Pike 27: roots rock in Cincinnati

Press & Kudos...

...Pike 27 live:

"Politically aware and joyously swaggering, Pike 27 are one of the best Roots Rock acts in Greater Cincinnati, though they've been woefully absent from the club circuit the past several months. Fronted by singer/songwriter Dave Purcell and backed by a band of local music vets, Pike 27 have one stellar release in their cannon so far: 2001's Falling Down Hard. Crawling out of the cavern for their annual MPMF showcase, Pike should be extra boisterous this year.

Dig it: Old Steve Earle, older Rolling Stones, that guy yelling about Noam Chomsky at the end of the bar (MB)
-- CityBeat, 2005 Midpoint Music Festival preview issue

"They ran for everyone who is a “true believer”, a term oft-used in Pike circles when discussing people or bands who “get it”. It’s hard to pin down exactly what’s “gotten”, but, it has a whole lot to do with playing loud, good music while being true to yourself and adhering to your principles. It also has something to do with the firm belief that good music may indeed save the world, or at least your part of it. As the deliberate borrowing of a key line from Cheap Trick’s “Surrender” goes in Pike’s own “Closer To The Truth”: “We’re all all right.”...the show blew the doors off of almost everything I’ve seen in the last year."
-- Dale Johnson, I See Sound

...for Falling Down Hard:

"Like the Ohio River that spawned the band, Pike 27 is deep, steady, and true. The lyrics hit home like a cold glass of lemonade in July, and they have a much better gift for melody than is common in Amercian Roots bands. However, when the occasion warrants it they can rock to beat the devil." -- Jason Ringenberg, solo artist and leader of Jason & The Scorchers

"Wrecking Yard” hums like a vintage song by The Smithereens and “Baltimore” is like Tom Petty jamming with The Blasters. I’m not making these comparisons lightly. Pike 27 (who are from Cincinnati) are real comers who also know who came before them. If an album like “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” can spark interest in our nation’s traditional folk music, maybe a band like Pike 27 can rekindle excitement in no-frills, good old American rock and roll. Pike 27 brings to mind Ryan Adams, a musical Jackie Robinson who’s crossed over the alt-country line and become a bona fide rock star." (read more) -- Tony Peyser, Santa Monica Mirror

"...it’s refreshing to hear from the opening chords of first track “Wrecking Yard” a strong hybrid college rock sound. The songs contained on this, their debut CD, are rootsy (particularly the Steve Earle-esque “Devil’s Radio”) without losing their edge...lead singer Dave Purcell’s ear for a good hook and passionate lyric can leave you blinded." (read more) -- Americana-UK

"...there's a pretty valid comparison made to Jason and the Scorchers and The V-Roys. The roots rock is crackling, with nice catchy refrains and sharp guitar (Kentucky's Calling, Rivers and & Brown Eyes, Joe McCarthy's Ghost, Wrecking Yard), and sometimes just a hair rougher, like you can hear on Baltimore and Devil's Radio -- a biting criticism of commercial radio stations that is music to the ears of Alt Country NL. Only rarely does the band take its foot off of the gas a little, such as on Train, and the highpoint of the CD, 5/17....Strong debut. 3.5 horses out of 5" (read more)-- Bart Ebisch, Alt Country NL

"Pike 27 rumble out of Cincinnati, Ohio with a hard-hitting roots-rock sound that recalls the glory days of the Scorchers and the V-Roys. In frontman Dave Purcell's tunes, men are 'chasing dreams' from 'Chicago to the San Francisco Bay,', blasting '50,000 watts of sound' on 'the devil's radio.'. It's an unflinching look at America bolstered by Bob Sheets' sharp guitar work and drummer Adam Renchen and bassist Jon Weisberger's robust rhythm section." -- Miles of Music

"Falling Down Hard blasts out of the gate with Wrecking Yard. This tune, with its driving rhythm and Purcell's cerebral lyrics, could be slotted into Scott Miller's great Thus Always to Tyrants without upsetting its balance. Purcell isn't shy about his politics, addressing broken aspirations and what they say about the American dream....I'm a guy who cares about lyrics. Songwriter Dave Purcell has stories to tell that, agree or not, still raise the right questions. But if you lean right while the lyrics of two or three songs lean left, then don't listen to the words. Just twist the knob as far to the right as you can and start rockin'. Either way you'll be happy." (read more)-- Al Kunz, Rockzillaworld

"...this band's debut disc, ''Falling Down Hard,'' with nine driving, gutty tracks...What sets the group apart from your basic roadhouse, hell-raising band is Purcell's cerebral, and often political, writing." (read more) -- Rick Bird, Cincinnati Post

"You take Falling Down Hard straight - no ice and no fancy pink umbrellas please. The sound is sweaty, boozy guitars, crackling percussion and emotional storytelling at its finest. The essence of the recording is less polished pop and more raw, live performance." (read more) -- Cincymusic.com

"Falling Down Hard is a masterful stab at impassioned Roots Rock, showing that they whole-heartedly set out to emphasize the "Rock" part of that equation as much as the "Roots" part....But the band also shows flashes of grace on Falling, especially on the moving, elegant "5/17," one of the best local songs of the year." (read more)
-- Mike Breen, CityBeat

"Pike 27 has been declared by peers and critics alike the movers and shakers of roots rage in Cincinnati." (read more)
-- Sarah Knott The Cincinnati Enquirer for Cincinnati.Com

"A roots-rock keeper...Dave Purcell, the brains, voice, and rhythm guitar behind Pike 27, has delivered state-of-the-union Americana with his band's debut CD. It's smart, rocking and concise...one of the year's most promising debuts by a Tristate act." (3 stars out of 4)
-- Larry Nager, Cincinnati Enquirer

* Falling Down Hard was named one of the best local releases of 2001 by both CityBeat and the Cincinnati Post.

...about the band:

- Feature story from CityBeat, 9/7/00 by Mike Breen

- "One of the best new bands on the local scene this last year..."
-- Rick Bird, Cincinnati Post

Awards

- Best Roots Rock Band, 2002 Cincinnati Area Music Awards (Cammy's)

- Best Roots/Folk/Country Artist nominee, 2001 Cincinnati Entertainment Awards

- In 2002, selected to perform at: Midpoint Music Festival, WNKU/Enquirer Taste of Cincinnati stage, Newport Arts & Music Festival, WOFX July 4 Bash, and Covington Oktoberfest.

- New Artist of the Year nominee, 2000 Cincinnati Entertainment Awards

- Top 20 finalist in WOXY's 16th annual 97Xposure competition