Hometown: San Francisco
Next local show: 3/1, Rickshaw Stop
Recent release: Lonely Road Revival, 2006

We’ve heard a lot of good country-punk-rock coming from San Francisco in the last few years, and this is the absolute best. No kidding. We would go so far as to say we like Trainwreck Riders more than Two Gallants, with whom they completed a major tour last summer and fall. Now don’t get us wrong, Two Gallants write some great songs with excellent lyrics. They’re intense as hell, and for a duo, hard to beat. But as far as pure listening enjoyment goes, Trainwreck Riders have more to offer.

Here’s the deal: listening to Two Gallants makes you think “Damn, these guys are awesome!” (which they are). You’ll tell your friends about them, play a couple cool songs off the record, and feel good about it all. But listening to Trainwreck Riders really makes you feel. It moves you to get up and dance, sip some whiskey, ride a train (if you’re from Oakland, ghost-ride it), fire a rifle, then sleep with someone wearing 19th century getup…or pan for some gold, march in place, tap your toe, bang your head, and throw your elbows in the pit. While Trainwreck Riders’ lyrics can’t match Two Gallants’ literary quality, their music has a more palpable energy. Where the Gallants have grit, the Riders have spit. It’s alt-country out of the box, old-fashioned punk rock. It’s grey, it’s old-timey. It’s San Francisco on a silver disc, and you won’t find much better rock music in the city right now.

BFF’S:
-Trainwreck Riders and Two Gallants sound similar, have toured — and been arrested — together, and are both from San Francisco. Yes, they’re friends.
-Don’t forget to catch Trainwreck Riders co-headlining the Rickshaw Stop with labelmates Langhorn Slim on March 1 for Noise Pop. That’s gonna kick some ass.
-A cool new video for the song “Christmas Time Blues” is available here.