J Roddy Walston And The Business - Self Titled (2010)

Who the hell is J Roddy Walston? I have no idea, but he fucking rocks. The album kicks off with "Don't Break The Needle" and a rolling piano that recalls old time rock n' roll in the vein of Huey Piano Smith or Fats Domino before the guitar plugs in and cranks up a giant amp. And it only gets better from there, as he heads for the hills on "Pigs & Pearls" for a country rocker with a great front porch singalong chorus. "Brave Man's Death" (mp3) starts off with a tinny ice cream truck keyboard before ratcheting it up with scratchy, yearning vocals. "Use Your Language" mixes in some down-home garage blues. Overall, this is a fantastic album of good timing piano-based rock n' roll.

If there album is any indication of their live performance, Walston might just burn Dante's down before the Dirty Dozen Brass Band can take the stage on Sunday night. And if you stick around afterward, it looks like the Sinferno dancers will continue the New Orleans experience. See you there.