MCB recently dusted me off and sent me over to One Eyed Betty's to catch
up with THE GHOST WOLVES from Austin, Texas. I must say, it was well
worth shaking off my hibernation. And not just because they tour with a
white wolf (the legend of said wolf was used to lure me in).
Carley
and Jonny Wolf make up the duo, and meeting these two quiet-seeming
kids gave no indication of what I was in for. Their shy politeness and
slight frames made me think I might be in for some shoegazing later
(hey, you never know these days)...but the wolf was no lie. I naturally
arrived with enough time for a beer before showtime, so they had a few
minutes to take me out back and introduce me to their tour manager and
best friend: Winter the Wolf. As the silky-white canine almost the size of
myself stretched and yawned at my feet, Carley explained that her
family has raised generations of these lovely beasts and that Winter
goes wherever they do. The image of this friendly family became even
more surreal as dusk fell.
The Ghost Wolves stepped onto the
stage underneath the daily specials in front of a demure audience.
Carley dressed in all white; Jonny in all black, quietly grabbed their
tools, gave each other a half-smile and then BLAMM! They went off like a
shotgun! The two filled the room with a powerful noise that made
patrons stop talking and turn in their seats. Carley wailed and howled
and shredded her guitar like it deserved death; Jonny brought the Texas
thunder with his drums. Undeniably entertaining, the band forced the
whole room to wake up, take notice and have a good time. Their modest
smiles were now wide grins and you could tell
they live to do this.
Their
sound is a unique, punky-folky-bluesy mix with an old-west vibe. Hard
to pinpoint, really, but definitely rock & roll (absolutely no shoegazing. Haha). When I read about the band, I saw that they are
most commonly likened to the White Stripes. Though there are some
similarities, I don't think that's entirely fair. Carley is not merely
an afterthought just there to fill in the gaps; she is a masterful
talent with a huge stage presence. Jonny does not overshadow her or hog
the spotlight; they share their high-energy performance like a team and
make a sound bigger than themselves. They've got their own costumes,
style and story...they have a frickin' wolf! I believe they have created
their own scene and I very much enjoyed watching them come to life.
Their audience did too, by the end of their set they had the crowd
stomping their shoes on Betty's wooden floor and clapping along to
the driving beat.
the driving beat.
Overall this band is FUN! Check out The Ghost
Wolves to see what's so infectious about them right here and here on MCB. Pick up In Ya Neck! And if
you can catch one of their shows, don't miss out. Gonna be a Big Star!
7/26/12 - Fort Wayne, IN - The Yellow Bird
7/27/12 - Chicago, IL - Township
7/28/12 - Rock Island, IL - Daytrotter Taping
7/28/12 - Maquoketa, IA - Codfish Hollow
7/29/12 - Mantiwoc, WI - Revolutions
8/3/12 - St.Louis, MO - The Heavy Anchor
8/5/12 - Nashville, TN - The Basement
8/8/12 - Knoxville, TN - Preservation Pub
8/9/12 - Asheville NC - The Get Down
8/11/12 - Winston Salem, NC - The Garage
8/26/12 - Portsmouth, NH - The Press Room
9/20/12 - Dayton, OH - South Park Tavern
9/19/12 - Canton, OH - Buzzbin
9/21/12 - Cincinnati, OH - MOTR Pub
9/22/12 - Lexington, KY - The Green Lantern
9/27/12 - Asheville, NC - The Get Down
9/28/12 - Charlotte, NC - The Evening Muse
9/29/12 - Augusta, GA - TBA
9/30/12 - Birmingham, AL - The Nick
10/3/12 - New Orleans, LA - The Maple Leaf
10/5/12 - Lafayette, LA - The Blue Moon
10/6/12 - Houston, TX - Rudyard's
10/12/12 - Austin, TX - The Sahara Lounge
11/3/12 - Austin, TX - The Continental Club - *A ROCK N' WOLF WEDDING!
7/27/12 - Chicago, IL - Township
7/28/12 - Rock Island, IL - Daytrotter Taping
7/28/12 - Maquoketa, IA - Codfish Hollow
7/29/12 - Mantiwoc, WI - Revolutions
8/3/12 - St.Louis, MO - The Heavy Anchor
8/5/12 - Nashville, TN - The Basement
8/8/12 - Knoxville, TN - Preservation Pub
8/9/12 - Asheville NC - The Get Down
8/11/12 - Winston Salem, NC - The Garage
8/26/12 - Portsmouth, NH - The Press Room
9/20/12 - Dayton, OH - South Park Tavern
9/19/12 - Canton, OH - Buzzbin
9/21/12 - Cincinnati, OH - MOTR Pub
9/22/12 - Lexington, KY - The Green Lantern
9/27/12 - Asheville, NC - The Get Down
9/28/12 - Charlotte, NC - The Evening Muse
9/29/12 - Augusta, GA - TBA
9/30/12 - Birmingham, AL - The Nick
10/3/12 - New Orleans, LA - The Maple Leaf
10/5/12 - Lafayette, LA - The Blue Moon
10/6/12 - Houston, TX - Rudyard's
10/12/12 - Austin, TX - The Sahara Lounge
11/3/12 - Austin, TX - The Continental Club - *A ROCK N' WOLF WEDDING!
Cheers,
Moneypenny
