The lines between roots and rock have always been blurry at best. When you get right down to the meat and bone, rock ‘n’ roll is just amped-up hillbilly music. Austin quartet These Mad Dogs of Glory proudly live in the frontier land between the two. They’re rootsy as hell, with plenty of rock ‘n’ roll grit.
We here at KUT are big fans of These Mad Dogs of Glory. The band’s sophomore EP (released this past summer), Sweet Appalachia, ended up on two of our year-end, top-ten lists (Check out Laurie Gallardo’s and David Brown’s for more great stuff). They made the record at local it-producer Erik Wofford’s (who’s worked with Explosions In The Sky, White Denim and The Black Angels) Cacophony Studios. The five-song EP features the epic two-song opener “Appalachian Funk” Parts 1 and 2 (which you catch a killer live version of care of The Good Music Club), and today’s song of the day, “Veils.”
The tune has an easy-swinging, mid-tempo country rhythm, and plenty of warmth and twang courtesy of some lovely pedal steel. It’s also a dark tune, about a road-weary traveler making his way from state to state with little but the hum of the asphalt to keep him company. It’s an oft-attempted, but still very welcome, rock and country idea, and These Mad Dogs of Glory tackle it with heart, and an honesty that comes only from experience. The band sounds loose, and the vocals inject plenty of whiskey-soaked pathos to the tune.
You can catch These Mad Dogs of Glory for yourself Thursday night at Lambert’s.
These Mad Dogs of Glory: “Veils” << Download [audio:https://kutx.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/sotd-121212-These-Mad-Dogs-of-Glory-Veils.mp3]
