Dead Scene Radio
Dead Scene Radio EP
Attraction; 2009
By definition, “bar rock” is best appreciated live, whether in an actual bar filled with in-the-know locals or a decent mid-sized venue filled with fans that know all the words and sing along to every word of every song. It’s a community-building activity put to accessible music that most everyone can enjoy. Such bands bring together some mix of classic rock and country; their lyrics are often of the hard luck variety; and enough space is left in the middle of a three-to-four-minute track for jamming and improvising so as to please the crowd.
Such is the work of Dead Scene Radio. Bringing together sizeable chunks of Tom Petty, Ryan Adams, and The Replacements (those Midwestern rock gods of undying influence), this Michigan band has crafted a promising five-song, self-titled debut EP filled with solid rock vocals, tasty bluesy riffs, and twinges of cow-punk. And in classic bar rock fashion, the music complements songs filled with common woebegone themes: from lost loves and difficult trials faced, to standing up to the status quo and telling off a pissed-off ex-lover. Songs like “I Don’t Owe You A Damn Thing” and “Don’t You Know” ooze with bravado, even while bemoaning a broken heart.
Admittedly, I get that such music is supposed to be just slightly ragged – no one wants his/her bar rock to pristine, pitch-perfect pop songs – but there were times when I wanted to hear the group tighten its arrangements ever so slightly, in order to give itself room to expand any given song live. Nevertheless, the charm here is being able to imagine sitting alone at some bar, downing longnecks and your sorrows, while Dead Scene Radio soothes your troubled soul; with any luck, you’ll start singing along with the music and find a few new friends with whom to commiserate.
