by rudyards | October 6th, 2012
The Southern Backtones (Houston, TX)
https://www.southernbacktones.net/
The release of Southern Backtones 4th album, “La Vie En Noir” (ZenHill Records), fuses the best parts of the prior three albums with the Backtones mature voodoo-rock sound into a delightful psychedelic, Spaghetti Western patois.
“Los Tormentos de Amor” (1998): Clever surf-punk ditties played with precocious passion, all owing allegiance to a strong “whatever-a-billy” or “Spaghetti Western” influence. Quite the classic, the album has become an underground jewel and sells for upwards of one hundred bucks.
The Formula (2002): A furious denial and overthrow of the pearl button, greaser-roots-rock heritage. Punk-ish songs of superficial lust gone wrong dove-tailed with South-of-the-border, Tex-Mex crooners.
The third album, simply self-titled “Southern Backtones” (2007): A dark cinematic embracement of Brit-pop and psychedelia in a philosophical search for more bohemian influences. Songs “Forever” and “Everything” were featured in the indie feature film “Drop Dead Sexy” starrring Jason Lee and Crispin Glover. Music Video “Forever” (produced by Zenfilm) has had international airplay on MTV2, MuchMusic Canada, CNBC and more.
“Cinematic songs begging for a movie to live up to their promise.” San Francisco Bay Times
“Brooding paeans to loves won, lost, and unrequited infused with smart, poppish melodies. The only way some of this stuff could get any beautifully darker is if it grew black wings and flew away.” Fort Worth Weekly
“Southern Backtones is not Southern rock. It is a sea of expansive, dark rock with the unmistakable, vampy touch of David Bowie and the indigo mood of Echo & the Bunnymen.” Houston Chonicle
“The musicianship and songwriting are top notch… Highly recommended.” Exclaim.ca (Canada)
“The songs are rich-sounding, well-crafted rockers with plenty of rootsy and modern influences. But the lyrics are provocative and thoughtful in surprising ways.” ASCAP.com
“This moody, ethereal retro-tinged modern hard rock act (think U2, Nick Cave, The Cult) from Houston, seems primed for massive underground success.” connectsavannah.com
WINNERS: “Best Traditional Rock” 2006 & 2007 and Nominated “Best Song-writer” 2008. Houston Press
WINNERS: “Best Local Band & Best Local Vocalist” 2000. houstoncitysearch.com
The Ghost Wolves (Austin, TX)
https://www.theghostwolves.com/
“They play stomping blues-garage-punk possessed by who knows what kind of demon….their music has just the right overdose of voodoo punk that never spoils. Fuzz, skull with a hat and two crossed maracas. The Ghost Wolves have an album out - In Ya Neck! - and, sooner or later, we’ll see them on tour in Europe to transform all of us into living dead werewolves.” - Rolling Stone Italia
“The pair to…ur relentlessly, showing a joy in the turn-it-up that evokes the visceral virtues of rock at its most raw and elemental.” - Lenny Kaye for emusic.com
“A primal musical jewel in wolf’s clothing….” - BP Fallon’s Wang Dang Doodle
“Primal, grungy, lo-fi, disruptive, exhilarating…” Blurt! Online
“…they opened the evening with a roar both from the stage and, by set’s end, from the audience, too. They played so well with such obvious delight that it was impossible not to get on board.” Nippertown, Albany, NY
“This duo — female singer/guitarist and male drummer — provides raw, energetic rock that sounds more like it came from the Voodoo-soaked streets of New Orleans or back alleys of New York City than the farmlands of Texas. Punk sensibility, blues style, crashing drums, scattershot harmonies and moments of folk simplicity define the band’s six-song EP, In Ya Neck!.” — Jeff Hahne, Creative Loafing
“This new Texas based duo blend gritty backwoods blues with hints of Pyschobilly and folk that are conjuring up garage ghosts from the 60′s and demons from the Delta. Known around the city for their energetic live show and infectious on-stage chemistry, The Ghost Wolves have been relentlessly touring their debut album, In Ya Neck!, bringing the raw and rabid rock and roll sound from their digitally unscathed record to dive bars across the plains.” - Band Soup
“When the Austin band finally let us off the hook and left the stage, the only thing I could think of was the fact that I wanted more. I was ready to take the tunes well into Friday morning, not well short of midnight.” - Loopster Live
“Rabid Garage Blues” - Andrew Dansby, Houston Chronicle
“The Ghost wolves made a mighty punk-rock noise in a powerful opener…their spunky energy engaged the crowd so well they whipped up a noisy singalong” - Albany Daily Gazette
“Their live show is a bit of a spectacle, with Wolf, dressed all in white with a matching Warhol-esque wig, jumping around the stage as she plays. Konya is chatty between songs, making jokes and pushing the record. It’s not your typical Austin act…” - Peter Mongillo, The Austin American Statesman
“The music on the duo’s debut EP “In Ya Neck” is the kind of mud-splattered, fuzz-covered, goes-to-eleven garage rock you’d expect from an act whose frontwoman is strutting across the stage in a homemade leather minidress.” - The Daily Times Knoxville, TN
“The rock & roll of The Ghost Wolves has deep roots…Carley and Jonny are children of the south.” - Radio FM4, Austria
“Their music is influenced by shamans, wolf dogs, and blues legend RL Burnside - that the Ghost Wolves makes it one of the most exciting newcomer band from Austin.” - On3, Germany
“The two-piece band Ghost Wolves, one of several acts on the lineup from Austin, offered a twist on the White Stripes formula when drummer Jonny Wolf switched places with guitarist Carley Wolf for a song.” - USA Today
“The Ghost Wolves might be a mere duo (Carley plays a vintage hollow body guitar, Jonny thrashes the drums and they both sing) but they play hard enough for a full band. Playing second in a four-band showcase (including the Krektones, Alligator Indian and ER Airplane) at Jack of the Wood last Friday, the Ghost Wolves had the crowd on its feet.” - Mountain Xpress, Asheville ,NC
“From the opening, bluegrass twang of ‘Gonna Live’, to the gorgeous live recording of ‘First Love’, it is clear that the duo’s relentless gigging – as well as their strong musical heritage – has produced a collection of tracks that is both exhilarating and infectious.” - Chybucca Sounds U.K.
