Sportsand rock 'n' roll often don't go together. I attribute this phenomenonto high school when rockers and jocks hung in separate cliques. Overthe years, however, the lines have blurred and strange things startedto happen. The Ramones'"Blitzkrieg Bop" was blasted on the P.A. at sporting events. Finefellows like Scott Radinsky managed to create a double life as a MajorLeague Baseball pitcher and the singer of the punk rock band Pulley. (To make matters even more rad, Radinsky even opened a skatepark.)
Now,at a time when we're not quite sure where the lines between rock 'n'roll and sports are--if they exist at all--comes a band called Hockey.They're named after that sport favored by Canadians that's played onice with skates, a puck and sticks, but don't seem to have much to dowith the sport at all.
Hockey, a quartet that hails from Portland, Oregon, has already garnered favorable notices comparing it to LCD Soundsystem and the Rapture with a touch of Strokes' swagger. Folks a bit older might think of Gang Of Four, Talking Heads or Pere Ubu. The band self-released Mind Chaos,its debut album, through CD Baby last year, but has since been snappedup by Capitol Records, which will re-issue the album later this year.
Thething I like most about Hockey--and the aforementioned bands--is thefact they bring rock 'n' roll intensity to the dance floor. As somemight recall, long ago, when dinosaurs ruled the earth, rock and dancemusic were not friends. In fact, many a rocker angrily shouted, "Discosucks!!!" to anyone that would listen. This was wrong on many fronts,including the fact that rock concerts became sausage festivals withnary a woman in sight and dance floors were filled with hot gyratingbabes with not enough men to appreciate their hot gyrations.
Ithink a band like Hockey can bring us all together into one hot,gyrating and rocking love fest, whether it's at the disco or theconcert hall. How about you? Do you think Hockey's the real dealor--like the title of their debut single--are they too fake?
While you're considering that, check out this fan-shot video of the band performing at the Beauty Bar in Las Vegas.