Poke
Boise, Idaho, United States | SELF
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"Are you ready to get Poked?" Those were the first words spoken through the mic. Ever since my buddy Levi found out about Poke, he had been bugging me the whole week prior to their show to come check them out. He was really pumped on their music and with a strong recommendation coming from him, I never would've suspected Poke to be a country band. It's just not really the type of music I could ever picture Levi nor myself ever getting into. I was a bit hesitant to go but he assured me that Poke isn't run of the mill. They're equipped with two electric guitars, drums and a stand-up bass that's bigger than I am. They also have these amazing, yet simple shirts which read, "Fuck yeah, it's country."
Lead vocalist and guitarist Brad Deteau describes Poke as "a mix of ass-kickin' country, hillbilly and rock & roll." Watching and hearing them play live made that very apparent. Their sound has a strong rock and roll influence but there is a distinguishable flair of country fueling it all.
Bobby Gray (guitarist and t-shirt slogan genius) put it best when he said, "It's music played from the heart and not the balls. It's not about getting laid, it's about the humor in not getting laid. Would I describe Poke as Punk Country? No. It's fucking country music."
Drawing inspirations from heavy hitters like Johnny Cash, Hank Williams (1 and 3) and Wayne Hancock, Poke is undeniably country. As my buddy Levi assured me though, they're definitely not run of the mill. Sure they have the heart and sentimental souls but they also have some attitude and a lot of spunk. They're the type of band who can make country appealing to just about anybody.
After their set, they commented on it being more toned down than usual and with the amount of energy they played with, I'm curious to see what the "usual" is like. They don't play too many shows though but if you're interested in checking them out, come to the Student Union Building in BSU at 6pm tomorrow (10/19). They're playing as part of the University Pulse Rockstar 101 free concert series.
- Boise Beat Review
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
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Bio
Educated in the famous bars of Austin, Texas, Brad Deteau was steeped in Country, Western Swing, Blues, and the Hickoids. Bearing witness to legendary riverside festivals, late night brawls, and Sunday walks of shame back from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, B-Rad picked up a guitar and began to formulate some ides of his own. After a stint in dreamy Santa Barbara, he ended up in the ultimate trucker’s town, Boise, Idaho, a town where the Big Rigs used to make way through the busiest part of town, gearing down in front of the Capitol steps. After a few years, he happened across a young cow-billy, by the name of Diesel, with a doghouse bass and a punk-rock spirit. Right there and then Poke was born.
Based on the deep voice of the doghouse and the clicking rhythm of fingers on strings, the songs in their heads began to come alive. Before long, the need for a stronger back-beat brought Smokin’ J. Raised on a steady diet of great drummers, J has gobbled up all of the right things about being a drummer, and spit out all the bad. Capable of doing about anything a song could need, he fit right in and closed the circle. With this addition, Poke started hitting the bars and calling the tunes.
Poke has shared the stage with some underground legends and other up-and-comers: Asylum Street Spankers, Chop Tops, Big John Bates, Hellbound Glory, Jeremiah James, Pinto Bennett, Jesse Dayton, Stan Ridgway, the Wilders, Slim Cessna’s Auto Club, Cash'd Out, Carrie Rodriguez, and more.
Poke is packin’ the bars with Pokers and Pokettes, and calling them the Poke Nation … not an army yet, but at least a battalion singin’ along, clappin’, and shoutin’ on cue. Dancing bears, stage-stop hold-ups, cuttin’ heads, and fillin’ dance floors with tales of windswept truck-stop beauties, hillbilly lovers, and weekend runs on the border. Is it Punk, is it Rock-a-billy, or is it Country? Real Country. Oh, its country alright. Hell yeah, its country.
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