Today, GuitarWorld.com presents the exclusive premiere of "Pork 'n Slaw," a new song by Wolf!, a Brooklyn-based band featuring guitarist Scott Metzger.
The track is from the band's second album, 1-800-WOLF!, which will be released October 14 viaRoyal Potato Family.
Metzger—a Tele player in the spirit of Danny Gatton, Roy Buchanan and James Burton—has played with everyone from Phil Lesh & Friends, Moby to Nicole Atkins and beyond.
"This is a first take with all of us—including bassist Jon Shaw and drummer Taylor Floreth—playing together live in the same room with no overdubs to tape," Metzger says. "'Pork n Slaw' has been kicking around in our live set for a long time now, but we've never been able to get a version of it in the studio we were happy with until now... ."
1-800-WOLF! represents everything that eludes chest-thumping power trios and even small jazz ensembles. Nobody shows off. There are no fireworks, no screaming solos. In their place, the music of Wolf! overflows with atmosphere—a wisp of Parisian swing in “Oaxaca Ox,” a dreamy seaside mist in “Bohemian Grove,” a Tarantino moonlight spell on “Furry Freedom,” a creamy, gorgeous texture on “Denim Love Affair,” where Metzger’s solo, as always unadorned by effects, is so spare it’s almost not there. And on every track, silences speak as eloquently as the notes they surround.
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
