I’ve had four dogs in my lifetime, actually six if you count the two my father gave me and then took away when I was five and when I was twelve, respectively. He thought they were too much of a bother. The first, a Cocker Spaniel, Penny, would bolt when he opened the door and he tired of hunting her down. The second, an Airedale puppy, Ginger, proved difficult to potty train and he was unwilling to give the dog more than five weeks in the house before he took it away. I really don’t know what happened to those two animals. I just mourned their loss.
All of my animals have touched my heart. No matter how bad a day you have, no matter who is angry with you, there is fido - effusive displays of affection, quick with a sloppy kiss or awkward hug. The devotion is complete. They work themselves up to a frenzy, incredibly excited and happy. They lurk, brood and play hard to catch. Sometimes they hold to you like velcro. Other times you have to go get them. They comfort you. You comfort them. Best friends who could never say anything that would hurt you. They love you. They have the heart of a dog.
And, well, so does the band Kasey Anderson and The Honkies. The Portland, Oregon-based Anderson last toured with sappy, sad folk songs. But, here, on his new release called Heart Of A Dog, Anderson and his new Pacific Northwest band of “honkies” play kick-ass rock and roll that is true to the moods of the mutt. It is an amalgam of heavy blues rock tunes in the style of George Thorogood and The Destroyers punctuated with forays into country folk lovesick puppiness. Yet it works well as the tracks slow down then speed up then slow down, etc., to let you catch up to the dog on the fast ones and pet it on the slow ones.
Give it a listen. There’s nothing as true as the heart of a dog.
- Old School
