This week, Albuquerque’s The Porter Draw celebrates its first recording. Trouble sometimes races, is sometimes slow and measured, is always at least a little forlorn. The album is a cross-country journey marked by excellent playing, refined harmonies and run-ins with the law. Formed in the summer of ’07 as a three piece, The Porter Draw is now comprised of Ben Wood, Josh Gingerich, Vince Edgerton, Russell Pyle and Mojo Atzberger. The bluegrass-y quintet, named after a Colorado off-ramp, e-mailed us answers to a few questions. What drew you to “the bluegrass”? Vince: Bluegrass? I thought we were a ska band. Mojo: I could’ve sworn we were an emo band. Russell: No, that’s The Dirty Novels.Josh: I grew up on it. You guys tend to swear during stage banter … what’s with the potty mouth? Russell: What the fuck do you mean? What is your songwriting process? Russell: We all write. Josh: One of us will bring a song to the rest of the band; it grows from there. Ben: I tend to write chord structures first … melodies then lyrics. I usually have a song “genre” in mind when I start. You have a few songs about the slammer. Has anyone in The Porter Draw done time? Vince: I have. Josh: No, but I work there. Have you ever drank moonshine? Russell: Hell yeah, peach shine from the Shenandoah is delicious. Mojo: My grandpa used to make six times distilled cherry Hungarian vodka. We had a moonshine distillery in our back barn. Russell: Really? Shit. Why do you all have beards? Ben: Shaving’s for strippers and car salesmen. Do you ever find yourself wearing overalls with no shirt underneath while sitting on a couch on your front porch drinking the cheapest American Pilsner you could find? Ben: Are you asking me out? Is there anything else you’d like to add? Ben: Mustard and onions.
The Porter Draw’s record release hootenanny happens at the Launchpad on Friday, March 27. Joining them are Pan!c, The Dirty Novels and The Fire Season. Admission is $5 and the show starts at 10 p.m. 21-and-over.
