I know it’s a little late for a SXSW recap. But there was one group that surprised me with their maturity, their fun-loving, rough-around-the-edges, old school rock n roll and quite simply their joie de vivre. The band comes from LA and should be burnt out and dehumanized by that city by now, but the impression I got from their showcase at the Mohawk was of a band on the rise that could fill (or at least borrow) the shoes of The Replacements or The Ramones.
The band I’m referring to is the Henry Clay People from the Aquarium Drunkard spinoff label Autumn Tone. I have a bad habit of writing off a lot of bands that get too much attention from the blogs or from the press. and fortunately for Justin at AD this has been the case for several of his Autumn Tone groups. But to ignore the energy, humility and songcraft that the Henry Clay People displayed at SXSW would be a sin. I asked Justin if he could swing a couple of unreleased songs from the band since a quick search of Elbo.ws or Hype Machine will bring up the blog hits from the bands first record. He complied and sent these two live demos of songs that will appear on the upcoming record. They capture the raw energy of the band, as well as show how they’re honing a unique roots rock sound.
I Was Half Asleep
End Of An Empire
Bonus:
Something In The Water
Working Part Time (the band’s theme song of sorts)
Tags: Henry Clay People