“The Ghost Wolves prove they are separate commodities not to be lumped in with The White Stripes, The Dead Weather, and other known blues rock hybrids. Carley and Jon are in their own swamp-world building their own boussilage of organic punk-blues blight. Now all that’s left for us to do is get drunk, dirty, and dance.” - Bandsoup
“Bluesy fuzz-rock…” - The Miami Herald
“All the right elements are there….confidence, a DIY ethic, and great talent all shine through.” - Chief and The Doomsday Device
“While they each have their own impressive musical resumes, together they are an otherworldly presence.” KUT- Austin
“The Ghost Wolves’ energy and potential lift their live show, which finds Wolf flying around the stage, and they manage to translate some of that energy to the album, where their big, gritty sound renders their bass-less status a nonissue.” - Review in The Austin Statesman
“(The Ghost Wolves)…have a sound that I like to compare to Flat Duo Jets, The Kills, and of course The White Stripes.They self released their first EP In Ya Neck! in April of this year. The songs on this EP give off vibrations of backwoods folk-blues infused with psychobilly that really are interesting, fast paced and in your face. I’m really interested to see what comes next from this band. They have an awesome and unique style that isn’t too common these days.” Rabbit’s Black Music Blog - L.A. & San Francisco, CA
“Musically, you’ll find hints of popular acts in the mainstream such as The White Stripes, but you can definitely feel a bit of Texas lurking…At times, Carley sounds a bit more ferocious than comparable groups, but that sort of passion only strengthens the band’s sound. We’re really excited about this group. - Austin Town Hall (austintownhall.com)
“Another great band brought to light…” - VivoGig
“…this is not your typical blues-rock set. Songwriters and musicians Carley Wolf and Jonathan Konya give it a gritty edge and a rough ’60s garage rock sound that turns heads.” - Laurie Gallardo, KUT’s Austin Music Minute
“They’re able to present the very best of the lovely deep traditions of rock; primitive song structure, pleasingly-familiar progressions, face-melting riffs, unfettered noisy productions.” - Austin Independent Music
“In Ya Neck,” the debut release from Austin, Texas based duo, the Ghost Wolves is an incendiary six-tune EP responsible for puttin’ the shake in your shimmy and the roll within your rock. Lead singer and guitarist, Carley “Carazy” Wolf, and drummer Jonathan “Little Hammer” Konya, have clearly done their homework and are channeling their inner delta blues knowledge and throwing those roots into a cement mixer with ’60s-esque garage rock…” - Chris Hislop, Spotlight Magazine, Seacoast, NH
“Pirei em “Gonna Live”, na vibe White Stripes, na voz de Dolly Parton, nas botas, no conversível, no baterista perto do teto… sensacional.” (English Translation) - “Freaked out on “Gonna Live,” the White Stripes vibe, sung by Dolly Parton, the boots, the convertible, the drummer near the ceiling … sensational.” - Boo Monster Bop - Brazil
“Was wurde eigentlich aus den White Stripes? Genau, die Vergangenheit! Nicht, dass Jack and Megan White das letzte Rock ‘n’ Roll Paar ever gewesen wären. Da gibt es zum Beispiel noch die Kills oder die Ghost Wolves aus Texas. Noch härter, staubiger und traditionsbewusster als die White Stripes arbeiten sich Carley Wolf und Jonathan Konya an den ewigen, in drei Minuten abgehandelten Wahrheiten zwischen Prärie und Jukebox ab. Ein Newcomer-Portrait von Christian Lehner.” - FM4 Radio, Austria
“The Ghost Wolves dial up the amplifiers, marrying spooky blues with a little bit of 1960s rock ‘n’ roll.”- Flagstaff Live Magazine, Flagstaff AZ
“Totally inappropriate…” - Folk radio music director (after hearing “In Ya Neck!”)
“… the opening two tracks are where the Ghost Wolves really carve out their own exciting sound. “Gonna Live” is a simple bluesy stomp written by the Vulgarians’ Michelle Glaw that builds into a huge, cathartic shout-along by the end. Wolf channels My Brightest Diamond’s Shara Worden on her vocal performance, and the whole thing retains a rootsy feel reminiscent of the video linked to above. “Curl Up and Dye” has a much faster, more vicious feel to it, bordering on punk. These are the two best songs on In Ya Neck!, establishing Ghost Wolves as a blistering force to be reckoned with.” - Review on OVRLD.COM
“With nothing but a four-piece drum kit and a hollow-bodied guitar equipped with only one pickup, the Ghost Wolves’ onstage rig is anything but Texas-sized. Rather, it’s a study in defying the standard laws of minimalism, and the two-man (well, one man and a lady) Delta freakblues outfit stands as proof that you don’t need the biggest instruments to fill a room with a witch’s brew that’s haunting in its simplicity — haunting, period” - Austin Music Weekly
“Konya and Wolf….have incredible chemistry during the show, making their music even more compelling.” - The Daily Vidette, Bloomington, IL
