Le Diamant Brut: A Hawk and a Hacksaw & Dans La Lune
What’s the Deal: This Austin group of gritty and dance-inducing rock and rollers with one foot in the past have a fun and uncluttered sound that gets folks all gooey in the hips. They’re a five-man team who play energetic 60s rock with the occasional dance step and guitarists leaning in to the same mic for a chorus. You can expect their debut sometime later in the year, but you might have to wait until mid-July to see them live. However, if you need a fix, you can check out their recent performance on Fox’s Good Day Live Music. For a band that’s relatively green, they do really well.
The song they play on the show, “It Just Ain’t Right,” is a soulful rock and roll tune full of symbol and jangle. The guys dance around a bit wearing suits and smiles during this song about a girl. “Izmer Stinger,” the only song available for listen on their MySpace, is a rollicking tune rounded out with drum rolls and organ.
Something Interesting: The group may not have a CD out, but they do have some pretty nifty cartoons on their MySpace.
Other Tracks Worth Checking Out: “It Just Ain’t Right”
What’s the Deal: Most people are used to bands and musicians moving from other countries to America to jump start their careers, but lately some have been doing the reverse. Bands like Beirut have begun spending time away from the U.S. to draw musical inspiration from other cultures, and it’s definitely working to their benefit bringing in sounds outside the comfort zone. A Hawk and a Hacksaw have taken it one step further and have actually picked up and moved their mostly instrumental Balkan gypsy folk to Budapest. The group, primarily Jeremy Barnes and Heather Trost, make some celebratory and rich, moody sounds that are sure to improve in their time spent around such a rich culture. However, rumor has it now that the band has been playing a regular gig at a Romanian restaurant in London.
“Kiraly Sirat s” and “Zozobra” off their latest album, And The Hun Hangar Ensemble, are invigorating instrumentals which are a breath of fresh air from the many indie bands who try to incorporate this Eastern European sound but ultimately fail. The accordion and violin sound authentic and unpretentious, and they sing vibrantly enough so you never miss the vocals. “In The River” from The Way The Wind Blows feels a little more like a folk tale with a slow, ambling pace with group chants and the sorrowful wine of the violin.
Something Interesting: If you’re planning a trip to London soon, you should hunt down and then spend an evening at that Romanian restaurant. Pictures from one of their performances that surfaced on PRI’s The World make it seem more than a tad more interesting than your average restaurant house band.
Other Tracks Worth Checking Out: “God Bless The Ottoman Empire” and “Oriental Hora”
