Two years ago, Dicks bassist Buxf Parrott began dragging an upright bass and guitarist/co-vocalist Todd Kassens to local coffee houses to woodshed songs that didn’t require eardrum-damaging amplification for power. Bolstered by drummer Alan Williams and the shrieking harp and skronking sax of garage/blues kingpin Walter Daniels, Uncle Pie Hole has developed this oddball murder blues/folk/country hybrid they call “hard folk.” In reality, it’s acoustic punk rock. Parrott’s raw populist ranters “Big Oil,” “Killing Spree,” and “Wasted” wouldn’t be out of place in a Dicks set. Meantime, Kassens wrote a mordant batch of strummers in “Control” and “Neutered” so soaked in Lee Hazlewood’s country-goth peculiarity that Nick Cave is likely to start sniffing around any minute. If these 11 songs prove anything, it’s that punk transcends its trademark sonics. Uncle Pie Hole pivots on attitude and content, utilizing whatever tools these Dicks have at their disposal, even if it’s an acoustic guitar and doghouse bass.
This article appears in August 10 • 2018.
