I’ll play it straight on this one, my dear readers. I heard this song, ”Snake” on The Waiting Room’s show a few weeks back and it shot a jolt of lightening right between the legs. Oh. My. God. When you get about 2/3 of the way through this track and he starts wailing about love, well… yeah, weak in the knees. M.Chutney (the little wife) sat on the couch and listened to it for the first time and said “oh, I don’t know, I like the sound of them but this song just isn’t doin’ it for me.” But I told her, “just wait… right about … now…  it gets to ya.” I got that knowing look.

Denny Dingus, the lead guitarist of One Hundred Hurricanes,  and I have been exchanging emails for awhile, trying to get our ducks in a row, so as I could review Sixty Years Under The Stars for you. Honestly, I’m loving the sound of this so much I can’t stop listening to it. It’s got the rawness of a good garage band and yet the intricacy of something much more accomplished than that. The way Denny’s guitar plays off bass and drum in what is often a counter-melodic manner, is just jaw-droppingly beautiful in “One More Try,” ”Be That Way” and the title track, “Sixty Years Under the Stars.” Add to that mix a very talented and energetic bassist, Kyle Williams, who not only invents interesting bass lines but also provides an awesome solo intro to “Walking Away,” one of the best songs on the album for both guitar solos and soulful vocals. This quartet from Morgantown, WV has at it’s helm Michael Withrow, who, when he lets it really go, has a breaking point that turns the whole thing from fun to tragic in a heartbeat. You sense just enough of the South in him to keep that post-punk attitude out of whack. Drummer Nick Kirk doesn’t keep predictable time, (with self-professed heroes ranging from Mötley Crüe to Tears For Fears we’d expect no less) and I can imagine no other type of percussionist filling that seat for this band. He’s neither too flashy nor too understated for Micheal’s sometimes bombastic voice and those perfectly over the top guitar solos Denny does. And the man really knows when to use the cymbals.

One Hundred Hurricanes hopes they can be “strikingly catchy” but I reckon they’ve overshot that by a mile or two into the “shockingly good” realm. With 15 tracks, Sixty Years Under the Stars gives plenty of time (and variety)  for you to consider if this band has what it takes to go on the road and win over a crowd. I rarely feature a group on these pages who’s not already got a booked tour to promote. For one, it’s a simple way of weeding out the requests I get. But more importantly, I want LSB to be about supporting music and musicians who are actively making music, so posting tour dates is a serious thing here. I mean it – go out there and see them, buy a damn ticket, I do. I’ll be honest with you; I get into some shows for free because of what I do here, helping promote bands. But I pay for as many or more shows as I get comped for. And I will continue to keep that in balance, it’s important to me. So, the whole point of this little lecture is this: One Hundred Hurricanes doesn’t currently have any but a few tour dates. They most certainly should. On the evidence of this album, they would win over a crowd in cities across the US. In a word, I am bowled over by Sixty Years Under The Stars. Get this band out to your city and into your favorite club. But first, pick up a copy of their debut record here.