1776 [Band]

Photo by Fathead.

Years ago I considered 1776 one of the finest up and coming group of rock and roll youngsters in the country.  Well, time has only changed a few things for these amazingly talented youths.  Sure they’re not as young as they used to be, but that doesn’t really matter considering they have never really had a youthful sound to begin with.  They are still attached to the likes of The Dandy Warhols and The Hugs via The Dandy’s own label, Beat The World Records.  They’ve grown their hair out a bit, and they may have seen a bit more of the world with a never ending touring schedule, at the very least regular spots in their favorite Portland, Oregon area venues.  Hell, they even scored their very own limited edition chocolate filled themed doughnut at Voodoo Donuts.  Now, if that isn’t impressive, you obviously no nothing about anything.

But, what is most amazing about how far 1776 has come is the advancement in their classic rock styling of songwriting and performing that I never believed they could truly improve upon.  I secretly feared that this is a group with the potential to peak far too early, and be sadly thrown to the wolves of pretentiousness and savage disgust of “could have beens”.  Their style was unique when they first arrived on the streets of Portland.  Sounding old, somewhat bitter, yet totally refreshing, they snuck their way into bars they weren’t allowed to be in to bring old fashion rock and roll, possibly to PBR drinking hipsters initial dismay, but quickly found a way into our hearts.  And if they were simply unique a few years ago, it’s almost impossible to describe them now.

Two years ago, friend and (soon to be) fellow Train Wreck’d contributor, had this to say about the boys at Fensepost.com:

“When performing live the band pulses, and burns through numbers like a lost train careening down a track to hell. This isn’t metal, this isn’t punk, it’s pure rock and roll the way it was meant to be played. If you miss the Stripes and have lost faith in the Kings of Leon, longing for the Youth and Young Manhood to come back, then this band is for you.”

And honestly, nothing has really changed considerably.  Their a bit older, and more experienced these days.  And with that experience, they have managed to take their brand of pure rock and roll, and turn it into something mystically similar to the likes of any super star or rising talent of the late 60’s.  Basically, the song remains the same for 1776, but the progress that the band has made has been amazing.  Now with very little effort, I can easiley say, they can only move up from here.

Find more information and music from the band at their Website, and on Facebook.