Page 79 - Issue 48

BY JUSTIN BECKNER Album review: Have A Cow
PHOTOS BY
I’m sitting at one of my favorite local establishments (the
JIM WRIGHT
At the turn of the century,Staind was Henderson RoadHaus in Henderson Minnesota) and the owner – a
car guy, of course – hands me a CD and says check these guys
a household name thanks to their relentless touring schedule and slew of hits. Their rise to out. So, I did. The Wood Chickens “Have A Cow” is thirteen tracks
success came at a crucial time for rock and roll, a time when the music of N’Sync and Brittney of absolute chaos. I mean that in a good way, of course. I’m not
Spears topped the charts and dominated every radio station. Staind was the voice of integrity sure exactly what the proper genre is, but I’d describe the Wood
and honesty in music. The voice of Staind was a stoic fi gure named Aaron Lewis. In 2014 it Chickens as punk folk. Or folk punk? I don’t know… but you can’t
was announced that Staind would be going on hiatus and that Aaron would be pursuing a possibly listen to these guys without tapping your foot or hand or
solo career in the genre of country music. To some, this came as a shock, but to Aaron, it whatever body part you feel like moving. It’s infectious and crazy
was a natural progression back to the music he grew up listening to, as Aaron put it, “Yeah and a lot of fun. High energy but very organic. I was told their live
that was all the fi rst music I heard with my ears in my life that I can honestly remember as show is a blast and I believe it. (check ‘em out!)
music. My grandfather was a country music freak. And that’s all that was playing – every good woodchickens.bandcamp.com
memory I have of my childhood has that old outlaw country as the soundtrack.”

Since his foray into his solo career, Aaron 1951 Southern Jumbo that he obtained from
Lewis has become somewhat of a fi gure of Willie’s American Guitars in St. Paul, MN. Aaron
reverence within the sects of fans who feel that understands that functionality beats fashion,
country music has become too commercial which is probably why the gem of his classic
and panders to its listeners to obtain radio play. car collection is a 1963 Willies Jeep J200 with
Those who know Aaron will be the fi rst to tell 35” Super Swamper Tires. “It’s a beast and Aaron Fink
you that there is nothing fake about him. Much with that granny four-low, it’ll pull a house right
of his music, both in and out of Staind is deeply off its foundation. It’s a pretty bad ass truck.”
personal. I asked Aaron what he feels constitutes Also in his collection are a ’66 Ford F100, a ’67
a good song: “I think a good songs should 442 Convertible clone, an original ’69 Rambler
possess honesty and heart. Whoever wrote that Scrambler, and a ’69 Plymouth Fury 3 that
song should have left a piece of themselves in Aaron, himself dropped a stroked 360 into.
that song. Another qualifi cation of a good song Aaron continues to tour and establish
for me is that you can strip it all the way down himself as a modern carrier of the outlaw
to its bare bones and play it with cowboy chords country torch. He has already worked with
on an acoustic guitar and it still stands on its legends such as George Jones and Charlie
own and is recognized as a good song. Then Daniels [featured on the song “Country
it doesn’t matter how you color it. “It’s Been a Boy”] and co-wrote a posthumous song with
While” could be colored country. I play a version Johnny Cash as part of the Johnny Cash
of it now and it doesn’t matter how you color it, Forever Poetry Project where Aaron took an
at the end of the day, it’s still a good song.” unfi nished song left behind by Johnny Cash
Aaron is an avid user of vintage guitars – the and fi nished it for him. As for the prospect of
kind you would generally see in a glass case a Staind reunion, Aaron says, “I don’t know
somewhere. But Aaron brings them on the that we’ll ever tour the way we used to tour –
road and plays them every night, including a that was insanity. But never say never.”

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