Southern rock gets a 'cowpunk' twist

The South done stole punk rock.

Take Flogging Molly and gank its Guinness and fiddle player. Take the Replacements and make the lyrics about sweet Southern love gone wrong.

Retain the fast and rarely changing guitar progressions. Up the tempo so much that it all works out, and you have a new twist on Southern rock sound.

The self-proclaimed "cowpunk" rockers of Two Cow Garage stick to this formula for about half of their sophomore release, The Wall Against Our Back.

Relying on familiar small-town themes of country-gone-rock, the members of Two Cow Garage find success when they leave their inhibitions behind and give the punk rock genre a cowboy-booted kick in the pants.

On the rollicking "If This Is Home," the band turns out a viable and unique blend of the fast and simple musical elements of its punk influences and a certain twang prevalent in country.

They present themselves as the illegitimate child of garage rock and Americana, conceived at CBGB. Somehow, though, it sounds just fine. In fact, it rocks you right off of your John Deere.

Unfortunately, the group's attempt at slow and sentimental country lamenting misses the mark.

Occasionally rearing its ugly - and much less creative - head throughout the album, that second song style waters down the listener's good time.

Several of the songs on The Wall Against Our Back sit uncomfortably between ballad and boisterous rock. Nothing new and completely predictable, moving along at a pace too laborious for rock and too rushed to pass as laid back, these mishaps burn holes in an otherwise fresh album.

Lead vocalist Micah Schnabel's gristle and grind stylings work well on the faster stuff but is downright painful at more middling speeds. He gives the impassioned Southern greasy wail a genuine effort, but it doesn't quite pull through.

Schnabel enjoys more success on the slower "Saturday Night," in which he loses the inherent rasp and proves he can actually sort of sing - a fact he hides away on other tracks.

Not surprisingly, none of Two Cow Garage's lyrics are especially impressive or innovative. There are only so many ways to express the emotions that go along with the themes of its roots.

Staying in a small town, leaving a small town, going to the city, not going to the city. Oh, and don't forget meeting a girl, losing a girl, or the girl going to the city. And drinking.

At heart, Two Cow Garage is unabashedly a country act. Driven by the quintessential country boom-chuck drum beat and undeniable hillbilly bass lines, when they decide they want to rock, they do it well.

But on The Wall Against Our Back, they also decide to be awful from time to time.

Contact the A&E Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.