Monthly Crush: The Hard Lessons

I love having my socks knocked off unexpectedly, and a few weeks ago I had Detroit’s The Hard Lessons to thank for that. I was at O’Brien’s Pub in Allston to see headliners The Sterns with my pal Charlie, who hosts/produces Well-Rounded Radio, an excellent monthly podcast. The Hard Lessons were first on the bill, and after they left the stage there was really no reason to stick around — there was no topping them that night.

I had no expectations for the opening act at a tiny club off the beaten path outside Boston, and maybe that’s why I dug The Hard Lessons so much. They started performing the opening number without any introduction at all, dispersed through the crowd. Ko Ko Louise started singing with a voice that made me look up from my Newcastle — her voice is deliciously soulful with just a hint of at least a second-hand smoking habit. To my left drummer “The Anvil” (who might have the best. stage name. ever.) started shaking a tambourine, and singer/guitarist Augie (a dead ringer for the bearded Dave Grohl) strummed his unplugged guitar in another part of the audience. By the end of the song, they’d grouped on stage, plugged in, and began to kick complete ass.

At times they were bluesy, at others they were new-wavey, but at all times they were having fun and doing their best to make sure we were, too. That I love. They played the tiny, sparsely-populated club as if it were a sold out Wembley, and the good times were as infectious as their tunes. Count me a convert.

They’re sadly done with the road for a while, but the good times keep rolling on disc. They’re in the process of releasing a series of EPs this year (B&G Sides Vols. 1-4), and they’re giving the first 3 volumes away on their website, with the fourth to come later this year. Here are my favorite tunes from that bunch, both of which they played at O’Brien’s:

Download: The Hard Lessons, “See and Be Scene” (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: The Hard Lessons, “Shake My Tree” (mp3)

(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Like what you hear? You can snag their Wise Up! EP at the iTunes Store and get the B&G Sides EPs and their debut album Gasoline at their online store.