After 18 years in hibernation, 6 String Drag is back with Roots Rock ‘N’ Roll, out February 10 on Royal Potato Family. Cut live to tape, the effort is equal parts slap-back swagger and openhearted honesty—a triumphant return that celebrates rock’s first golden age by virtue of the grace, wit and insight found in frontman Kenny Roby’s songwriting. The exhilarating new LP is a reminder of all things real, pure and old school rock ‘n’ roll: Roy Orbison, The Everly Brothers, Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters and Gene Vincent among its unabashed influences.
“The songs I was writing in the months leading up to the recording were about being teenagers, about hanging out and passing time in small towns. It was the result of revisiting some of my earliest rock ‘n’ roll influences. We all love The Beatles, The Stones, the psychedelic movement, but I was going back to the roots before that and soaking it all in heavily. I became a super-fan again, studying what made some of my favorites tick, both musically and lyrically,” says Roby. “We like to think this record was made in the spirit of one of our heroes, Doug Sahm. He did so many kinds of music that influenced him and wasn’t afraid to try to touch on the music that he loved.”
“Drive Around Town”:
