Ladyhawk - Ladyhawk

I figure it's about time I get out of all the oldies I've been writing about lately.  Ladyhawk's first album isn't exactly new (it came out in 2006), but this is their first album and they have since released some more, including one late last year (2012).  So these guys are still relatively new.  I first found out about them when I was shopping at Music Saves one day.  They know me pretty well and know that when push comes to shove, I kinda like a couple of loud electric guitars, some bashing drums and a guy to yell over top of it all.  So one of the owners says, "Hey!  Have you heard Ladyhawk?"

"Uh, no.  I don't think so.  Should I?" says I.

Kevin already has a copy in his hand and says, "Yeah, I think you need this.  These guys are obviously big fans of their parents' Classic Rock albums, and they just mix their own Indie thing into it.  I think you'll really love it."

So I just bought it, and I don't remember what else I bought that day.  But I'll tell ya what - the Internet will never know you as well as your favorite record store.  If you don't have one, GET ONE.  Get one and even if it's far, or they charge a dollar or two a record more than the Internet, buy your records from them.  I drive past some great stores (that I also stop in from time to time)  to get to Music Saves, and I keep going back because they special order things for me, and they carry a lot of things I like.  They carry a lot of things I don't like, too.  Because a record store that carried only what I like would go out of business real fast.  Whatever I paid over the cheapest Internet sites in 2006 at Music Saves was worth every cent because they told me who Ladyhawk was.  These guys are easily one of my favorite bands ever.  I wouldn't have ever heard them if I didn't shop at Music Saves.

I like these guys because they're kind of ramshackle, and like The Replacements, the lyrics aren't a constant revelation, but there's some good lines here and there.  The Dugout is lyrically probably the best as a complete song, but I really like the way Duffy Dreidiger sings the line, I saw your dark eyes shine like a city skyline, then I just sat there alone till I waked up and walked home.  I know, it's pretty teenage stuff, but it presses buttons that need to get pressed or you get real old, real fast.  I like that they're singing about getting too hammered, being insecure and singing to ashtrays and empty bottles.  I love the line in Came in Brave where Duffy sings, I know this song is about you, and I'd say it to your face but I got no guts.  That's one that you don't have to be a teenager to understand.

I got to see these guys.  I think it was one of the shows of the last ten years I was most excited to see, and they were really great, but there were only a handful of people there.  You should start liking them and buy their records and go to their shows.