I wanted to kick off Saturday with a bang…you get no more bang than Monkey With A Gun. I love discovering songs like this. It’s catchy, full of energy, and sounds just as good today as it did when it was released. If you’re looking for polished pop, this probably isn’t your band. But if you enjoy guitar-driven rock played by musicians who clearly love what they’re doing, give The Yayhoos a listen. I have a feeling you’ll be happy before the song is over. It’s plainly a dirty little rock and roll song. Dirty as in sound…as in Monkey with a gun. It sounds like it escaped off of Exile on Main Street…and it escaped right to my playlist.
The Yayhoos were formed in the late 1990s as something of a roots-rock supergroup. The lineup featured Dan Baird, formerly of The Georgia Satellites, Warner E. Hodges from Jason & The Scorchers, bassist Keith Christopher (The Georgia Satellites), and drummer Terry Anderson (drummer and songwriter). The song’s vocals were by Eric “Roscoe” Ambel. Ambel wrote the song as well, and he’s the Del-Lords guitarist who also played with Steve Earle. All four had impressive musical backgrounds, and instead of tailoring songs for commercial success, they got together to play the kind of honest, guitar-driven rock they loved. The result was a band that blended rock, country, Southern influences, and plenty of attitude.
One thing I enjoy about digging into roots rock and Americana is finding bands that don’t sound like anyone else. That happened the first time I heard The Yayhoos. I wasn’t sitting there trying to figure out who they reminded me of because I really couldn’t. They simply sounded like a group of good musicians having a great time making rock and roll. Then I heard this…I was hooked on the song and title.
This one grabbed me right away. It’s one of those songs that doesn’t waste any time. The guitars come out swinging, the rhythm section keeps everything moving, and before long you’re tapping your foot without even realizing it. The chorus is catchy, the playing is first-rate, and the whole thing has an energy that reminds me why I still enjoy straightforward rock and roll. There are no gimmicks here. Just four experienced musicians doing what they do best. This song is about Hank Williams Jr.
What I also like is how natural the band sounds. Nobody is trying to steal the spotlight. Every member has enough experience to know when to step forward and when to support the song. That’s one advantage of putting together musicians who have already spent years on the road. They understand that great bands are built on chemistry… not ego.
The Yayhoos also did a cover of Dancing Queen (yes that one!) and I LOVE it.
Monkey With a Gun
Sorry…I could not find any. But hey…it’s a song called Monkey with a Gun…just hum along!
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A very Georgia Satellites feel to this, but that’s no bad thing!
Not a bad thing at all! Thanks Clive.
Baird is easily one of my all time favourite lyricists. The dude is crafty with the English language. lol. Check out “Knocked Up” and “Dixie Boeauderaunt” those lyrics sell both those songs. Thanks for posting this as I will check em out…
Thanks dude…I agree with you. He is really overlooked…he has one also called Another Chance with the Satellites that I liked….and I didn’t know he was in this band…well I didn’t know they existed… I love this dirty sounding low-fi song.
‘another chance” is on the killer “In the land of salvation and sin” record. They played here on that tour and played “another chance” as I recall all 4 guys jamming it out at the front of the stage.
That is cool…I never got to see them. That song won me over to them completely…I like how it sounds like it was recorded on a back porch…
Yeah, totally sounds like that.
Great stuff. New to me though I know all the members. It is something like the Del-Lords but more raw and less of a throw back for sure, and maybe more Georgia Satellites too. What a name for a song, genius.
The name draws you in…and then I love that cascading guitar run as well…that is something like Keith Richards would have came up with. I didn’t know about this band either…but knew about the other bands.
Yes, very ‘Exile’ in style, and there is no pretence just, ‘let’s kick this one off and keep hitting it for three-four minutes.’ OK… now… dare I try ‘Dancing Queen?’
Yes yes yes! I love this style obbverse!
A new one to my ears but a good one.
I couldn’t resist with that title!
I thought this sounded a lot like the Dire Straits song Money For Nothing.
It must have a lot of different sounds to different people. I’ve had Georgia Satellites, The Del-Lords, The Stones, and now Dire Straits…I love the dirtiness of it.
To me it sounds like Georgia Satellites a lot (who themselves sounded a bit like late-60s, early-70s Stones). I like the drumming in its simplicity, it actually grabbed me . Has Anderson done other work?
He is a big songwriter…he wrote Dan Baird’s huge hit…”I Love You Period” and some of the Satellites songs like Battleship Chains…
Your comment on the title makes me think of one of my favorite Homer quotes
https://comb.io/H21wCf
LOL…now I would LOVE to see that!
Shockingly, I love it. To start with, what a cool band name! So is the title of the song, which also is killer! 😎
Oh I love the band name AND the song name…I mean what else could you want? I love the dirty sound they get on this. I thought you would like it.
Love it! Just the idea of a monkey with a gun is scary. Dan Baird can do no wrong with me. Keep the monkey songs coming, there’s a bunch.
I thought you would CB… and this band flat out rocks. Did you know about these guys? Oh yea… searching for monkey songs!
I knew of them on account of following Baird and heard some cuts but not this. Man this is like getting a cool gift and it’s not even my birthday. Some greasy rock which I like and a song about a monkey to boot. CB is going to be a monkey with a cigar today. Good one Max.
A monkey with a cigar… that’s a song right there!
I can’t believe I knew nothing about them… I was surprised to see the connections to other bands. Love that dirty sound
Great find Max. I followed all the respective members of the Satellites on their music journeys. It was a sad day for me when they broke up. Like we have talked about before, a lot of these bands seems to find each other in other projects. Supplies us with lots of music to discover which I’m still doing.
I’ve picked that trick up from you… now I look for these “supergroups” or informal get togethers… good things usually happen. I love these bands that have several other members of different bands
Yes these kinds of get togethers are usually all about the music and being on the same page not some record company pumping out a money grab and putting a half baked idea together.
You see the keyword and money is not in in that…it’s the love of music.
Good, good, good. That first photo of the chimp pointing the gun in the video is too much. Good combination of bandmates. Didn’t know this band existed. I don’t know a lot about Hank Jr. I have heard a little of his music that’s come up on playlists. Is the song true, did something happen to him?
He did fall off a mountain…and he almost died when her was young…the tv movie had Richard Thomas playing him…yes….I said that…John Boy was Hank Williams Jr…I was never a fan…but he was/is a wild guy. He loves guns.
I just LOVED this song.
Now that you mentioned it, I do recall the movie with Richard Thomas, but I never watched it.
That was one of the oddest casting decisions ever. I don’t know if this song is putting him down or not…I could not find the words. I’ve played it almost non stop…it’s one of those songs that affect me like “Happy” by the Stones.