Black Pistol Fire

It happens at a moment's notice. A slight nod or gesture, and they're off, as if racing to the county line with a busted headlight. On stage, Black Pistol Fire choogles with the Southern tenacity of Creedence Clear­water Revival and rave-up elasticity of early Yardbirds, all hot smoke and sassafras. Guitarist/singer Kevin McKeown stomps and hollers, while drummer Eric Owen bashes his drum kit like it's Whac-a-Mole and he's down to his last quarter.
"We've been friends since we were five years old, and beyond that, we've been playing music together maybe 14 years. That's a lot of history," acknowledges Owen. "Some­times we go on tour and it's just the two of us in the same car, the same hotel room. You really get to know a person and the way they think. I can tell with a glance from Kevin where he's going musically."
BPF performs as if it's got something to prove – and with good reason. They're Canadian expats ladling out some of the greasiest modern blues this side of the Mason-Dixon Line, where the shadows of other power duos loom large.
"We're not doing something that's never been done before," McKeown concedes. "We're two guys onstage, turning the amps up and hitting it hard like everybody who's listened to Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, early Stones. You can't even control that, but I really do believe that when people come see us live and hear the catalog, they'll see something else going on."
At a time when the Black Keys are dominating radio, television, and the Grammys, such lofty comparisons are more a blessing than a curse. BPF has landed major spots with Braun's, MTV, and Pepsi, among many others, a feat that's led to a co-publishing deal with Razor & Tie. And the band's third LP, tentatively due early summer, received financial backing from the Canadian nonprofit FACTOR, the same organization that footed bills for Wolf Parade, Metric, and K'naan.
"The last two records were done in just 14 or 15 hours," McKeown notes. "This allows us to take our time and see what the songs need, to not be so rushed in the studio.
"It's really the first time to sit things down and think it over." – Austin Powell - Austin Chronicle

Meanwhile, Austin's own Black Pistol Fire showed themselves to be far more than a token local band. While comparisons to The Black Keys and White Stripes are a reasonable reference, live the band emerged as the most energetic and musically versatile of all the bands playing the festival. The two-piece includes guitarist/vocalist Kevin McKeown (imagine Jimmy Page meets Jack White) and a drummer (Eric Owen) that put the Stripes and Keys to shame. While they've created a buzz in Austin, the band is clearly poised for greater things and are an example of why South By Southwest is the logical choice for music fans eager to watch "the next big thing". - The Huffington Post

The show poster for the Degeneration Next Festival in the Czech Republic last year pegged Black Pistol Fire almost perfectly: "Wild, American rock & roll show from Texas, USA."
There's just one small catch. Guitarist/vocalist Kevin McKeown and drummer Eric Owens originally hail from Toronto, Canada. After drawing some major-label interest as the Shenanigans, the two stripped down and relocated locally in 2008.
"Stevie Ray Vaughan was one of my heroes growing up," reflects McKeown, who owns one of the late guitarist's signature Stratocasters. "Watching him on Austin City Limits was the be-all, end-all for me. We knew this city had the sort of lifestyle and scene we were looking for."
Immersed in Texas roadhouse blues and bayou R&B, BPF developed a sound that's truly All-American. The band's eponymous debut boasts the grimy, Rubber Factory feel of the Black Keys' earliest recordings – Detroit punk-blues with Southern choogle – thanks in no small part to producer Jim Diamond (the White Stripes, the Dirtbombs). The two are currently working on a follow-up, as well as a tribute EP to Little Richard, whom McKeown heralds as the "unsung godfather of rock & roll."
Onstage, the two certainly live up to their Degeneration Next billing. McKeown raves up like Jimmy Page-era Yardbirds, stretching each riff for a country mile. Owen resembles a Survivor outcast – sweaty and shirtless, with long, tangled black hair – bashing his drum kit as if it's some competition to earn another meal and night on the island.
"We've been friends since we were five years old and have been playing together pretty much ever since," relates Owens. "We have this unspoken connection. There's a little ESP involved, but we just want to try and challenge ourselves to come up with different things every time we play so that it's always exciting and interesting.
"You'll never see the same show twice." - Austin Chronicle

