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Pike 27's namesake, U.S. Highway 27, crosses the Ohio River from Cincinnati to Purcell's hometown of Newport, Kentucky, heading south to Kentucky's bluegrass country. Drive north and it will take you through industrial Ft. Wayne, Indiana to the auto factories of Michigan. This is rock and roll country. Poised on the fault-line of bluegrass and rust-belt-rock, Pike 27 could have gone either way. Music journalist Jon Weisberger, who plays bass, and guitarist Bob Sheets are both veteran bluegrassers. Drummer Adam Renchen last played with the pop band Papertown. But Pike 27 is definitely a rock band. Purcell explains that while "we're proud of our roots," at times they have to be careful about letting their roots show too much. Falling Down Hard blasts out of the gate with "Wrecking Yard." This tune, with its driving rhythm and Purcell's cerebral lyrics, could be slotted into Scott Miller's great Thus Always to Tyrants without upsetting its balance. Purcell isn't shy about his politics, addressing broken aspirations and what they say about the American dream. Set the sack on the ground and light a match Stomp on the embers and dance on the ash The rockin' gains momentum and the politics are maintained, singing of the broadening chasm between the classes in "Baltimore" (It gets so a man can't even dare / either god don't know or god just don't care / about the gap that's growing wider than the Rio Grande"). With "5/17" Purcell slams on the brakes as he sings this "elegy for a lost bandmate." The effect is akin to the end of The Buddy Holly Story when the picture freezes at the peak of the concert frenzy and the story of that night's plane crash slowly scrolls up the screen. Four in the morning "Train" and "Kentucky's Calling" are obviously autobiographically based, recalling Purcell's time spent fronting roots-rock bands in Chicago. "Train" relates the story of the daily commute to suburban Naperville, delayed this time by a fatal car-train crash. But this tale also has a subtext, pointing out the insularity and self-centeredness of city life, asking the question, "How deep can you bury your humanity?" Purcell's eventual response was to answer the call of Kentucky. I'm standing on a subway platform, cold as hell The influences are allowed to show in the Stonesy guitar riffs of the hitchhiker's fantasy, "Angel in a Pontiac." Dylan figures in here somewhere too. No way I could turn her down Angel in a Pontiac The sky stretched across the windshield Your politics, like mine, may align fairly well with Purcell's messages in "Baltimore" and "Wrecking Yard." Maybe they don't. You may think the lyric, "Red is fine with white and blue / but never all alone" from "Joe McCarthy's Ghost" is the way it should be. You might not. But every true-blooded Americana fan should be able to support the sentiments of "Devil's Radio." I'll resist adding caps in the first line (we've all got our own ax to grind). Got a clear channel blasting I'm a guy who cares about lyrics. Songwriter Dave Purcell has stories to tell that, agree or not, still raise the right questions. But if you lean right while the lyrics of two or three songs lean left, then don't listen to the words. Just twist the knob as far to the right as you can and start rockin'. Either way you'll be happy. *To book your own scenic tour down Pike 27, see your travel
agent or visit www.pike27.net |
Bluesman Lonnie Mack
was there. So was P-Funk bassist Bootsy Collins. Mack and Collins
were two of the "Legends of King Records" who were
being awarded Lifetime Achievement awards at the 6th annual Cammy
awards, held to honor the best in Cincinnati area music. March
13th wasn't a bad night for members of Pike 27 either. All had
played on The Last Twelve Hours, the latest disc by duo
Mark Messerly and Brian Ewing, who were joint winners of the
Cammy for Best Songwriter. Frontman Dave Purcell also plays
guitar for Clabbergirl, whose I Feel Pretty won as CD
of the Year. Since its formation in 1999, Pike 27 has been nominated
for -- but failed to win -- the award twice. The third time
out they proved the cliché, charming the Cammy voters
with their new disc, Falling Down Hard, and snagging the
award for Best Roots Rock Band.
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