If Tim Rogers joining the Hard-Ons wasn’t mind-boggling enough – plenty of fans of both parties thought it was a prank when initially announced – the group’s new video, for the rousing “Lite As A Feather“, will no doubt cause more confusion. Featuring footage of the four band members playing along to the song in isolation but mixing up their roles, it shows Tim’s voice coming out from wannabe crooner Blackie, Blackie’s guitar riffs thrashed out by drummer Murray Ruse, bass player Ray Ahn doing a woeful job miming to Murray’s insane drumming and Tim pretending he’s Ray on the 4-string. If you don’t know who’s who in the Hard-Ons these days, this clip isn’t going to clarify it for you!
Directed by Descent Into the Maelstrom: The Radio Birdman Story director Jonathan Sequeira, the video for “Lite As A Feather” is action-packed and a lot of fun and will also appeal to anyone who loves ’70s bubblegum cards!
The second single from the band’s forthcoming album I’m Sorry Sir, That Riff’s Been Taken – their first album with Rogers – “Lite As A Feather ” is an absolute stomper that utilizes Tim’s vocal talents brilliantly. Almost two songs in one, the crunching first half highlights a sing-along refrain of “You’ve got the weight of the world resting on your shoulders” before it changes tack and becomes something more melodic. It’s a brilliant track that highlights the band’s inventiveness and suggests that I’m Sorry Sir, That Riff’s Been Taken will further reveal the Hard-Ons’ musicality and surprise anyone who sees them as just a thrashy punk band.
Last month’s announcement of the Hard-Ons’ recruitment of Rogers was BIG NEWS and was met with excitement, bemusement and yes the inevitable few grumbles from old fans. Of course, the Hard-Ons have been cranking out their own brand of punk rock for nearly 40 years (they started young!), and their fans are diehard. But, as the first piece of new music attested – the single “Hold Tight” is a punk-pop gem and was instantly added to Double-J’s playlist – the new line-up is not going to give fans anything to complain about.
The magic in this union perhaps comes from the fact that Tim Rogers is one of those fans himself. As he this week told Blunt: “I’m a fan first and foremost. [They were] the first band I loved that I could see, the first band I got my nose broken to, [and the first band] I lost my hearing to. There are so many firsts. And then to be in the rehearsal room… I looked over at Blackie’s amp and went, ‘Oh, that’s the amp.’ And I saw the SG, and I was like, ‘That’s the SG.’ I’ve been watching him play with those since 1986.”
