Music Preview: The Pack A.D. Unleash the Blues

Vancouver may not feel like the hot and bothered bayou of the deep south, the place where blues is born, bred and put out to the killing floor night after night. You couldn't be faulted for being resistant to the place of a modern, old-school blues band from right here in Terminal City. And you may be disarmed after hearing the work of The Pack A.D. to discover the fierce conviction they play with, the lyrical bite of a lover forlorn or the whisky-soaked growl of a hell-torn rambler.

These two ladies whip up a fury of sound on their full-length debut Tintype, enough so that anything more that can be wrenched from Becky Black's slide guitar and impassioned vocals or Maya Miller's accentuated drumming would be a detriment to their health. This is a deep, passionate album full of woe & fury - a roadside blues bomb going off in all directions. Sometimes simmering on the sultry side, sometimes reining in the chops, it's no wonder Tintype was the number one album on CiTR 101.9FM in 2007.

To celebrate the official release of Tintype on Mint Records, The Pack A.D. are having a party this Saturday night at the Railway Club. Not just a showcase for the band, more so the scene, they have assembled a motley collection of like-minded musicians from around these parts to really make it a happening.

Vancouver's Thee Manipulators and The Trap Doors round out the bill with a double dose of garage rock while Portland's DJ HWY 7 spins Mississippi Hill Country, Memphis R&B and Northern Soul between sets.

Leave your inhibitions at the door and get lost in the haunting sounds of The Pack A.D. while you wash away your own winter blues with a little JD and a lot of soul.

Photo by Mark Maryanovich