KASEY ANDERSON & THE HONKIES’ DAYTROTTER SESSION GOES LIVE, IPHONE APP IS LAUNCHED, AND BAND RELEASES MUSIC VIDEO FOR ALBUM’S FIRST SINGLE, “THE WRONG LIGHT”
Seattle and Portland-based Kasey Anderson & The Honkies have a lot going on. The band has just released their debut full-length, “Heart of a Dog” (Red River Records), and with the album’s release are releasing the music video for the album’s first single, “The Wrong Light.”
Furthermore, the band is announcing their SxSW touring plans and releasing an iPhone app.
The band’s Daytrotter session has been recently released, too.
Daytrotter session: http://www.daytrotter.com/dt/kasey-anderson-concert/20032242-37382272.html
TOUR DATES:
3/06/11 – The Woods (solo) – Portland, OR
3/07/11 – Tractor Tavern (solo, Townes Van Zandt Tribute night) – Seattle, WA
3/14/11 – Dan¹s Silver Leaf (solo) – Denton, TX
3/18/11 – Zax (Stag’s Rock & Roll Circus, noon) – Austin, TX
3/18/11 – Double Down Lounge (Ninebullets Day Party, 3pm) – Austin, TX
3/19/11 – Rusty Spurs (Smoke & Sand Showcase, TBD) – Austin, TX
3/19/11 – Revolution Bar (Ninebullets Day Party II, 5pm) – Austin, TX
3/29/11 – Music Millennium (in-store, 6pm) – Portland, OR
3/29/11 – Doug Fir w/ Ha Ha Tonka – Portland, OR
3/30/11 – Tractor Tavern w/ Ha Ha Tonka – Seattle, WA
4/01/11 – Wild Buffalo w/ Rocky Votolato – Bellingham, WA
Comprised of Kasey Anderson (vocals, guitar, percussion), Andrew KcKeag (guitar, vocals), Eric Corson (bass), and Mike Musburger (drums), Kasey Anderson & The Honkies bring a wealth of a “who’s who” of Northwest rock to their latest offering. McKeag has spent time in Presidents of the United States of America and The Long Witers, Corson in The Long Winters and, of course, Musburger from The Fastbacks, Young Fresh Fellows, The Posies, The Supersuckers, and countless other cult Seattle power-pop and indie-rock bands.
“Heart of a Dog,” which was produced by Kasey Anderson and The Honkies and Jordan Richter features guest appearances by The Decemberists’ Jenny Conlee (accordion), Richmond Fontaine’s Dave Harding (bass), and several other friends and fellow NW musicians.
With all this going for it, it is no surprise that “Heart of a Dog” has allowed Anderson to move beyond the “roots-rock” or “alt. country” tags he’s previously been welcomed with, and make the rock record he’s envisioned for quite some time.
³I was tired of playing solo shows and I was even more tired of the words Œroots rock,¹² Anderson says by way of explanation. ³I just wanted to make a rock ‘n’ roll record.²
Comprised of ten tracks that cannot be mistaken for anything other than rock ‘n’ roll, from the sinister riff of the album¹s opening track, ³The Wrong Light,² to the barroom piano of the plaintive closer, ³For Anyone,² “Heart of a Dog” captures an energy that Anderson insists can come only when ³everybody¹s in the same room, at the same time.²
To further ensure that each song carried its own immediacy, Anderson who made his first foray into the producer¹s chair on “Heart of a Dog” refused to play guitar while tracking with his band. ³The natural tendency of any Œbacking band¹ is to follow the lead of the guy who wrote the songs, especially when he¹s got a guitar,² Anderson says. ³I wanted to let the band dictate the groves.”
McKeag, a veteran of the Seattle music scene for nearly two decades (with service in The Supersuckers, The Long Winters, and Presidents of the USA to his credit), handles the responsibility ably, filling “Heart of a Dog” with an impressive array of guitar work, from the Stonesy swagger of ³Mercy² to the bluesy, Waitsian stomp of ³Revisionist History Blues.² Even the album¹s more somber material ³Your Side of Town² and ³My Blues, My Love² feature sprawling, atmospheric guitar. “Heart of a Dog” bears the same beautifully literate lyricism that has become a hallmark of Anderson¹s work but, in allowing room for McKeag and The Honkies to shine, Anderson has opened up sonic possibilities left unexplored on his previous albums.
