Features

Have you already heard of Left Lane Cruiser? If you haven't, you sure are missing out on a treat. I hadn't but I was sold three songs into "Bring Yo' Ass To The Table", the duo's latest album (out now on Alive Records). Along with The Black Keys, this is some of the best fucked up blues I have ever heard. Make sure you don't miss out on them!

PRT: Who are you and what would you like to tell our readers about yourself?
Brenn: We are just two guys from Indiana who like to rock the fuck out. Joe is a college grad, I'm a college dropout. We both like to drink, we both love to play, and we share a passion for music. Both of us found our start and inspiration in the late great R.L. Burnside. If it weren't for R.L., LLC never would have happened.

PRT: I saw that you have the nick Sausage Paw... what’s the story behind that one?
Brenn: I have fat hands. Short, stubby, fat hands. Someone told me once that my fingers looked like Vienna Sausages, and it just stuck. Now a lot of people call me suasage paw.

PRT: Can you give me the history of Left Lane Cruiser written in less than one minute?
Brenn: I've known Joe's wife for 10 years. She said Joe and I should get together. We did. It worked. LLC was born.

PRT: For the unfortunate few out there who haven’t heard you before, if Left Lane Cruiser was the lovechild of two other acts, which acts would’ve had sex and which position were you conceived in?
Brenn: R.L. Burnside and Clutch slipped Led Zepplin a roofie and had their way with them. Not sure which position we were concieved in, but it would be an uncomfortable one.

PRT: You have a new album out on Alive Records. How did you end up with them and how’s that working out for you?
Brenn: We owe that to our favorite man on this earth..Chris Johnson. Chris puts on the Deep Blues Festival in Minneapolis, and is a huge asset to our genre. Chris discovered us on Myspace through a friend, and contacted us for a disc. We mailed one up to him, he liked it, so he made plans to come down to Fort Wayne, and film one of our shows. Patrick from Alive contacted Chris about the DBF and some bootleg Black Keys recordings, and Chris insisted that he take a listen to some of our stuff. Patrick listened, and liked it, so we shook hands and put out Bring Yo Ass To The Table. Alive has been great to us. We have been big fans of the label and several of their artists for a long time. When the chance arose for us to be a part of it, we jumped at the opportunity.

PRT: You’re going on tour in a couple of days... what exactly can people expect from Left Lane Cruiser live?
Brenn: We hit stage the fury and don't slow down till we are done. You can expect us to be drenched in sweat. You can expect it to be loud as hell. You can expect us to give it everything we've got. And you can expect everyone in the room to be stompin their feet and hollerin by the time we're through.

PRT: I looked you guys up on YouTube a couple of weeks ago and just like on the album it struck how big and full a sound you guys got going on even though it’s just the two of you... what’s your secret?
Brenn: Joe. That motherfucker astounds me everytime we play. His hands have a mind of thier own. His thumb plugs away at them bass strings, while the rest of his digits fill the sound with all kinds of voodoo shit. That man's style makes it easy to sound so full.

PRT: Not only do you play the drums in the band but you also play the harmonica, provide all the shouting plus a lot of other stuff. Is drinking before you go out to play a show a bad idea if you’ve got that much going on or is it essential?
Brenn: Drinking is NEVER a bad idea. It is somewhat essential to have sme drinks before hiting the stage. Joe and I aren't big talkers on the mic, so we have to have some drinks so there ain't just silence in between songs. As far as juggling multi responsibilities on stage...yeah drinking helps me to fuck it up now and again, but thats just a risk you take. Nobody comes to your shows to watch you be safe on stage. It's the fuck ups that keep things interesting. The multi tasking thing also helps fill the sound in answer to your question above.

PRT: Your new album is called “Bring Yo’ Ass To The Table”. Other than it sounding amazing, why should people bring their ass over to your table?
Brenn: Shit, I don't know. Yall think its good, so I guess they can just take your word for it.

PRT: You have songs about subjects as diverse as food (“Pork N Beans”) and racism (“Justify”)... how does a typical Left Lane Cruiser song come to life?
Brenn: It usually starts with Joe coming up with a riff. I plug in the percussion, we rearrange and orchetrate it, and boom a song pops out. As far as lyrics, thats all Joe. You sing about what you know, and thats rings true for us as well. Joe and I love food, so that theme pops up a lot. Joe also has a strong political side to him, and that comes through a lot as well.

PRT: Any plans to bring yo’ ass over to Europe anytime soon?
Brenn: We are working on that right now. We have gotten a lot of love from Europe, and can't wait to get over there.

PRT: And one last question... if someone like me who knows shit about blues music would want to start getting into it more, what are some of the acts he should definitely check out?
Brenn: R.L. Burnside
T-Model Ford
Junior Kimbrough
Black Diamond Heavies
Muddy Waters
These are some of our favorites!