These days, getting a working class authenticity in rock ‘n’ roll isn’t easy. Hipsters do indie rock, and the young people are listening to EDM & hip-hop. Meanwhile, aged veterans are just getting more aged – and richer. Oh, and the working class is disappearing. But as The Gunshy, Matt Arbogast brings that grit & gravel on Porterhouse.
The gravel is in Arbogast’s voice, rough and ready in a way that many singers reach for, but far fewer achieve. This adds weight to his anthemistic workingman’s rock, such as “11-7” and hometown piece “Lancaster, PA”, or how “Someone Else Should Sing” evokes original Springsteen. The blue-collar attitude works on brighter pieces like the uplifting “Stage”, the sadder stripped storytelling about a woman “Emily”, and even the wry closer “Write Better Songs”.
The American working class isn’t dead yet, and neither is American rock ‘n’ roll – see The Gunshy’s Porterhouse.
