Rock
and roll, in its conventional hard-rock form, seems to have all but
disappeared. Who practices this archaic type of musical expression,
with its earnest guitar-bass-drums-vocals format and no
acknowledgment of irony or speed metal, alt country, world music, hip
hop, emo, or any other musical fashion of the past 20 years except
grunge? Pearl Jam seems the last vestige of this noble tradition with
both credibility and market presence.
Trend-chasing
is less prevalent at the local level, of course, and Kewanee's
Drunk Dead Gorgeous - playing at Penguin's Comedy Club on March
16 - creates unapologetic guitar rock that's heartfelt and played
with passion. With its emphasis on acoustic guitars, the band's
new-ish album, The Great
Disillusion, sounds a lot
like a collection of power ballads.