The Americana supergroup, The Yayhoos, will be heading out on tour for the first time in almost a decade. Eric Ambel (Del-Lords, Steve Earle, Joan Jett & The Blackheards), Dan Baird (Georgia Satellites, Homemade Sin), and Terry Anderson (The Woods, Olympic A$$ Kicking Team) will be joined on bass by Robert Kearns for this return to the road. Original bass player Keith Christopher (Shaver, Paul Westerberg, Todd Snider and many others) will be on tour with Lynyrd Skynyrd, so he won’t be joining the band for this August run.
The Yayhoos, often referred to as the Harlem Globetrotters of Rock and Roll, originally grew out of an informal 1993 songwriting get-together, which inspired the longtime compadres to channel their musical and personal rapport into a more concrete direction. In 1996, they got together and wrote and recorded a batch of songs in Anderson’s dad’s barn. By the time Bloodshot Records released Fear Not the Obvious in 2001, the album had become something of an underground legend in roots-rock circles. Bob Dylan recited the lyrics to “Bottle And A Bible” before playing it on his “Theme Time Radio Hour” and Ambel’s song “Baby I Love You” was featured as the closing credits song in the 2006 James Gunn film, “SLiTHER”. The album also made a lot of friends with their cover of ABBA’s “Dancing Queen.”
While the four Yayhoos continue to maintain their individual careers, the potency of their collective chemistry is evident throughout their 2006 release Put the Hammer Down. The material ranges from the delirious raunch of “Where’s Your Boyfriend At,” and “Everything/Anything,” to the boozy introspection of “All Dressed Up” and “Never Give An Inch,” to the brutal pop of “Hurtin’ Thing” and the bittersweet balladry of “Between You and Me.” Keith Christopher steps up to the mic to deliver a rare lead vocal on the heart-tugging “Over the Top,” which he co-wrote with Tony Colton (of ’70s U.K. cult heroes Heads, Hands and Feet) and which was previously recorded by Ray Charles. The Yayhoos’ knack for inspired choices in cover material is represented here by a timely revival of the O’Jays’ ’70s soul classic “Love Train” and an exuberant reading of “Roam,” by noted Southern rockers the B-52’s.
As the band trades songs and instruments, you never know what will happen at a Yayhoos gig – but they have been known to turn any night into Saturday night and Saturday night into New Year’s Eve…
Catch The Yayhoos on tour this August:
8/15 Atlanta, GA, Eddie’s Attic
8/16 Lexington, KY, Willie’s Locally Known
8/17 Chicago, IL, FitzGeralds
8/18 Wapakoneta, OH, Rt 33 Rhythm & Brews
8/19 Maumee, OH, Village Idiot
8/20 East Aurora, NY, 198 Public House
8/22 Cleveland, OH, Beachland Tavern
8/23 Columbus, OH, Rumba Café
8/24 Washington DC, Hill Country BBQ
8/25 New York, NY, Hill Country BBQ
8/26 Bovina, NY, Livestock Music Festival
http://yayhoos.com/