“Well, here we go again. Blah blah blah blah blah folk music. Blah blah blah blah heartstrings. Blah Blah Blah open roads, songs about man’s best friend and drinking cheap beer…stupid grandpa guitars…”

Does the above sentiment describe you? Are you sick of watching skinny guys in cheap bi-colored collared shirts, wearing single colored beanies, playing acoustic guitars and singing about things you really don’t care about? Somehow instead of starting a personal blog these performers decided to bring the contents of their journal to some local cafe and now you are forced to suffer.  Do you want to give folk music a huge bear-hug, so you can place your hands behind its metaphorical back and stick a large hunting knife in its spinal column? Make sure you push said genre down a flight of stairs to ensure a messy death…

If you reacted to all of the above in a positive or negative manner, Pygmy Lush are here to save you. With a name like that you probably think this is some kind of grindcore band, don’t you? Actually, it’s  folk music. Gentle reader, let me explain my reasoning for pulling the rug from underneath you. As annoying as “the f word” can be in the Pacific Northwest, you can’t hate an entire genre of music. That’s silly business, completely unacceptable.  You especially can’t hate a genre of music that is a part of the fabric of this country. Close your eyes, now imagine a Bald Eagle soaring proudly in a cloudless sky. Now is the perfect time for a certain three-letter-nationalist-battle cry, Hacksaw Jim Duggan would be proud.

Pygmy Lush consists of former members of many bands that sound nothing like this one; Pageninetynine, City of Caterpillar and Mannequin just to give you a few examples. These are hardcore kids playing music that is easier on the eardrums than their earlier projects. It is because of the musical chaos that the members of Pygmy Lush created once upon a time that these more “delicate” tunes are more interesting than say, someone who is hellbent on being a conventional singer/songwriter. As a result, the feel and formula of the songs are different and more captivating than most. You’d think there’s only so much you can do with two guitars, a drum set and a bass, but there’s no rules in rock and roll. If you’re smart you’ll realize that you can create whatever the hell you want. I think a majority of musicians fail to realize this. Take a peek at the video above and take and see for yourself. Being a native of Virginia, watching this video gives me a multitude of flashbacks. I see many faces of people I have not seen in a long time, some of which I played shows with, others are people who were in bands I admired and still listen to.

Pygmy Lush played will be at The Northern in Olympia this evening and at the Healthy Times Fun Club tomorrow night (April 1st). Check them out while you can, who knows when the band might grace us rainy day curmudgeon’s with their presence.