Nearly 2 years ago, I attended CMW with the old TibConcerts crew. That festival was during an interesting (read: unemployed) time in my life and became the foundations of more than a few hilarious stories which you can read about here. On a night at the Legendary 'shoe, I saw a band play just after the good ol' boys in Hollerado. That band's name was Arkells. It's funny to think that less than 2 years later, this band has ballooned into a huge success with a recent release, Jackson Square, on Dine Alone Records.
At the time, not knowing much about Arkells, I didn't have too much to say. I knew a solid rock band when I heard one, however nothing lept out at me. They had a strong, blues/classic rock feel, and were the kind of band which I could probably listen to with my father. To be honest, two years later, not a lot has changed, however I appreciate this band much more. While buying a CD for a Christmas gift this week, I may or may not have decided to also treat myself to a new album. The gift was part of the 2/$25 deal, so really, I would have been stupid not to get myself the Arkells release.
When I brought it home, the CD sounded a great deal like what I recall from CMW years back, however I found myself digging the tunes like never before. Songs ranged from something sounding like The Trews, to something which could have been equally written by Neil Young. Start to finish, this album was a joy to listen to and I'm glad that, on a complete whim and vague memory of a fantastic night, I decided to pick it up.
I don't know what changed, but whatever it was... it was a good thing.
Lastly, I head out west to catch up with family for the holidays this Sunday. In keeping with tradition, this will mark the beginning of Evil Shananigans's annual Shanies; my completely biased, totally unprofessional, often bribed, unquestionably compromised awards for 2009. The Shanies will appear daily from Dec. 20-29 and feature awards for noteworthy bands, songs, albums and moments from the past year.
-Don't asked who's changed when you can't remember what's the same