Once the band had finished tracking, Anderson invited friends by the studio to, as he says, ³play whatever they wanted so long as it was interesting.² Ralph Huntley (Richmond Fontaine), Jenny Conlee (The Decemberists), Garth Klippert (Old Light), Lewi Longmire (Blue Giant), and David Lipkind (I Can Lick Any SOB in the House) all dropped in, leaving Anderson with ³more good noise than [he] knew what to do with.²
As Anderson and co-producer/engineer Jordan Richter sorted through all of the ³good noise,² they found one very interesting common thread: laughter. ³There was somebody laughing at the end of every take, no matter how good or bad,² Anderson says. ³Not nervous or embarrassed laughter. Excited laughter; people having fun. We left some of it in. If people listen to this record as loud as I want them to, they¹ll hear it.²
PRESS QUOTES:
³8/10 Anderson rallies the insurgent spirit of Westerberg, Adams, Chilton and other hard-bitten rabble-rousers whose common muse is the grit and glory of rock Œn¹ roll.² – BLURT
³Broodingly thoughtful and chock-full of swagger.² – AMERICAN NOISE
³Anderson seems as if he has access to the whispers and the weariness that old bodies might have uttered or gone through, in that order, for the songs that he writes are caked in the astute observations of a person who¹s seen or is in the midst of seeing endless days.² – DAYTROTTER
³Barn-burners of epic proportions; Anderson¹s songs overflow with an intensity that is enthralling.² – TWANGVILLE
³[Heart of a Dog] is a 44-minute powerhouse of pure rock ¹n¹ roll that swaggers like the late-¹70s Rolling Stones.² – CAMPUS CIRCLE
³A fascinating record.² – THE OREGONIAN
³Whether he¹s whooping it up with macho rock n¹ roll bravado, collapsing into the arms of a lover or challenging the ghosts of country music¹s past we find Anderson standing on top. Heart of a Dog showcases Anderson¹s uncanny ability to light up the imagination of listeners. That¹s why Heart of A Dog is already one of our favorites.² – RYAN¹S SMASHING LIFE
³Essential listening.² – NINEBULLETS
³This album carries the heaviness and swagger of classic rock, just modernized. Heart of a Dog is accessible but in no way soft, and it is sure to speak to your innate rebellious rocker.² – SPUTNIK MUSIC
³One of the most interesting, dynamic records I¹ve heard in a long timeŠ the thing that makes [Anderson] unique is that he knows when to pull back and do something special.² – KATIE DARBY RECOMMENDS
³Anderson has made a Rock & Roll record, and he aims to let you know it right off the bat.² – A FIFTY CENT LIGHTER
³[Heart of a Dog] has at once a damaged-yet-triumphant feel. It blends into a satisfying mix of classic storytelling, fundamental American musical style, and modern production.² – REVIEWSIC
³Heart of a Dog is an old-fashioned album with dirt on its knees; it¹s one of the better pure rock Œn¹ roll records I¹ve heard in the past year.² – THE MISSOULA INDEPENDENT
³Ten songs greased up that may make you yearn for years past or maybe just let the group¹s electrified roots rock give you something new to show those friends of yours who will tell you no important music has been released since 1979.² – SONIC DISSONANCE
³An ambitious album; twangy, bluesy rock with compelling and edgy lyrics.² – MORE COWBELLE
³Stonesy, crunchy self-made strut and downtime reflection; there¹s some fresh blood pumping throughout Heart of a Dog² – PARASITES AND SYCOPHANTS
³If there are any filmmakers out there, looking to soundtrack a scene where an obscenely hot woman is walking through a dark underground bar, full of tough looking bikers, all of whom stare as she struts in, with the camera tracking up her long legs to her head, look no further.² – 411 MANIA
³Heart of a Dog is a complete, versatile and impressive album.² – INNER EAR MEDIA
³Anderson and company show a sharp sense of humor.² – SNOB¹S MUSIC
³A band that can sizzle and groove.² – BMF
³A head-knocker; Anderson sweats out verses over the top of a fuzzed out Stratocaster.² – OREGON MUSIC NEWS
³Heart of a Dog makes you think you¹ve just stumbled into some roadhouse where a band of rockers on the stage are about to turn the place upside down.² – VILLAGE RECORDS
³All the Stones¹ grittiness and that intimate Northwest sound.² – CELEBRITY CAFE
³The next time I¹m in the mood to hear authentic, no-frills rock¹n’roll, I just might turn to Heart of a Dog instead of Gaslight Anthem, Green On Red, or Lucero.² – THERE STANDS THE GLASS
³Kasey Anderson and The Honkies are a band filled to the brim with talent.² – ALTSOUNDS