Yankee Holler - Episode 224

22 Sep 2015: Local roots music warriors Yankee Holler have their own take on Americana. Theyre mainstays at area cafes and bars and now have fine full-length CD called Calm Can Kill. The band consists of Matt Aumand (guitars), M.T. Dickerson (vocals, guitars), Axl McElrod (bass) and John Meliski (drums), and the album kicks off strongly with Sugar Dont Stop. It has a pretty thick-sounding snare drum and retro wah-wah guitar, and an earnest vocal delivery. The guitar work here has a fiery Southern rock sound, which sadly isnt heard much anymore. The clever barroom ode Bourbon in Reverse takes the day-after damage control point of view, wanting things back the way they were, while the relentless Yellow Moon recalls better days with a deadly backbeat. Really, this is good old Southern rock played by good old Yankee boys; the only real difference between the two is a long cold winter. Yankee Holler recalls the days when music was the most important thing, and for them (and many of us), it still is.