The New Lou Reeds

Beneath the shaking, edgy fear of the future, the sentimental nightmare of the past, and general ncomprehension of the present, there exists a kind of wistful humor. Rockin' their way thru that struggle comes the New Lou Reeds. Not quite 'heartland rock' and not what most people call 'punk' anymore, the band owes its sonic debt to a surprisingly diverse array of sources, both musical and literary. But it's their honesty that perhaps best defines them; they may have read a lot, but have their feet firmly entrenched in the mud of the proletariat. But enough of that nonsense. Who the hell are these guys? Edward Á Sotelo (bass) also throws down with big-timers like Cobra Verde and Doug Gillard (ex-GBV) while Jeff Ottenbacher (drums) spends his time keeping a low-profile gig buying and selling nations in Brooklyn. Stephe DK is a visual artist in Cleveland, Ohio. Together, they recorded their upcoming full-length, Top Billin' (out this September on Exit Stencil Recordings) on a shoestring budget, and are nowplanning on cruising around the states in a van, drinking too much and carousing. They sing about food, politics, women, and whatever the hell happened to America. It's like Southern Rock from the North - or punk for hippies - or X and Richard Hell trying to figure out how to cover all of Music From Big Pink by the Band-or Creedence Clearwater Revival going forward in time and learning a bunch of Minutemen tunes.