A sizzling slab of country rock
Yee-haa! Saddle up, pardners: the Wild West is comin' to town in the shape of hard rockin', boot stompin', folk-country rockers . . . the Swinging Steaks.
Yep, yer darn tootin': when their wagon train pulls in you can expect to get your teeth into a hefty slab of 'alternative country' and 'roots rock', with these good ole boys bashing out a healthy helping of stampeding anthems.
Not that the image of the band peddled by the American media is totally accurate, no siree; in fact, the Steaks don't hail from cowboy country at all, despite their apparent musical heritage. They're Boston boys, from the East Coast, and their tunes are Southern-fried, full of steel guitars, pounding pianos and gospel-style harmonies, served over an irresistible rock beat.
Sizzling they may be, but how did such a crew of rock 'n' roll outlaws ever get started so far away from their spiritual home? The secret is that the best country music is based on spirit, not geography. So tomorrow, when the Steaks play a Cafe Deco given over to denim and spurs, shot glasses and line-dancing, they will be maintaining a fitting illusion by giving their rowdy, riff-laden breed of country its deserved setting.
How exactly did the Wild West arrive in the industrial north via the sultry south? 'The anomalous thing with this band is that it doesn't sound like it comes from Massachusetts, that's true,' admitted bassist Paul Kochanski, speaking from Boston. 'So it makes perfect sense for us to come to Hong Kong - to take our music to an area where people don't see country as the sophisticate's music of choice . . . although we'll do our best to dispel that idea! 'We have always been influenced by southern rock, and what brought us over to the other side of the fence was the songs - country people knew early on that it was all down to what you're saying. Straight rock 'n' roll amounts to three chords, and you're not going to twist anybody's head around with that. Country music is simple but strong, and talks about life's experiences.' However, the Steaks are not anxious to be bracketed with the current crop of glitzy, big-named artists riding the country wave.
'The Georgia Satellites were a very strong influence, and ZZ Top in the stuff they did before they took up synthesisers,' said Kochanski. 'But although we have many elements of traditional country, and some of the style, so much of the new stuff in the charts seems formulaic. It's the same pool of people writing for the same pretty faces. Nothing on her personally, because I'm sure she's very nice, but she [Shania Twain] is exactly what's wrong with the new brand of country. It's a long way from Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson.' The Steaks have also attracted favourable comparisons with The Band and The Faces, so after a nine-year, four-album career it's a surprise to learn that this is their first experience of the eastern hemisphere. Not that that bothers Kochanski.
'We just play the hell out of our songs!' he said, laughing. 'Going to Hong Kong reminds me of playing gigs in Boston, where promoters make a big effort to bring country to people who aren't usually exposed to it.