Rocks like: Joe Strummer, Denison Witmer, and Bob Dylan
Dustin on Myspace | DustinKensrue.com | Please Come Home on ITunes

Like many punk rock warlords before him, Dustin Kensrue, the lead singer and lyricist of the prolific punk/rock/hardcore/alternative act Thrice, decided to strip it all down and lay it on the line in 2007 with Please Come Home, his solo debut. The tradition of punks paying homage to folk, blues, and country roots has produced some really solid results in the past decade. Bad Religion’s Greg Graffin further developed his spiritual side through his Jesus Movement-esque protest folk on Cold as the Clay. Mike Ness explored his love for old time country music including covers of Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, and Merle Haggard, as well as honky tonk versions of Social D songs, during his break from Social Distortion. Mike Park, of seminal ska-punk act Skankin’ Pickle, has spent most of his post-Pickle days play folky acoustic punk in kids’ backyards and living rooms. Now, joining these ranks, Dustin channels the spirit and strength of a young David Gray while playing his own brand Amerciana folk music. …more… »

Rocks like: The Promise Ring, Ryan Adams, and Wilco
Sleepercar on Myspace | Sleepercar.com | Download West Texas on ITunes

Only steers and queers come from Texas (at least that is what I was taught by Full Metal Jacket), but it seems that good independent label pop rock may also be attributed to the state where the Alamo and Nolan Ryan really mean something. West Texas, the debut release by Jim Ward’s newest indie rock outfit, displays a phenomenal mix many genres and elements.

Prior to listening to this album, my most recent experience with Jim Ward was his solo EP, Quiet. The EP was mundane and unimpressive, as far as I was concerned. I was on a kick where I reviewed music without doing any research into the band or any of the members in order to make a judgment on the music alone. This practice was brief and I returned to my typical business of researching the band before taking in the music. At that time, I listened to the Jim Ward EP and shrugged him off as a generic singer-songwriter that showed some hints of promise but never delivered. This go around, I read up on Ward and realized that he had indeed put out some great music in his past musical life as a member of the seminal post-punk outfit At the Drive In, so I figured giving him another shot would only be fair (as ATDI’s Relationship of Command is easily one of my top 10 albums of all-time). …more… »