Two summers ago I was biking along a county highway parallel the Vermillion River in southeastern South Dakota, and I was passed in the opposite direction by what appeared to be a scarecrow driving a moped.

After a double take, I realized it was Eli Show—lead singer of local independent clause rock band, We All Have Hooks For Hands.

We made U-turns and met in the middle of the road. There’s no traffic on this stretch, and when there is, it’s tractors.

“How’s the new record coming?” I asked Eli (the new record, which would become The Shape of Energy, the band’s sophomore LP, wouldn’t be released for another calendar year).

“I’d say classic.” He may have been wearing riding goggles.

“Classic…rock?”

“Yeah, we’ve been listening to a lot of classic rock lately.”

This is not a sentiment you expect from an indie band, especially one with as much bohemian street cred as Hooks. So, I didn’t really believe Eli then. In fact, I didn’t really believe him until I first listened to the new album last November and thought, “Oh my God, this sounds a lot like a band whose been listening to classic rock.”

So, for the record, We All Have Hooks For Hands is beginning to sound more like John Mellencamp—albeit if Cougar spent less time slurping down chili dogs at the Tastee Freez and more time digging for loose change at the Laundromat. But, it’s no 180-degree shift from their Afternoon Records debut. Energy has a fuzz-filled, AM radio Americana that showed up on The Pretender, too, but was often tucked away behind the reverb.

Single “Made Up of Tiny Lights” finds Hooks at their Levis-and-chain-smoking electric best with a clamorous guitar riff leading into Eli yelping to a punch-drunk adventurer, or lover, or fellow biker rider that something is not “for the weak and troubled, maybe we can be doubled…”

Hooks finishes up a small Upper Midwest tour Sunday at the Triple Rock with Dada Trash Collage and Shoe Shiners. The 5 p.m. show is all-ages and has a $7 cover. Photos, journals, and an explanation of Hooks’ connection to MTV’s “16 and Pregnant” television show can be found on this pretty rad blog.

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posted March 13th, 2010 at 10:33 pm Uncategorized Afternoon Records, We All Have Hooks For Hands