Bold clap 'n' moan opener "Beelzebub" marks a departure for Black Pistol Fire's bread-and-butter blues rock. Bowing last year on a razor-sharp eponymous debut, the Austin duo evolves on second LP Big Beat '59, where rootsy midtempo tunes define the disc. "Hot Mess" touches greatness, Kevin McKeown's soul-strained vocals chasing busy folk guitar lines into a series of strong melodies with perfect emotion. Otherwise characterized by the group's heavy amalgamation of soul, blues, and Southern rock, the album earns its title with Eric Owen's driving drums and McKeown's organic phrasing. At times, Big Beat '59 relies too much on sonically inflated riffing over halftime beats and it recalls the two more famous modern blues duos. Yet BPF keeps it keen enough to exercise their own specialties, like ramping up the energy with a redefining tempo change and jamming into combustion as they do on "Crows Feet."
- Austin Chronicle

So, apparently Little Richard is one of the most important figures in the history of rock-n-roll, even if you’re Canadian. Toronto blues-rawk duo Black Pistol Fire are Kevin McKeown and Eric Owen, childhood buds who followed their ragged blues muse to Austin, TX in 2009, where they were discovered by producer Jim Diamond (The White Stripes, The Von Bondies, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion), who eventually helmed the band’s self-titled debut.

For their sophomore release, Black Pistol Fire have taken a chance and elected to pay their full-length respects to the pompadoured one. No word on who produced this baby, but Shut Up! is the name of the platter, and it should have fans of outfits like Left Lane Cruiser and Black Diamond Heavies, not to mention those guys who do music for Cadillac commercials, dancing in the aisles. Long Tall Sally is our first chance to feed, and with that we bid you awap bop a lup bop a wop bam boom. - My Old Kentucky Blog

I would actually describe it as a face-melting explosion. I have been lucky enough to see these guys perform in Houston, so believe me when I tell you that these guys are crazy.
Many bands look depressed or even bored when they perform (I supposed you could attribute this to their "style"), but I honestly don't get anything out of these kinds of performances. I freakin' loved Black Pistol Fire's set because by the end, the band was drenched in sweat from thrashing about on stage in a drunken frenzy. The drummer also tends to lose his shirt, which helps showcase the duo's freak-out mentality. These guys are best described as "wild men."
As far as recordings go, their debut album successfully captures all of the insanity and energy of their live shows.
Other modern bands, however, tend to be stripped of their energy in their recordings. Some duos have trouble getting a full sound with only two members, but as their LP proves, less can be, and is more.
According to the Rock The Republic website, these guys are scheduled to perform on Friday at the Revolution Café and Bar in downtown Bryan. Be sure to get our tickets now, while they are on sale over at the Rock The Republic ticket page. - The Batt (Texas A&M newspaper)

The second act and headliner of the night was Black Pistol Fire. BPF is a drums and guitar duo made up of Kevin McKeown and Eric Owen who are originally from Toronto but live in Austin. These guys have been friends since kindergarten, and you can tell because they share a bond that allows them to change pace, crashing through an energetic punk barrage into a soulful blues riff. After the show they tell me that because they share a strong bond, each show is largely improvised. The show of the night is bound to be different then the next show, or the last show, or their self-titled album. Black Pistol Fire has a second is in the works, an East Coast tour coming up and will be headlining the Austin City Limits Club de Ville Duo Showcase in September.

They have been compared to The Black Keys and The White Stripes, but tell me most of their musical influence comes from Credence Clearwater Revival, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and (early) King of Leon. These guys must mainline Redbull before each performance, because their style is so upbeat and energetic. They can and do slow it down and let the music breathe, transitioning into a raunchy blues line. Even in the punk rock influenced songs, guitarist McKeown likes to sprinkle in blues chords for good measure, and the vocals blend nicely with the virtuosic supporting instruments.

