Video Premiere: Cricketbows, "Raised on Rock And Roll"

Dayton, Ohio’s Cricketbows shared the first two songs from their forthcoming full-length, Raised on Rock And Roll, today. Written in Dayton, Ohio, and recorded in Dayton, Kentucky, Cricketbows’ Raised On Rock And Roll is at once a starkly realistic product of its environment as well as a fantastical voyage into a magical and mysterious classic rock multiverse.

During the title track’s opening line, the band’s Stratocaster wielding lead vocalist Chad Wells sets the tone that this is a classic rock album and it is unapologetic: (“I speak electric guitar, in fire orange and bright blue – and I bow to the lightning of Elvis and Bowie and Frehley”). The album takes the listener on a trip with forays through blistering, barn-burning rock and roll and scenic forays through more pastoral worlds of acoustic guitars and pedal steels where the band weaves songs about their rural Ohio surroundings and the loves of their lives.

On the song “Gracious Peasant,” Wells provides a “Crawling King Snake”-esque attitude while channeling the voice of a psychedelic mushroom that has been sent to deliver the gift of communication and consciousness to a prehistoric Earth (“We’ve come from far off kingdoms, to bring you speech. So come enjoy this flesh and eat it like a peach”). Co-lead Vocalist Aarika Watson provides a soulful wail that is sure to awaken the cosmic spirits she is calling upon. Lead Guitarist Michael Bisig blazes through guitar licks that are all at once Slash and Jimi Hendrix while drummer Kyle Sweney plays tight and powerful grooves and bassist Christopher Corn slips and slides through the low tones with his signature fretless bass playing.

Not to be overlooked, these singles also exhibit the distinct expertise of Raised On Rock and Roll‘s production swami Mike Montgomery (The Breeders, Protomartyr).

Ghettoblaster has the pleasure of sharing the title track’s companion video today. The song, as well as the video, capture the child-like wonder of rock and roll discovery and establish Cricketbows as a band who seamlessly and intentionally deliver transformative storytelling in their lyrics and music.