The Punknecks - Gunnison Brewery, Gunnison CO - May 9, 2014


[Nashville, TN] I was enthused about this show solely on the basis of their poster – they’ve got a look – or more to the point, they’ve got a look that isn’t seen around the likes of here: rockabilly/street punk. I’m sad to report I really really did not like them. There was just nothing pleasant about their music – and I know that’s kind of their point – the guy has tattoos from his scalp to his toenails and clearly wasn’t looking to butter us up. But they’re cowpunk and I kept expecting something more like The Tombstones. But it was mostly abrasive and irritating. The girl was slapping on a single low-grade drum. The guy’s voice wasn’t great. They were working hard to put on a live show but everything was more gimmick than quality. I just kept thinking they’re the sort of band you’d really like if you passed them playing a corner on Bourbon Street or something. Truth be told, I was way too tired to be out – and this venue’s sound system may not have been up to snuff for a band like them. The girl was a knockout and could really sing. They’re actually a married couple touring in a cute little silver trailer. They were great to the crowd, mingling before and after the show… But to get back to being a snobby jerk, I don’t like their name. Jokes about poor white people are only slightly less ech to me than jokes about poor black people. I was distracted by the braids on the side of the girl’s head which really mucked up her ‘look.’ The guy disappeared for half of the set, leaving the girl alone to do covers that weren’t necessarily bad [“In the Pines (Where Did You Sleep Last Night?)” and “Wagonwheel” (all right, I take back the not bad – if I hear Wagonwheel one more time in this town, I will stab myself in the neck with a fork)] but did seal the fact that they don’t have a band identity. I drifted outside mid-set – I returned for the end of the set and most everybody else had drifted off – I couldn’t blame them. Thanks to ElPrimoHaole for tracking the covers for me and recommending the best of their recorded stuff.

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