Friday ACL Fest Platter: Ron Gallo
One record from ACL Fest Friday we really dig
Reviewed by Rachel Rascoe, Fri., Oct. 13, 2017
Ron Gallo
Heavy Meta (New West)Philly rocker's premiere full-length paints dark portraits of off-kilter domesticity jolted to life with high-voltage levels of garage and psych. A mother's cigarette ashes fall in her stroller on bold "Why Do You Have Kids?," but then society, and Gallo himself, have their own dependency problems in "Kill the Medicine Man." Infectious Nashville stomp and tongue-in-cheekiness liven up Heavy Meta, distinguished by the songwriter's mouthy twang that built over years with Americana group Toy Soldiers. His vocal yips à la Oh Sees fade into mirroring guitar wails. As promised by the name, things get meta, and heavy, but also really fun. (12:30pm, American Express stage)
