitar parts based around Hubert Sumlin's
Spoonful guitar lick. Elsewhere there's echoes of Star Club era
Beatles, Lonnie Donegan, early Stones and the afore-mentioned Pretty
Things.
The band are something
of an anomaly in today's pro-tools era, and go against the grain of
modern polished pop, but those of us in search of the true spirit of
rock 'n' roll will dig it!
The Bloodhounds are -
Aaron “Little Rock”
Piedraita – rhythm guitar/vocals
Johnny Santana –
bass/banjo/harp/vocals
Branden Santos – lead
guitar/harp/vocals
Mark Schafler –
drums/washboard/percussion/harp/kazoo/vocals