Andy Sings! – The Henry Clay People (Buy)
With the music scene becoming an environment for artists to one-up each other on who can be the most bizarre and experimental, it was unbelievably refreshing to experience a night of pure rock and roll at The Mercury Lounge on Saturday night.
The four guys of The Dig launched the late night set with their classic sound. Comparable to The Strokes, their garage rock is simple yet dynamic, complete with persistent bass lines and head-bopping beats. Guitarist David Baldwin and bassist Emile Mosseri collaborate on vocals, each lending distinct flavor to tracks like He’s a Woman and Two Sisters in Love off their 2010 must-have album Electronic Toys.
In similar fashion, The Henry Clay People took the stage with an excitable energy and a plethora of punchy rock. Despite a little bit of amp malfunctioning, the plaid-clad boys came out swinging with undeniably infectious tracks that had the crowd bouncing around, while some of their down tempo jams had lovey dovey couples swaying together like it was the last slow song at the junior prom. Heard most strongly on End of an Empire, a really cool component of their sound is the impressive Jerry Lee Lewis-style piano riffs from keyboardist Jordan Hudock. These guys aren’t the least bit contrived, they are a commendable homage to the rock days of old with a little bit of punk influence thrown in there.
I know it’s only rock and roll but I like it…actually make that, love it!
