WOLF! is an instrumental trio founded by Scott Metzger (Joe Russo’s Almost Dead) featuring Jon Shaw on bass and Taylor Floreth on drums, and is certainly a refreshing change of pace for the jam scene. Right from the album’s opening track it is evident that Metzger is exploring a new, distinct, and somewhat retro sound. This self-titled debut album is a rare gem for the current music scene, with its musicians returning to the roots of Rock & Roll combined with the crisp sound quality of contemporary recording studios.
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Focusing on tone, taste, and tempo, and resembling the great Django Reinhardt and always-relevant Dick Dale & The Del Tones, WOLF! turns back the clock and captures a Fender Telecaster-driven sound combined with a tight rhythm section to produce a modern-day rockabilly album (although I wouldn’t restrict this as solely a “rockabilly” album). For Metzger, this is a really pleasant diversion as a guitar player, allowing his own voice as a guitarist to really shine through his Telecaster. Prior to this Metzger has predominantly sat in on studio sessions (check out his work with Anders Osborne, Craig Finn and Kelli Scarr) or provided impeccable guitar-work alongside Tommy Hamilton in JRAD to provide modern deadheads with a new spin on the music of The Grateful Dead. With WOLF!, Metzger really takes charge and allows his own solo work to shine through. The album has an amalgam of genres: the spanish tone of “Café Hidalgo,” the southern-psychedelic feel of “Steve Miller,” and the jazzy and light mood of the album’s opening track “Cakewalk” really sum up the versatility of WOLF! This album is a must-listen for any guitar lover looking for tasty licks, fast riffs, and soulful playing all coaxed behind both a traditional and distorted guitar tone, and WOLF! is especially a requirement for any fans of Scott Metzger, even if solely to experience this unique, multifaceted guitar-work of his.
Metzger himself describes the band as, “Nothing but a great rhythm section, a Fender Telecaster, and a real good time” and although I believe this album is certainly much more than that, perhaps it’s the album’s simplicity that makes it so special.
WOLF! can regularly be found performing at Hometown BBQ in Red Hook, Brooklyn, where they hold down a reoccurring residency, but plans are also in the works for select tour dates around the U.S. later this year.