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Friday, March 25, 2011

The grass is greener when it's not so blue

By Ron Gonzales
For the Journal
          Whether you'll be hearing Albuquerque band the Porter Draw this weekend for the first time or you're already a die-hard fan, the songs you'll hear in the near future from the Americana/bluegrass collective are like nothing you've ever heard.
        That's because with a new album release looming, the band seems poised to shed all genre tags and expectations that people have had of it, a process that really began some time ago, around the time that drummer Joey Gonzales joined the band.
        "For the record, the Porter Draw is not a bluegrass band," guitarist/vocalist Russell Pyle told the Journal. "We still get lumped in to that category, but one thing (Joey) helped us do is turn into the aggressive country band we are now."
   

The Porter Draw     With Stephanie Hatfield and Hot Mess, Three String Bale and more     WHEN: 9 p.m. Saturday, March 26     WHERE: Launchpad, 618 W. Central     HOW MUCH: $5 at the door

    And maybe "aggressive country" doesn't aptly describe the Porter Draw's sound, though the band definitely is fond of turning up the sizzle on stage.
        The band's new song "The Dirty Trade" pretty much defies all of these categories, and in reality would not be out of place pumping through the speakers of your favorite country music radio station.
        "I have said that we put out this accessible brand of music because there's a sensibility to what we do," Pyle said. "We write songs with hooks. Are they pop? What the heck is pop?"
        Additionally, the song "Athens" from the band's not-yet-titled new album sees the band flex its songwriting muscle even more, and it's yet another tune that sees the Porter Draw turn down its punky nature. Vocalist/guitarist Josh Gingrich takes both the lyrical and vocal lead on the track, and Pyle said that his performances on the track still give him shivers.
        "It's my favorite song on the album," Pyle said. "I think it's the story. The thing that makes a good movie is the story, if it's awesome you forget about the other flaws. Same as a book. I love those songs that take you somewhere."
   

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