DOWNLOAD: Horns to the Matador - We Own This Town, Johnny!

Having broken up in late 2000, members of the Wheeling rock outfit went on to play in the likes of The Minus Tide and Mr. Fancy Pants. In their short-lived existence, HTTM had (according to the band's bio) "perfected the big-guitar emo-rock sound that earlier Wheeling bands had reached toward, drawing on the work of modern indie-rock bands such as Elliott and Piebald and rock favorties such as Journey to create a sound that mixed the 'classic' sounds of 80s rock giants with the fresh modern rock heroes of the emo genre."

HTTM does in fact combine the exuberant emo energy of Elliott with the discordant side of early Piebald. The band also combined with the technical, stop-and-go preciseness of Don Caballero, which is present in The Minus Tide sci-fi metal style. While Sean Decker's reverb-heavy vocals reminiscent of a poppier My Morning Jacket is at the front of the band's sound, it is Nate Musser's creativity and skill on bass and Dave Klug's drumming that punch the band forward in each song. In fact, it was Musser's departure from the band to attend Berklee College of Music that attributed to HTTM breaking up, but not before recording this 7-song EP in 2000. And though the members went on to create great music with other projects, We Own This Town, Johnny! remains one of my favorite albums from a West Virginia band.

Artist: Horns to the Matador

Album: We Own this Town, Johnny!

Year: 2000

For Fans Of: Elliott, Piebald, Don Caballero

DOWNLOAD: Horns to the Matador - We Own this Town, Johnny!

LISTEN: Austin Lucas - Hollywood

Austin Lucas first came to my attention in early 2007 when he was featured on the track "Hold My Bed" from Chuck Ragan's Blueprint Sessions demo compilation. I sought out Austin's solo material via MySpace. It was there that I discovered at the time he was living in Prague, but originally from Bloomington, Indiana. He had previously been in grind punk bands Rune and Twentythird Chapter, but was now returning to his roots playing country/folk.

In an exhausting list of punk-turned-country singer-songwriters like Ragan, Tim Barry, Ben Nichols or Drag the River, Austin Lucas sets himself apart with a more traditional approach and a truly gifted voice. Influenced by his musical father Robert Lucas, Austin spent six years of his youth with the Indiana University Children's Choir and performing in operas and classical choral pieces. While the appeal of the likes of Ragan and Barry is the gritty punk rock undertone to their solo material, the conventional roots style of Lucas's songs may be a turn off. For me, the sincerity is the appeal. His songs are tender and reflective tales about situations and characters to which we can all relate, played with an simple but passionate honesty in his voice and his guitar playing backed by subtle instrumentation from a banjo, stand-up bass, or violin. When I saw Lucas play in Austin, Texas, in late 2007 in a bar with less than 12 people in attendance, I was simply blown away.

On this one track, "Hollywood," Austin Lucas introduces us to the horrors of combat through the experience of a "broad shouldered West Virginia boy" and how they compare to the movie industry's representation of war. The song comes from Lucas's 2007 album Putting the Hammer Down. Great track. Great musician. Check him out.

LISTEN: Austin Lucas - Hollywood

WATCH: Converge at Krazy Fest 2001

Converge is an all right band, but they are not the reason I am posting this video. The reason this video of a performance from the 2001 Krazy Fest in Louisville, Kentucky, is on here is because of the confused young lad wearing a flipped-bill hat at the bottom left of the screen. Yeah, that's the then 20-year-old author of this blog along with my good friend Eric (with a shaved head nonetheless) watching one of his then-favorite bands.

I first attended Krazy Fest, hosted by Louisville-based Initial Records, in its second year in 1999 to see bands like Braid, Snapcase, Silent Majority, Elliot and Sick of It All. I returned the next two years to catch the likes of One King Down and Grade in 2000, and best of all Hot Water Music, Avail, Alkaline Trio, and Planes Mistaken For Stars in 2001. The festival was always a fun weekend with friends, many of which continued to attend until the event's final year in 2003.

After an eight-year hiatu, it was announced that Krazy Fest would be back this May. I'm sure many of my old hardcore/punk scene friends are quite excited, and I too think it has the potential to be a good time - hoping that it serves as a reunion of sorts for bands of the late '90s early '00s-era Louisville. So far on the bill are some bands I'd be excited to see: Samiam, By the Grace of God, Bouncing Souls, Chamberlain; and bands I'm not excited about: Bane, Anti-Flag. I only hope to see on the bill old Louisville or Initial bands like Elliot (maybe even Falling Forward), Slint, Rodan, Enkindel, Silent Majority or The National Acrobat. It is not likely I will, but one can hope. Nevertheless, I enjoy this random documentation of my embarrassing young.

