Search - Tenderhooks :: Vidalia

David O. (ducky) from STONE MTN, GA
Reviewed on 3/27/2011...

Tenderhooks are a power pop group from Knoxville, TN, formed by two high-school friends, lead singer and rhythm guitarist Jake Winstrom and lead guitarist Ben Oyler, in 2003; bass player Emily Robinson joined in 2004, followed by drummer Robert Koons. The band built up a regional following and released its first EP, Tenderhooks, in 2006 on the Local imprint of The New Beat Records, a label run by Koons. They replaced Koons with Travis W. Schappel, and then came a contract with Rock Snob Records, which released their debut album, Vidalia, on June 26, 2007, shortly after their appearance at the Bonnaroo Festival. After the album was completed, but before it was released, Schappel left the band; he was replaced by Matt Honkonen. Knoxville, TN-based Tenderhooks comes from a long tradition of accessible power pop groups playing tuneful, guitar-based songs. Big Star, Dwight Twilley, and the early R.E.M. all come to mind, and there are plenty of other similar bands. Lead guitarist Ben Oyler comes up with fresh parts to distinguish the songs, however, and he provides harmony vocals along with bassist Emily Robinson to support lead singer Jake Winstrom, who sings in a high adenoidal tenor occasionally reminiscent of Loudon Wainwright III (though not as whiny) or even Edie Brickell. Winstrom and Oyler's songs are full of personal observations that never get too bitter and can be witty ("I try to write an anthem, it comes off like a tantrum"), and Winstrom remains appealingly earnest as a vocalist. This is the sort of music that seemed to have popped out of a '60s time capsule even when Big Star was making it, and yet it is timelessly enjoyable. Tenderhooks does vary the formula by rocking a little harder now and then, giving them more of a jam band sound on occasion, and they also break out the acoustic guitars for more of a country-rock sound. But for the most part, the beats bop along, the guitars chime, and the hooks abound, and there's nothing wrong with that. Bio and review by William Ruhlmann To listen to a sample of the CD, go here:
http://www.allmusic.com/album/vidalia-r1074537/review