Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
The Down Trunks deliver rock, roots n' Americana and released "Three Rings and A Dagger" in 2006. Definitely seated in Americana, "Three Rings" takes you all over the place, from the heavier seemingly Supersuckers influenced rock on "Too Lazy To Die" to a sound that is reminiscent of Festus, Missouri's The Bottlerockets, yet all the while maintaining originality. Somewhere around the middle of the album the sound seems to head towards the pop, but before you know it they bring it back around with a dirty blues song fittingly called "Worn Out Blues" that would go over well in the vampire bar in "From Dusk to Dawn". In the end they drive it on home with some head on Americana Rock. This is one fine album and a must have for you Americana fans looking to support your local musicians. –jaq
- Saddogblog (www.argumentmachine.com/saddogblog
Yeah, the name's a spoonerism of town drunks. But we can forgive that. The music hits a pleasant, boozy stumble now and then, but these KC boys aren't nearly as sloppy or as stupid as such a handle implies. In fact, Rock Incorporated is damn near tasteful, with jittery jangle-pop, mild alt-country seasoning and melodic lead lines that, thank God, owe more to VU or Television than to the Byrds or the Burrito Brothers. The guitar work -- crisp and wide-ranging without showiness -- is the star here. Not that the songs don't kick -- I'll stack the killer choruses of "A Lay Down" and "Falling Up" against any recent indie offering, and the chirps in "Punchcard" will buzz in your head all day -- but the sequencing is a little off. A few too many 5-minute midtempo shuffles gum up the levers, and even though the songs capture the warm lurching feel of knocking back a couple of brews, a little more variety would help. Minor quibbles for an album that manages to be spare and rich at once.
- Alan Scherstuhl: The Pitch KCMO
By Jordan Kerfeld
Issue date: 8/28/06 Section: Culture
My opinion of local bands has mostly been characterized as harsh. I try to stay unbiased and keep bands off an undeserved pedestal where many understandably place them. If a local band doesn't make my ears perk up (and this is often the case), then I won't hesitate to be honest about unexceptional music.
With that said, The Down Trunks' excellent "Three Rings and a Dagger" has immediately earned a position on my exceptions list. Honestly.
The Down Trunks' appealing aural attack contains elements of several genres including country, punk and classic rock. The album's style is upbeat and energetic. The lead vocals shared by David Noyce, Darren Matheson and Ryan Lickteig are a tad on the gritty side, but the style is charming.
Add stellar background music and The Down Trunks create a winning combination.
It's hard to put a finger on what they sound like, which is always a treat for someone who consumes and listens to an unhealthy amount of music. Their music has a unique pop appeal, but the music mostly serves as an ample dose of country rock reminiscent of the southern groups of the 1970s.
The album features fast songs, slow songs and everything in between. Laid-back country bunker tunes like "Broken Dreams" surprisingly stand up against propulsive rockers like "Too Lazy to Die."
My favorite track is without a doubt the closer. The infectious "Hair Do" is an anxious song with catchy surf guitar riffs and quirky vocals that vaguely channel David Byrne.
"Three Rings and a Dagger" is a great collection of songs from a homegrown talent that is worth putting on a pedestal. The album is welcoming to listeners from all backgrounds of musical taste. There is no doubt that such a feat will be rewarded with time.
"Can you feel me now?" Darren Matheson growls on the excellent "Fu Man Chu."
Check out their CD at www.thedowntrunks.com and you will be able to answer that question, as I have, with a resounding "yes."
- UNEWS
Discography
"Three Rings and a Dagger"-has received both radio and internet play.
"Rock Unincorporated"-has received both radio play and internet streaming.
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
The Down Trunks is a 5 piece rock and roll ensemble that exemplify the essence of midwestern music. We are constantly striving to create something new that still feels familiar. We blend punk, country, rock, blues, and jazz into a musical milkshake...always searching for something tangible and real that doesn't sound as contrived and programed as the bulk of music one hears lately. By ignoring specific genres and letting the song shape itself, we feel like we've created straight ahead grooves that remind one of what it's like to stop turning the dial on their radio and actually hear a song that doesn't make one want to puke. We currently are hanging our collective hats in the Kansas City metropoliton area. We play regionally throughout the midwest mostly on the I-70/I-35 corridors.
Our influences include, but are not limited to Wilco, The Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, Uncle Tupelo, Clem Snide, Johnny Cash, The Grateful Dead, Son Volt, Pete Droge, Whiskeytown, The Old 97's, The Who, Neil Young, Slobberbone, The Promise Ring, The Replacements, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Kings of Leon, Hank Williams Sr., Ian Moore, Golden Smog, Bob Dylan, Ryan Adams, The Traveling Wilburys, Willie Nelson, Split Lip Rayfield, Widespread Panic, Govt. Mule, The Samples, The Allman Brothers Band, Pink Floyd, The Honeydogs, and The Freddy Jones Band.
We have played the following venues: The Bottleneck-Lawrence, KS; Mike's College Bar-Stillwater, OK; The Hurricane-Kansas City, MO; The 400 Bar-Minneapolis, MN; Davey's Uptown-Kansas City, MO; Gunther Murphy's Music Room-Chicago, IL; Mike's Tavern-Kansas City, MO; The Mill-Iowa City, IA; The Grand Emporium-Kansas City, MO; House of Bricks-Des Moines, IA; The Jazzhaus-Lawrence, KS; Roxie's Roost-Tahlequah, OK; The Set List-Warrensburg, MO; Lee's Liquor Lounge-Minneapolis, MN; Kirby's Beer Store-Wichita, KS; The Brick-Kansas City, MO; Frederick's Music Lounge-St. Louis, MO as well as many others
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