This is not going to be an in depth post on the personal/band history of Gordon Gano. Enough’s been written from that vantage point and I can’t add anything new. I will say though, that if you’re too young to have experienced The Violent Femmes in person than you owe it to yourself to go through their entire catalog.

You’ll be rewarded with nuggets of pure punk rock energy, world music eclecticism, lyricism that is quite unmatched, and musicianship that you simply don’t find with this new batch of fly-by-night blog darlings. Then if you still want more, search down Gordan Gano’s one-off Gospel project called The Mercy Seat (here) and his single solo record. Once you’re done with all that you’ll understand why many wait with baited breath for something new from Gordan Gano.

Well, now we’ve got it in a project called Gordon Gano and the Ryan Brothers. The band is said to have recorded twenty two songs although no release date has been set. They’ve been playing NYC clubs for a bit, but now are scheduled to bring their show on the road with a set at this year’s SXSW. This song, “Wave And Water”, features Gordan’s trademark snarl, as well as a funk driven rhythm section, and a chorus of gospel inspired background vocalists. Lyrically it deals with some of the same themes of death and religion from Hallowed Ground and his gospel project The Mercy Seat.

Wave and Water