Kasey Anderson and the Honkies – Mercy
Ian had a great post a little while ago about the changing face (for better or worse) of rock n roll. I’d like to present, humbly, some evidence that the old school stuff is alive and kicking. I don’t mean a museum-piece classic rock band, but they do have that Lynyrd Skynyrd type of southern swagger that you never hear any more. At least, you wouldn’t expect to hear it in Portland, OR, which this band calls home.
This song is by far their most timeless. It’s immediate and catchy (without straying into shameless-Tom-Petty-hook territory), and the musicianship oozes through every lick. Everything you’d expect from a big rock and roll band. Turn them up loud enough and you can envision their line of signature guitars, and signed shirts up at Hard Rock Cafe.
If there’s one thing I could point to that plants them squarely in this century, it’d be Kasey himself. Instead of writing in a 70s macho rock idiom, he conveys a vulnerability in his vocals and lyrics that would sound out of place on classic rock radio. I’d rather see them on tour with Ryan Adams or Counting Crows than with, say, an aging Rolling Stones. Check them out at kaseyanderson.com.
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