Working-class heroes? Weedhawks fit the bill

By John Benson

The group released three discs in 2006 alone.

After spending his youth chasing punk dreams, singer-guitarist Bobby Lane has discovered a new alt-country world with his duo The Weedhawks, which also includes his girlfriend Ruby Jean (fiddle, mandolin and vocals).

“We are a rock band turned acoustic,” said Lane, calling from his Morgantown, W.Va., home. “We’re now kind of a roots-y band with a rock attitude. Ruby Jean and myself both played in heavy rock bands and metal bands. I started traveling and hooked up with Hank III for a little while. He really inspired me to take a bar-oriented, good-time feeling.

“He pointed me in a direction of a lot of things to investigate – Texas swing and things like that came into play. It became a lot more effective gig with the beer drinking audiences.”

Formed roughly six years ago, The Weedhawks were originally a four-piece; however, Lane soon discovered it was easier playing gigs as an acoustic duo. The twosome has remained active by touring when it isn’t recording. So far the act has six discs to its credit, including the three it released in 2006.

Lane said he’s writing material for the band’s seventh album, which they hope to release later this year. Among the 25 new songs in the mix, The Weedhawks are now playing unreleased track “Less Stress, Less Money, No Job,” which Lane said kowtows directly to its working-class fanbase.

“That’s a fun number about being unemployed,” Lane said. “It’s got kind of a punk-ass attitude I’d say. We have a lot of experience with bar material. A lot of hard drinking years, a lot of hard partying years and that comes into play in the subject matter, because that’s who we’re playing for.

“We’re playing for a bunch of hard drinkers and people that want to forget about the week and they don’t want any [expletive]. They want you to work hard. That’s what we try to do.”

The way Lane describes it, you kind of expect a scene out of “The Blues Brothers” where the band plays behind chicken wire and makes sure its insurance premiums were paid up in full before hitting the stage. Then again, this veteran has seen it all, including past dates in Youngstown at the Royal Oaks and Cedars Lounge.

“I always enjoyed playing Youngstown,” Lane said. “I used to play solo, and I had a very gritty show, a lot of dark humor and sarcasm. Youngstown fit that like a glove. I always felt at home in Youngstown.

“If you bring that kind of attitude to a bunch of rural places, people are going to step back and look at you funny, but in Youngstown, I felt like I fit right in. So I always look forward to going back.”

Lane said he’s looking forward to The Weedhawks’ return to Cedars Lounge on Friday to once again prove it’s the music, not the number of musicians on stage, that make a show interesting.

“It’ll be different and something you don’t see everyday,” Lane said. “It’s what I say is the energy of a whole band, with just two people. We’re going to work our ass off and hope everybody has a good time.”