Haynes Boys

September 5 - 12, 1 9 9 6 [Off the Record]

**1/2 Haynes Boys

HAYNES BOYS

(Slab)
The subject of the first rootsy track on the Haynes Boys' debut is a car named "Jackie." If this were a real country song, then we'd probably know something about the transmission by the second verse. But you've got to listen between the lines before it's even clear that Jackie is indeed an automobile, one that's been locked away by the Department of Motor Vehicles. "Jackie," sings the gruff-voiced Timothy Easton over the rough and tuneful backing of his Columbus-based foursome, "I want to have you but your new man drives a tow truck/He ain't got a heart but he's got a big gun and I don't want to push my luck."
Easton does get around to crying in his beer about a flesh-and-blood woman in "Bitters Past," a clever drinking song accented with folky mandolin and spare acoustic guitar. And then the band's garage-rock pedigree takes over, lending some sloppy sincerity to the raucous jangle-and-hum of "Anybody" and the bastardized bluesy stomp of "The New Franklin County Woman." It's a mix that recalls the postpunk heyday of roots-rockers like the Long Ryders, the Del Fuegos, and especially the Pontiac Brothers -- smart, sturdy rock and roll that proves you don't have to know everything about what's under the hood to do a fine job behind the wheel.
-- Matt Ashare
(The Haynes Boys join Little John, Angry Johnny & the Killbillies, and Grane at T.T. the Bear's Place in Cambridge's Central Square this Sunday, September 8. Call 491-BEAR.)