Familiar faces, new band, and a stiff glass of American Ear Whiskey… The Thirsty Crows descend upon the South Bay.
The roots of this new local band are grounded in various cross pollinations, old ties forming new bonds, and a mishmash of genres and styles. Steve Huante (guitar, vocals) and Chris Saunders (upright bass) used to rip, tear, and scream in the metal band Gabriels Fallen. The Fallen shared a rehearsal room with IOMA, who often enjoyed the company of their close friend Mike DiRienzo (drums), who also played locally in Broke Ass Acoustic with Chris Navarrete (Profusion, Eken Is Dead). In time, out and about, show to show, the 3 RUHS graduates grew fonder, and in post Fallen days both Saunders and DiRienzo would play off and on in one of Huante’s newer outfits the Bullys & Matadors (a presently active band featuring Kira Lingman and Rich Calkins of The Hollow Legs). Eventually, the 3 formed The Dregs Trio, as the remaining sediment left behind from unwhole bands, lingering leftovers nobody might want. As time continues to shape the ceaseless present, the sediment sunk ever deeper toward the bottom, and the 3 finally coalesced into The Thirsty Crows.
“I think it worked out at a better time,” says DiRienzo, “because we are all on the same page musically. Like we come from different backgrounds, but we make one music right now and it’s workin’ out really good.”
Saunders calls it American Ear Whiskey. If liquor’s your thing, than so be it; but Huante says, “There’s no glitz or glamour here, it’s just about good old rock and roll, drinking beer, and having fun.”
As Huante adds that their sound is more rock and roll while retaining a country-blues undertone, DiRienzo elaborates further. “We’re not categorized as Rocabilly or Psychabilly just ‘cuz we have a stand-up bass, it’s just good rock and roll, man, kids from the South Bay.
Saunders questions if it’s not hard rock with an upright bass, and the term Punkabilly was thrown out, but ultimately The Thirsty Crows are playing original tunes mixed with a few covers that pull on country, rock, punk, and metal – some gravitating to the forefront more than others, from song to song. One moment they’re stirring up a Spaghetti Western soundtrack mixed with a love triangle murder drama, directed by Quentin Tarantino, whereupon the protagonist only shoots his gun with the accuracy of a lightning bolt striking an ant once he’s visited the barkeep 6 times for 6 bullets before rescuing the girl he may or may not deserve. Next it might be a real blaster with obvious punk and/or metal overtones, greased down by 50s rock and roll undertones. Always, with its jug band oom-pah appeal, the presence of the upright bass permeates every song with a grounding warmth that grows in the belly before dropping to the toes.
“It totally makes us unique to what we’re doin’,” says DiRienzo about the upright bass. “I don’t know if there’s anyone else in the South Bay doin’ it.”
Like The Dregs Trio, The Thirsty Crows draw on the downcast imagery of unwanted leftovers, outcast rebels, and now miscreant crows swooping down upon prey with whiskey on their breath.
For Huante the image begins with the idea of people not liking crow, a la the expression ‘Go eat crow.’ Saunders says, “I kinda look at it like a crow is a scavenger bird, so a thirsty crow is gonna drink whatever it can!”
DiRienzo says, “Whatever you put in front of us we’ll put down. And whatever show you put in front of us we’ll rock out.”
The Thirsty Crows debut live on Saturday, April 26 at O’Hearns II in Lomita (located at 1831 Pacific Coast Highway), kicking off this year’s VLF series – the Veronica’s Legacy Foundation fundraiser concert series which benefits various charities and causes in the name of Huante’s cousin Veronica Enriquez. They’ll be joined by Strange Imperial, with The Bourbon Saints headlining. We can expect an EP this summer, which is being recorded at Firewater Studios in Gardena with Billy Graziadei, who’s the guitar player for the New York hardcore band Biohazard. For more info on The Thirsty Crows and VLF, visit www.facebook.com/TheThirstyCrows and www.facebook.com/VeronicasLegacyFoundation.