DOWNLOAD: The Dick Brothers - The Dick Brothers

In their own words: "The Dick Brothers is a collaboration betwixt two native West Virginian singer-songwriter brothers, Michael Iafrate (The Minus Tide, M Iafrate & The Priesthood) and Andrew Iafrate. Powerful artists in their own right, the Iafrates, under this charming moniker, have made numerous live appearances on conventional stages and at Christmas party sing-alongs. Before migrating to homes away from their Appalachian birthplace in the summer of 2006, The Dick Brothers teamed up for a whiskey-soaked recording session which resulted in a 10-track record. The self-titled album was recorded in three hours time to one track through one microphone in a basement in [the brothers' hometown of] Parkersburg, and is made up of four original instrumentals and six bluegrassy/ol’ timey cover songs penned by the likes of Hazel Dickens, The Stanley Brothers, and Gillian Welch. The result is a beautiful tribute to the brothers' home state, 'the nearest thing to heaven that they know.' "

Artist: The Dick Brothers

Album: The Dick Brothers

Year: 2006

For Fans Of: Bonnie Prince Billy, Magnolia Electric Co., M Ward

DOWNLOAD: The Dick Brothers - The Dick Brothers

LISTEN: Phil Ochs - The Hills of West Virginia

In light of the Jan. 5 opening of the Phil Ochs documentary There But For Fortune, I want to post his song "The Hills of West Virginia." Ochs was a protest singer who was born in El Paso, Texas, and died way too early at the age of 36. Influenced by the likes of Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Buddy Holly, he was a topical singer and songwriter who unfortunately fell in the shadow of Bob Dylan. In his own right, Ochs was a one-of-a-kind talent - confrontational but witty, fierce but earnest - all with a voice that was unassuming but subtly haunting. "The Hills of West Virginia" comes from one of Ochs's best albums - 1965's I Ain't Marching Anymore.

LISTEN: Phil Ochs - The Hills of West Virginia

DOWNLOAD: Hasil Adkins - Peanut Butter Rock and Roll

There are a lot of Hasil Adkins albums out there. This one is the best. When the Wild Man from Madison, West Virginia, was rediscovered in the 1980s, he recorded a few contemporary records. The rockabilly one-man band's finest material remains the well-worn reel-to-reel material cut in his Boone County shack from 1956 to 1963. Peanut Butter Rock and Roll, released in 1990, features twenty tracks from "Haze's Golden Decade." It includes his renditions of Carl Perkins's "Blue Suede Shoes," Chuck Berry's "Let It Rock" and plenty of originals of Hasil's usually-raucous, often-humorous but always-honest style that is all his own. It was his one-of-a-kind personality and ahead-of-its-time punk rock musicianship that makes him a legend - an influence on the likes of The Cramps, Reverend Horton Heat and King Khan. In fact, the cover of Peanut Butter is probably recognizable as it inspired the art for Social Distortion's Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell. Hasil is a true music great, and it's a shame the West Virginia Hall of Fame has yet to recognize that. But with this brilliant compilation of some of his best tracks, you will.

Artist: Hasil Adkins

Album: Peanut Butter Rock and Roll

Year: 1990

For Fans Of: The Cramps, Stray Cats, Reverend Horton Heat

DOWNLOAD: Hasil Adkins - Peanut Butter Rock and Roll

DOWNLOAD: American Minor - The Buffalo Creek EP

When American Minor released its 2002 demo, the band played a gritty brand of alt-country that blended the poignant, earthy rock of Uncle Tupelo with the wistful pop sensibilities of Ryan Adams.

When the band soon relocated from Huntington/Charleston to Champaign, Illinois, they were joined by guitarist Bud Carroll, whose hard blues-boogie style took American Minor in a new direction. Moving away from an alt-country overtone, the quintet grew their hair long, adorned themselves in plaid and boots, and took on a guitar-heavy Southern rock sound influenced by Lynard Skynard, the Black Crowes or Exile-era Rolling Stones.

Title track to 2004's four-song Buffalo Creek EP sums up the newfound style - macho riffs layered with a bluesy lead, hard-hitting drums and Rob McCutcheon's raunchy but soulful vocals. "Movin' On Up" shows the band's sexy side that hints of vintage Rod Stewart/Faces. The opener "Walk On" is a re-styled track from the band's original demo. The song combines the earnest elements of American Minor's initial sound with the energy and experienced musicianship (and production) of the band's better-known work - it is also, in my humble opinon, the group's finest accomplishment.

Artist: American Minor

Album: The Buffalo Creek EP

Year: 2004

For Fans Of: Lynard Skynard, Black Crowes, Faces

DOWNLOAD: American Minor - The Buffalo Creek EP