Localized Jonny Woodrose And The Broken Hearted Woodpeckers

Delivering a mix of acoustic-twang-laden blues riffs and husky, raspy vocals, Jonny Woodrose and The Broken Hearted Woodpeckers' debut album, Live From The Garage, channels the spirit of The White Stripes' first effort. Combined with a low muffle production value, the record feels old but sounds fresh, and works much in singer Jonson Kuhn and company’s favor.

The music of Garage, while never standing out beyond any Americana style blues-rock standards, delivers a fitting, simplistic backing for Kuhn’s lyrics. Despondent tales of woe form the narrative of a depressive protagonist who can’t quite find his footing in this world, but still manages to grab at the funny side of life. “Rent” addresses an ex-lover planning on walking out forever—and his only concern is her portion of the rent. “Seven Blocks,” a tinny acoustic ballad, is about a creepy Kuhn caught checking out a girl he is walking behind.

It’s this exploitation of humor through sad observation that sells Garage. The simple melodies can’t stand alone without Kuhn’s wit; an instrumental track like “Broken Hearted Assholes” falls flat as a clunky mess of jammed solos without the lyrical crutch. But the hiccup is minor, and its Kuhn’s brutal honesty and traditional singer-songwriter formula that holds Live From The Garage together. Grade: B-