I donât believe any sort of cosmic alchemy exists when it comes to musicians, but Pushy has me thinking twice. The members of this Portland band create some truly righteous rock ânâ rollâif it were 1975, theyâd be sharing stages with the likes of ZZ Top or KISS and playing to thousands of weed-smoking longhairs every night.
But itâs 2018, and this kind of heavy rock is pretty much relegated to musicâs nether regions. And while Pushy might get labeled as âretroâ or âthrowback,â Iâd like to think that theyâre simply playing rock ânâ roll the right wayâcathartic, good-timinâ, and greasy in all the right places.
Whatâs most impressive is how Pushy somehow managed to capture the stank of their shows on wax with their brand-new debut LP, Hard Wish. Opening track âFannysâ gets right to it, with a juicy opening riff fueling tales of living in the country. âBlacktopââarguably the recordâs best songârecalls early Scorpions with a fantastically serene opening that soon gets buried under an avalanche of riffs that never lets up. The album also includes âEl Hongo,â one of Pushyâs earliest recordings, and âLay of the Land,â which flashes the bandâs chops over the course of 10 delicious minutes.
Pushy wear their influences on their denim jackets, while lyrics occasionally stew in classic rock tropes. But they have an advantage over the countless other bands attempting to party like itâs 1975, and their rĂ©sumĂ© is spotless, with members hailing from former Portland heavyweights like Hosmanek, Fellwoods, and Billions and Billions. Burke has a set of pipes that could shatter glass (he once joked itâs because he wears his trousers extra tight), although he never abuses his powers. Guitarist Ron Wesleyâs bag of licks fills out Pushyâs sound without getting in the way. And the rhythm section of bassist Neal Munson and drummer Travis Clow absolutely steamrolls, but they also give each other room to breathe.
Pushy may have caught lightning in a bottle on Hard Wish, but Iâm certain theyâve got plenty more where that came from (like I said, there might be greater forces at work in bringing these four cats together). Whatever it is, Iâll have what theyâre having.