Music
Press
Best of Houston
J.W. Americana
Readers Choice Award 2004
for Best Band
Lady D, UME, Chango Jackson, Clouseaux and Los Skarnales all impressed Lomax, but JW Americana — who weren’t even scheduled to play — stole the afternoon upstairs at the Rice Hotel. Noting that the Rice is where JFK spent his last night alive, Lomax was musing on JW singer Rodney Elliot‘s resemblance to the policeman in the famous photo of Lee Harvey Oswald‘s capture. Then something else attracted his attention.
As the band sang about hot dogs, I was subconsciously thinking of this when Elliott and JW Americana bass player Doug Kosmo went all Madonna-Britney on us, French-kissing right there on stage,” he reported. “Jesse Jones probably went into convulsions in his grave.” - Houston Press
Plenty of Houston bands get signed. They just rarely get famous. J.W. Americana wants fame. And while unsigned, the band (Rodney Elliott, Shane Lauder, Doug Kosmo and Arthur Moreno) has promise. Wickedly named after a controversial American expat, the band's music is just as uncompromising, bold and rooted as a suicide bomber's conviction. But we'd be missing the point if we didn't stress that J.W. Americana puts on a seriously fun show. A recent performance at Helios was easily the best rock show Houston has seen in half a decade. And, we understand, the group's song "I Fucking Love It" is huge in Milwaukee. A couple of national tours, and it's Ed Sullivan Theater. - Houston Press
Discography
The Pink Albumen
Black Eggs
Photos
Bio
In the tradition of great Houston underground rock bands like Culturcide and de Schmog, J.W. Americana is helping reinvigorate a local scene that’s been in a coma since the aforementioned bands laid the conduit for the indie rock explosion of the ‘90s. But J.W. Americana doesn’t adhere to codes of cred, nor does it wink at musical styles and influences. J.W. Americana is a flagrant original. The landscape of American music is covered: searing blues, epic country, pounding punk, even hip-hop.
Former Lowbrow member, Rodney Chinelliott, who has collaborated with Daniel Johnston and Ralph Carney, brings manic energy, slide guitar and bizarre humor. He has to do it! J.W. Americana has a good handle on the emotions of rock ‘n’ roll.
Through surreal, absurd songs like “Water,” to the disturbing, politically laced “N.R.A.,” and into the rousing ecstasy of “I Fucking Love It,” J.W. Americana paints a spectacular musical portrait. After the screams of “Gasoline” die down, you’ll swear you smelled fumes. “Hot Dogs” jumps from a comical, faux-tender send off into a furious hurricane. At first, you’ll want to write off “Hot Dogs” as a well-executed joke, but the band goes serious with it, and we watch open-mouthed, realizing: wow, there really weren’t any hot dogs in JW’s hometown. That must’ve sucked for him, but thank fucking god for us.
J.W. leaves you drained, tingling and full of fucking joy.
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