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"THE MUSIC BUSINESS IS A CRUEL AND SHALLOW MONEY TRENCH, A LONG PLASTIC HALLWAY WHERE THIEVES AND PIMPS RUN FREE, AND GOOD MEN DIE LIKE DOGS...THERE'S ALSO A NEGATIVE SIDE."
----Hunter S. Thompson
"Friday’s show by the Hard Left will be the last hometown gig before the rock quartet jets off to Europe for a four-week (mostly French) tour. With a sharp new Ed Ackerson-produced EP in tow, the group will embark on what sounds like an idyllic spring expedition—playing clubs in Berlin, Paris, Dijon, Montpellier, Beauvais, Roubaix and more. C’est magnifique!
If I didn’t know better, I’d say these seasoned vets were using special performance-enhancing substances to stay Hard. But the truth is, it’s their sincerely passionate love for rock ’n’ roll that keeps ’em going—long after bands half their age have unplugged their amps.
Flanked by guit-virtuosos Tom Lischmann and Mike Leonard (Leonard recently replaced bassist Scott Glaser), and backed by drummer Pat McKenna, frontman Brian Drake writes and delivers the tunes with precision. In the case of the Hard Left, hindsight and experience have led to a well-balanced project that, like a good cocktail, is appropriately proportioned and highly satisfying. Drake is the fresh lime to Lischmann’s tequila—adding just the right mix of power-pop rhythm and vocals to riff-heavy numbers that feature Lischmann’s prowess. Leonard is flawless on bass (and quite a chameleon—see him live just to admire his sartorial diversity) and McKenna is solid—literally never missing a beat.
The Hard Left EP is a tasty follow up to the band’s 2006 release, The Avant Garde Sounds of the Hard Left—four hard-driving, foot-stomping numbers that will leave you wanting more. Expect an EP-release party late in May when the band returns." Liberty Finch - Reveille Magazine
"In Chinese dualist philosophy, balance and harmony are represented by yin and yang. In Midwestern rock 'n' roll ontology, these principles are embodied by the Hard Left. Frontman/guitarist Brian Drake is at once an old soul and a young spirit—a well-seasoned, hard-driving rocker/songwriter with unbridled fervor who's as happy sipping green tea as drinking beer and who'll quote William Blake or praise Tom Petty. Decades of writing, performing, and touring in band after band after band, and more than one close encounter with elusive national acclaim have hardly dampened his drive. On the contrary, this earnest veteran is at the top of his game. Penning all eight tracks from last year's Ed Ackerson-produced dynamo The Avant-Garde Sounds of the Hard Left, Drake and comrades Tom Lischmann (guitar), Scott Glaser (bass), and Pat McKenna (drums) have had a damn good year, earning accolades from Little Steven and the Underground Garage posse, signing with French-based Kill City Booking and Management, and attracting a slew of internet myfans. Early next year the band returns to the studio, then jets to Europe for a 15-city spring tour. Catch 'em while you can..." Nancy Sartor/City Pages
"...the Ed Ackerson produced retro Britpop debut disc is full of Kinks-like pop-punk and Byrds-y jangle, and frontman Brian Drake has an Andy-Partridge-meets-Tom-Petty thing going on..." Minneapolis Star-Tribune
"Go right now, listen to "Lover Girl."...
This is what we call ..classic hard-drivin.., brawny power pop... One does not hear this style of pop enough because too many bands are afraid of either sounding ..too pop.. or ..too rock.. and skirt the challenge of having it both ways. Produced crisp, clean and sharply by Ed Ackerson(Polara, Jayhawks, The Replacements, Antenna), "The Avant-Garde Sounds Of The Hard Left" turns the guitars up and works up a sweat with a style of music that merges all kinds genres (yup, power pop, but plenty of desert-rock, new wave, 60..s Brit-Invasion, punk and probably more!) but blending it all together... it..s a cohesive, consistently excellent batch of hard rocking power pop to these ears. One moment you..ll hear the roots-rock greatness of Green On Red, The Replacements or Georgia Satellites, the next the 60..s Brit-Invastion genius of The Chesterfield Kings, the next the jangle new-wave power pop mixture of Raspberries, Cheap Trick and The Knack ("Take It Out On Me").
Bottom Line: Power. Pop. The Hard Left rocks..n pops without missing any of the potent abilities of melody pasted onto their songs! The open chorded sounds sweep, largely accessible strokes all wrapped up in gruffy, good natured hooks..n melodies. So what..s not to embrace here? ..Nada.. as all of The Hard Lefts.. songs wrap themselves snugly to these rocking ruminations. This 30 minute, 8 song power-step exercise in guitar mechanics and pumping melody is a Midwestern (they are from Minneapolis) gem that is very much EXTREMELY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!...Not Lame Records
"Their very cool 'n impressive, 8-song debut is chock full of Plimsouls inspired, garage guitar pop! And we mean lotsa jangly and crunchy guitars here folks! They also sprinkle in some tasty keyboard accents throughout too. The leadoff track "Who She's Gonna Turn To", and the jangly, ringing guitar-filled, power pop gem "Lover Girl", both coulda fit nicely on the 'Souls "Everywhere At Once"! "Sad Soft & Sleepy" flat out rocks! Midwest garage pop at it's very best! EXCELLENT!!!...koolkatmusik.com
"Here is a really cool band from Minneapolis....The Hard Left have a really good album on their hands. The opener, "Who She's Gonna Turn To" is like a lost Smithereens tune. "Take It Out On Me" is a great song that really hits an aggressive vibe. The rest of the album stays loud and fast-sometimes morphing into Southern Culture On The Skids on the songs "Lost Not Found" and "Sad, Soft and Sleepy." Not that there's anything wrong with that...Ultimately this is a really good CD consisting of eight hard rockin' tracks. It's even better if you're overdosed on caffeine." PowerPopaholic
"Driving rock is what you're going to hear when you take a listen to The Avant-Garde Sounds Of The Hard Left...the tunes here are straight-ahead garage guitar rockers with strong choruses and great vocal work. For comparisons sake, their sounds remind us of city-mates Hindu Rodeo and The Replacements and a couple of other not-so-local bands like Ruth Ruth and The Kinks." Whitsbrain.com/365Live
"The Hard Left hail from Minneapolis, and they have the garage power-pop sound the area is known for (i.e., The 'Mats). This release is an 8-track mini-CD that's all killer, no filler with the top tracks being "Lover Girl", "Who She's Gonna Turn To" and "Take It Out On Me"....If Steven Van Zandt isn't featuring these guys on his Underground Garage, it's probably because he hasn't heard them yet." Absolute Powerpop
BOOKING U.S. CONTACT brdrake@msn.com (or message here)
Order our CD from us directly via PayPal to brdrake@msn.com "The Avant-Garde Sounds Of The Hard Left" $8 and the "Euro Tour 2008 EP" $5
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