Howling at the Moon

The Young Werewolves http://www.theyoungwerewolves.com

Vampires are currently having their day in the sun (har har) thank to ‘Twilight’ and zombies have regained some coolness with movies from ’28 Days Later’ to the recent ‘Zombieland.’ There’s a new generation learning what all death rock and horror enthusiasts know – spooky is cool. Benicio del Toro and his movie ‘The Wolfman’ is slated for next year. And I guess there’s lycanthropy in the new ‘Twilight’ movie, which seems that vampires can’t go five steps without involving werewolves (see the ‘Underworld’ series. Wait, on second thought, don’t.)

Werewolves are due for their turn. Sincere werewolves, not some wereotters or were-polar bears or were-banana slug Baskin-Roberts 32 Flavors bullshit that usually happens. Wolfman. American Werewolf in London. Straight up howling at the moon.

This is good for The Young Werewolves, who you should be listening to anyway.

The Young Werewolves are sexy people playing sexy instruments, putting out some spook-rock that combines all their influences. They’re not a psychobilly band, not a death rock. They’re rock and roll. I really like the title track off their ‘Cheat The Devil’ release, mainly because outside of the word ‘devil,’ the song has nothing to do with spookiness but rather the evil characteristic of a malicious, superficial society. ‘Everyone wants to get their fill/Nobody want to pay their bills.'

But the next track, ‘Runaway,’ is a haunting cry, a very low creeping shadow of a song that is pretty spooky without invoking a monster or vampire. The Young Werewolves can play low or high, fast or slow. They can have a seductive beat like ‘Devil Dancer Girl’ or belt out a barn burning track like ‘Zombie Drag Race.’ They also pay tribute to their influences. During a live show last spring, they did covers of ‘(I’m not your) Stepping Stone,’ name checking all the bands who covered that Paul Revere and the Raiders song, as well as a version of Ratt’s ‘Round and Round.’

Each bandmember (Nick Falcon, Shewolf Dana Kain and Johnny Wolf) sings, helping the band avoid being pinned down. If there’s anything to being a werewolf, it is about negating limits. A man with the strength and savagery of a beast or an animal with the smarts and savvy of a man – the werewolf is all and cannot be caged down by definition. The Young Werewolves are like this, their music existing as a rock-bebop-punk-horror hybrid that aims at the common cause of rock and roll: fun. You’ll have fun at a Young Werewolves concert. Their music will make you grow hair in all the right places and you’ll be howling and drag racing and dancing until the moon goes down.