The Upper Peninsula is like another world compared to the rest of Michigan.
It's really cold, there's plenty of places without electricity or a Meijer and there's rarely a traffic jam.
And Yoopers are their own breed of people, musically. I have never met anyone from the U.P. who wasn't a sucker for the electric guitar.
Paynesville Station is in that category, as they mix hard and classic rock with a little funk and a little Southern rock to possibly create the perfect bar band.
The successful fusion of classic, Southern, country and blues rock gives the group's sound more dimension. Take away the lead guitar and the vocals, Paynesville Station sounds like a band that would have been out-of-control popular in the early 1970s. But, the hard rock influence is evident in the two instruments of biggest focus. Add in consistently funky bass lines and rock ballad lyrics, Paynesville Station is one helluva fun band.
"Train Song" features vocals along the lines of a vintage and healthier Vince Neil and sonically sweet guitar solos. Think Slash.
The first song, "Laid Out, Straight Out," features vocals reminiscent of James Brown's growling soul sound. This song is the most funky thing I've heard from anyone anywhere north of Mount Pleasant.
"Forbidden Fruit" is a hard-rock song with its heavily distorted, jammable forefront notes.
The soulful rock vocals provided intermittently by rhythm guitarists Steve Aho and Aaron Radzwilowicz can appease both hard rock and funk fans.
Some songs, such as "Rifleman," take on a jazzy feel with Rob Hunter's active basslines; the same goes for "2 Rhinos."
But "2 Rhinos" also takes on a space feel, with the melodic ring of the bass and the Arabic-influenced guitar solos. The song's chorus is very Pink Floyd, but although it's easy to tell what music has influenced the musicians of Paynesville Station, the band still is unique.
"Dig Me a Hole" draws heavily on blues rhythm guitar and steady, classic beats, but the scratchy vocals and distorted lead guitar give it a rough edge.
Other songs, such as "Downtown," prove Paynesville Station truly is a jam band. The danceable drums and bass in this song could go on for an hour and never seem uninteresting.
Some songs such as "On My Way Gone" are pure classic and Southern rock, predictable, but damn good.
Paynesville Station has the charm of Southern rock, the BIC-wielding quality of classic rock, the danceabliity of jazz and funk all standing strong behind the band's loud, hard-rock attitude.
Suggested listening: While driving your 1986 F-250 down a county road north of to the nearest liquor store - 30 miles away.
If you like this, you might also like: ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Alice Cooper
