Chuck Ragan preview

Chuck Ragan
Metro, Chicago
Thursday, September 9, 2007

By now, we’re pretty used to the whole rock-band-dude-mellows-out-for-a-unplugged story, so former Hot Water Music frontman Chuck Ragan releasing an acoustic record isn’t too surprising.

After all, this fraternity of tattooed softies includes Greg Graffin of Bad Religion, John Doe of X, Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine/Audioslave, The Get Up Kids’ Matthew Pryor, and Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba (who headlines this show Thursday night). Ragan’s debut studio effort, Feast Or Famine (SideOneDummy), was released August 7th and proves he’s a pretty solid pledge. The key to Feast Or Famine is Ragan never tries to reach beyond his limits and be too arty, cute, or complicated. He goes all-out folk with the help of violin and mandolin on “Do You Pray” and the Pogues-ish “It’s What You Will,” but the album’s 12 tracks mostly showcase Ragan, his harmonica, and an acoustic guitar, which he strums with the vigor of the punk rocker he was. Check that. Still is. “The Grove” and album standout “Between The Lines” are no-nonsense punk anthems with or without the aid of a distortion pedal, and the angst behind “California Burritos” (“I can’t stand feelin’ nothin’/I can’t stand feelin’ old/I can’t stand standin’ for nothin’ when standin’ up is all I know”) is strong enough to make you forget about the track’s accordion.

Hot Water Music may have just been a so-so band, but if Feast Or Famine is any indication, Ragan is putting together the makings of a terrific solo career.

– Trevor Fisher

Click here for streaming samples of Feast Or Famine.

Category: Stage Buzz, Weekly