Scruff Merchants - Whiskey Lodge
Rock, Punk
Dublin, Ireland
Overall Impression: Having spent two decades on the lam unwashed and unashamed, Scruff Merchants emerge from the obscure wilds of Dublin, Ireland to deliver the quick and calamitous original track, "Whiskey Lodge" - crafting a modern pub song from powerful Punk Rock roots to immortalize The Hammered One in all his inebriated glory!
Strongest Point(s): Short, scruffy, and to the point, "Whiskey Lodge" packs a powerhouse Punk Rock experience into exactly one minute of audio - making the song both exhilarating and endlessly re-playable! Furiously strummed acoustic guitar blends with full-throated bass and rock steady drums as a gruff and stylistically excellent lead vocal takes up the charge, delivering both question and answer surrounding John's whereabouts and drinking capabilities. Scruff Merchants make full use of left and right panning to give the song a surprisingly immersive feel, and overdubbed backing vocals in different registers practically transport listeners directly to the barstool next to the one that John's occupying. For such a quick ride, the amount of detail and variation at work make "Whiskey Lodge" charming and memorable - perfect for live settings with full call-and-response potential!
Target Audience Appeal: Fans of that quintessential Punk Rock pulse and power will fall immediately in line with what Scruff Merchants are selling, and the lyrical wit and performative energy at work in "Whiskey Lodge" stand to make the track not only a great candidate for modern drinking anthem of the decade, but also a bold and promising introduction to the renegades that crafted it! Excellent as it is in all its audio glory, "Whiskey Lodge" is practically begging for a rough and rowdy live setting to reach its full performative potential! - Jon W.
Artist target suggestions: Beach Slang, NOFX, Dropkick Murphys, Screeching Weasel, Mclusky, Mineral, Flogging Molly, Make Do And Mend, The Rumjacks, Polar Bear Club, Rival Schools, No Knife, Jawbreaker, Fiddler's Green, Texas Is The Reason, Hot Water Music, Carbon Leaf, Banner Pilot, Bomb the Music Industry!, Firkin, Jets To Brazil, Rainer Maria
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About the Reviewer:
Jon Wright is a trained multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and music educator with nearly twenty years of experience in the field. Working with musicians and their individual sounds is his passion and profession, and he strives to interact with and understand every aspect of the production process - from theory and songwriting to recording and mastering. He continues to teach students of all ages and is currently collaborating with artists across a wide range of genres.