Last week I had a work trip up to Penn State University for a few days. It is so close (only three hours by car) that it made more sense for me to drive up than fly. I twiddled with the radio for a while before I finally gave up and popped in a CD. I ended up sticking in one that I haven’t listened to for a while, which Colleen and I picked up after seeing the band live last year. We’d never heard of the opener for the band we went to see, Po’ Girls. Hoots and Hellmouth not only warmed up the crowd but got everyone up on their feet and stomping along. They are an amazing live band. They dropped a board on the floor and stomped, clapped, danced, played and sang ’til the crowd couldn’t help itself. The music is indie rock where you can feel the country/bluegrass/gospel roots right under your feet. The shows are tent revivals for rockers.
The ride into the foothills of their home state on a clear fall day was a perfect way to sink into the music. I ended up putting the disc on repeat and listened to it for two hours straight. I did the same thing going home through a foggy, misty night drive. My favorites shift around but after that Pennsylvania trip, my top song is “The Good I Know You Know” but I can’t help but listen and sing along to all of them. The stompers, like “Home For Supper” and “This Hand Is A Mighty Hand,” made me drive faster but you have no sense of the real impact unless you see them live. Really, if they are near you, you just need to go. I couldn’t find much in the way of reviews on the web, so you’re just gonna have to trust me on this one.
RockTreeSky 