Fusing the best attributes of punk rock and country music isn’t a new idea - hell, it’s one of the most influential concepts of the past forty years in terms of indie output on the American side of the Atlantic. From alternative country to the more abrasive cowpunk, this hybrid is something a lot of us have come to know and love through the years, but when Jesse & The Hogg Brothers present us with their rendition of the genre’s storied unsophistication in the new album Get Hammered, I can’t say that I feel like I’m listening to something old school nor derivative of a classic sound. Get Hammered has its aesthetical feet planted in the 21st century, but undeniably sports as much of an angry punch as any of its genre predecessors did.
“Texas Hammer”/“The Hammer,” “Hogg Tail Twist” and “She’s Done Gone to the Gittin’ Place” are shaped entirely by attitude over anything instrumental, which isn’t to say that they’re somehow lacking in compositional depth at all. On the contrary, I think the powerhouse energy these tracks produce speaks more to the intensity of the passion Hesse & The Hogg Brothers are putting into their sound, specifically when the grit of the electric element in their music is allowed to run freely. Unchecked by the master mix but ultimately balanced by the bucolic sensibilities of “Love Buckets,” “Onion Ring,” “Black & Blue,” and the like, the punkier tunes on Get Hammered never overshadow their Americana-tinged counterparts for a second.
“Santa’s Got a Bag of Coal,” “America,” the similarly retro “Biker Ann,” and “Cream Gravy” are supported by tremendous instrumental physicality, but I think it’s worth noting that none of this material utilizes size as a centerpiece - nor as a specific means of communication when it comes to setting up a narrative. Unlike some of the dirtier cowpunks to have come before them, Jesse & The Hogg Brothers flirt more openly with the conventionality of pop songcraft than they ever do the rough cosmetics of alternative rock, which doesn’t minimize their aggression - ironically enough, it accentuates it in a way few will expect when they hear it for the first time. I’m impressed with the technique in this piece, and I doubt I’m going to be the only critic who says as much.
Lyrically and sonically provocative but still living well within the creative means of the band behind its design, Get Hammered is an album I can highly recommend to punk and country fans alike who are in the mood for something that goes one shot over the limit every chance it gets. Jesse & The Hogg Brothers enjoy quite the indie profile right now, but considering the buzz a record like this is likely to generate among the college radio crowd, I’m hoping they won’t sacrifice any of the organic qualities in their sound just to appease the masses. Something about the ethic driving this piece home tells me I have nothing to worry about, and once you check out Get Hammered, I believe you’ll understand what I’m talking about.
Heather Savage