I'm not going to classify Hi Ho Six Shooter! as a gimmick band. Granted they play shows with bandannas wrapped around their neck and sing songs about country twangs and bar room brawls, but knowing some of the members I think it's pretty safe to say that they aren't gun toting Confederates. Rather, I would say that Hi Ho Six Shooter! is a band full of kids that have a good time singing county inspired folk music about the pre-Civil War South mixed in with modern day commentary. At times Empire, the band's latest release, is not taken all too seriously, at times the songs are deeply personal and written with a poet's touch, providing a good mix of both.
Hi Ho Six Shooter! have a fair amount of releases under their belt before the release of Empire, including a full-length, seven inch, and a song on a tribute compilation to The Replacements that features the likes of Against Me!, The Ergs, and The Queers among others. The band features five members, hailing from various towns and cities in Virginia. The music is abloom with folk and indie influences, with old-time country music serving as the root of it all, as the band mixes the likes of electric and acoustic guitars, tambourines, pianos, and cellos to create their sun-baked, saloon inspired music.
Empire's opening track of the same name seems to be backwards: While starting off the album, the song brings forth images of a pair of gunslingers emerging from battle as the dust clears, with the end credits of the spaghetti-Western about to role. The trumpet of Adam Tsai and rattling of the tambourine are the centerpieces of the song, with the strings section providing the victorious but lonesome sounds of life and death on the plains to the forefront of the song. Next up is "Irish Eyes," an indie-rock influenced song with an infectious chorus that unfortunately only clocks in at a little over two minutes.
"Off to War!" shows Hi Ho Six Shooters! ability to keep things light while weaving a story of love and war. The song is sung from the perspective of a Confederate soldier going off to war, and his lady, sung by Sarah Garrison, none too happy about the decision. Vocalist Steven MacLauchlan, singing as the soldier, shows his confidence to his lover, trying to convince her that he has to go teach the Yankees "that the South knows how to fight." While "Off to War!" is played solely with an acoustic guitar, "Quickdraw McSlaw," is the next song to enter the fray, opening up with lively bass and guitar chords, with a piano helping create the atmosphere of salon full of drunks with high levels of testosterone ready to explode. MacLauchlan sings with the swagger of man ready to kill, yelling, "I've got a bottle in one hand, and a pistol in the next, and if you want to press your luck go ahead and be my guest."
Without a doubt the best song on Empire is "The Writer's Confession," as MacLauchlan shows his ability as a songwriter and poet. The song is deeply personal, going through the singer's life and personal battles. Showing off his talents with an acoustic guitar in the background, MacLauchlan croons:
They say your eyes are the windows to your soul/Then mine are darkened cause they're hiding what I stole/I have stolen, I am stealing, I will steal/All the feeling cause my songs are always cold.
Empire's strongest point is with their member's ability to have fun with their songs, providing a sincere amount of musicianship in order keep their songs serious while singing about drunken soldiers, bars and brothels. Confederates everywhere should be proud.
See also
John Wayne, Cattle Ranches, Wyatt Earp, Whiskey
