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The Yayhoos - Put the Hammer Down

By Stoney ⋅ January 12, 2007 ⋅

The Yayhoos - Put the Hammer Down The Yayhoos play good ol’ fashioned red blooded American rock & roll! Not surprising when you consider the Yayhoos are an American quartet made of mostly southern bred rockers. So how come it is then, an American band that most of American has never heard of, tours and performs for a rabid following in places such as Spain, Germany, Japan and the UK? First one must realize who the Yayhoos are.

All four Yayhoos are card carrying rock and roll vets with a resume thicker than a Shakespeare novel and muddier than a Mississippi dirt road after a rain storm. Guitarist Eric Ambel was a founding member of the Del-Lords AND Joat Jett’s now famous Blackhearts and most recently was the lead guitarist for Steve Earl’s band the Dukes. Terry Anderson has beat the skins for the likes of the Fabulous Knobs and has written songs recorded by Etta James and Jo Dee Messina. Bassist Keith Christopher was an original member of the Georgia Satellites and has toured with Billy Joe Shaver, Tony Joe White, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Paul Westerberg. And guitarist vocalist Dan Baird? Well you may remember him from a little ditty that just about every roadhouse band has covered called “Keep Your Hands to Yourself”. Yep, we’re talking Mr. Baird of those same Georgia Satellites. But enough of the players, what about the music?

“Put the Hammer Down” starts off with a clunky rocker called “Where’s Your Boyfriend at?” courtesy of Anderson with vocals from Baird. This one even comes complete with a chunky bass solo and is the perfect jerky dance number. This number could have easily been on either of Baird’s solo CD’s or Anderson’s Olympic Ass-Kicking Team release.

“All Dressed Up” is a fine blend of Izzy Stradlin, Stones and the Faces. Matter of fact, most of “Put the Hammer Down” lies in this territory with a few nasty blues stompers like “Never Give an Inch” or “Would It Kill” dropped in for maximum drinking effect. It’s an easy mix drink of English Whiskey rock and Southern bar room blues.

Surely we’ve heard most of this before just not for a long time. Good fun rock & roll made for a sreamy backwoods friday night and a cold case of PBR. In a perfect world this would be an instant Camaro classic. Unfortunately in today’s world it seems like only the English, Spanish and Japanese have good enough taste to appreciate such a delicious plate of good home-cooked rock & roll.

To check out Dan and the boys and to hear samples of the entire cd, visit The Yayhoos Online.