Hank and the Skinny 3 Seconds to Destruction
Fuel Records
When it comes to this rock 'n' roll stuff, you can feel the difference between the music made by the people who are just passing through and the art of the committed lifers. The latter's songs have a rich, seasoned grain that comes only with paying their dues and paying attention. Michael O'Neill, who leads Hank and the Skinny 3, is definitely among that set, a quality shines brightly on Seconds to Destruction, his band's third album.
Before landing in the Hudson Valley, O'Neill split his time between the 1970s and 1980s Minneapolis and New York punk scenes, performing with underground greats the Honeymoon Killers and Bad Thing. Although his admitted influences (electric Dylan, Velvet Underground, Alex Chilton, Modern Lovers, Rolling Stones) are abundant, it clear here how deeply his Twin Cities-era absorption of local boys the Replacements has soaked into O'Neill's boozy, garage-y rock 'n' roll cask—a positive element, to be sure. Timeless tunes within, so snap this one up
