How many times does the excitement from a live show stick with you days, weeks, and months later? It makes sense for the excitement to be with you into the night after the show and usually into the next day. A lot of times, you can carry that pumped-up feeling into the next week, but how good does a concert need to be for you to still have that high weeks and weeks later?
It’s rare.
Seeing Giovannie and the Hired Guns gave me that feeling. I saw them play about six weeks ago at Terminal West in Atlanta and when I think back on that show I get giddy. They fucking killed it. They are simply incredible. The live show has a metric ton of energy, emotion, passion, and talent.
Can all of that be captured on vinyl?
Yep.
Giovannie and the Hired Guns does indeed capture the energy of the band effectively. There does not seem to be very much if anything, lost between their live show and their recorded material. And that is a good thing.
What does it sound like? Texas country-rock with punk vocals. It’s not Southern Rock as that is more of a heavier country music. This record is good-time rock n roll run through a Texas filter. And that gives it some barroom grit.
The majority of the guitars are heavier than country music, but the lyrics are much more of a country-style of sing-along-ability. However, this record doesn’t live on one side of the road or the other; Giovannie and the Hired Guns pendulums back and forth between straightforward rock n roll and red dirt country.
The most interesting part of this album is the vocal work. These are punk vocals. Think Rancid, Social Distortion, Fugazi, Dropkick Murphys, et al.
A couple bands come to mind that have similar punk-style vocals over country-esque music: American Aquarium and Lucero. But, this record is a little heavier and leans more rock than those.
I love this damn album. It is just solid and great.
My favorite track: Pretend
Blood For Vinyl 
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