The musical recipe for the Yayhoos is deceptively simple:
Two parts Georgia Satellites, one part Del Lords.
Two parts whiskey, one part Jesus.
Equal parts muscle and heart, mixed with as little premeditation as possible.
Like kindred musical magpies the Skeletons, the Yayhoos are less concerned with haute cuisine than the rock ‘n’ roll equivalent of comfort food. As survivors of previous roots-rock scares — Dan Baird as frontman for the Georgia Satellites, guitarist/producer Eric “Roscoe” Ambel with the Del-Lords — these guys learned long ago not to take their artistic aspirations too seriously or to tailor their tastes to fit the latest fashion.
Seemingly spurred by a deep thirst, an eclectic musical appetite, and what one of the songs calls “a man-size hankerin’ for your love,” the two team with journeyman bassist Keith Christopher and drummer Terry Anderson (who wrote the Satellites’ “Battleship Chains”) for a bash-’em-out collection that anyone who loves bar bands will find impossible to resist.
From the offhand tribute to Jackie Gleason on the album-opening “What Are We Waiting For” through the majestic finale of Abba’s “Dancing Queen”, the Yayhoos devour a feast of pop-cultural inspiration. You’ll hear echoes of Humble Pie on “Get Right With Jesus”, Keith Richards on “I Can Give You Everything”, The Band and Muscle Shoals on “Bottle And A Bible”, even early Elvis Costello & the Attractions on “Hunt You Down”.
Yet with all these disparate strains and with four guys sharing the frontman duties, the Yayhoos sound not only like a cohesive band, they sound like every band that ever staggered through three sets a night for all the beer they could drink.