An incredible show was given and the crowd was seriously into it! Drummer Owen performed shirtless, shoeless with a blur of limbs and hair as he rocked about drumming with everything he had. McKeown broke not one, but two strings during the set and still delivered a fantastic performance. If talent is a blunt piece of wood, these guys have obviously chiseled it through years of practice into a deadly sharp spear, which they use to hunt, kill, roast, and eat a hell of a good rock show.
- EADO Life Houston

From the sheer amount of sound reverberating inside Chelsea's Café Thursday night, a passerby might not guess that the source of the high-energy music came from only two musicians.
Eric Owen and Kevin McKeown of Black Pistol Fire played to an intimate crowd for their first Baton Rouge show, but that didn't stop Owen from drumming beats so hard he broke pieces of the set, while McKeown also had to quickly replace a popped guitar string.
"I think it was really good. When we have a small show like this, we like to try new stuff," McKeown said. "It's been a while since we've played, but we love trying to find the right groove."
McKeown said Black Pistol Fire has only played a few shows in the tour, but that everything is going "according to plan."
The duo played a set of songs from their self-titled album like "Silent Blue," well-known classics like "I Shot the Sheriff," wheeling rounds of improvisation and a new song they had written the day before called "Slow Burner."
Owen said he made up more pieces in this performance than usual.
"I'd definitely call it a success," he said. "The shows are only going to expand from here."
After the performance, Owen and McKeown chatted with friends and fans in the audience.
One such friend, Rob Wiltse, a University graduate, said he thought the night's show went very well.
"Kevin was all over the Epiphone, and Eric sweated even more than usual," Wiltse said.
Weston McGowan, booking agent and tour manager for Black Pistol Fire, oversaw the night's progression. McGowan found the band while producing the Pecan Street Festival in Austin, and loved the two-piece set up.
He said part of the band's popularity comes from the high-energy sound they
produce.
"There's a sense of disbelief when you hear them and find out its only two people," McGowan said. "I discovered them, took heat of what they were doing and started booking shows. Since then, everything is going astoundingly great."
- LSU Reville

From the sheer amount of sound reverberating inside Chelsea's Café Thursday night, a passerby might not guess that the source of the high-energy music came from only two musicians.
Eric Owen and Kevin McKeown of Black Pistol Fire played to an intimate crowd for their first Baton Rouge show, but that didn't stop Owen from drumming beats so hard he broke pieces of the set, while McKeown also had to quickly replace a popped guitar string.
"I think it was really good. When we have a small show like this, we like to try new stuff," McKeown said. "It's been a while since we've played, but we love trying to find the right groove."
McKeown said Black Pistol Fire has only played a few shows in the tour, but that everything is going "according to plan."
The duo played a set of songs from their self-titled album like "Silent Blue," well-known classics like "I Shot the Sheriff," wheeling rounds of improvisation and a new song they had written the day before called "Slow Burner."
Owen said he made up more pieces in this performance than usual.
"I'd definitely call it a success," he said. "The shows are only going to expand from here."
After the performance, Owen and McKeown chatted with friends and fans in the audience.
One such friend, Rob Wiltse, a University graduate, said he thought the night's show went very well.
"Kevin was all over the Epiphone, and Eric sweated even more than usual," Wiltse said.
Weston McGowan, booking agent and tour manager for Black Pistol Fire, oversaw the night's progression. McGowan found the band while producing the Pecan Street Festival in Austin, and loved the two-piece set up.
He said part of the band's popularity comes from the high-energy sound they
produce.
"There's a sense of disbelief when you hear them and find out its only two people," McGowan said. "I discovered them, took heat of what they were doing and started booking shows. Since then, everything is going astoundingly great."
- LSU Reville

Like the Keys, Black Pistol Fire is a scratchy guitar ‘n’ drums duo that attacks stripped-down blues rock with primal ferocity. The songs often sound like throwbacks to an earlier, pre-punk era, with a preponderance of numbers — “Where You Been Before”, “Jezebel Stomp”, “Trigger on My Fire”, “Jackknife Darlin’”—falling into the vein of fast-paced boogie-rock. In this way, Black Pistol Fire does try to carve out something of a niche for itself; while the Keys’ records always contained plenty of slower, bluesy numbers mixed in with the faster tunes, Black Pistol Fire tend more toward the uptempo end of the spectrum. - Pop Matters

This week we talked to Black Pistol Fire, who headline tonight at Warehouse Live in the studio with Animal Farmacy. The Austin duo and proud transplants from Toronto are loud, aggressive and bluesy. Though they get comparisons to the Black Keys, they don't see much of themselves in that other bluesy pair from Akron, Ohio.
"The Black Keys are great, but we don't take much from them, even though we always get compared," the BPF boys say on the way to Texas.

"Our style and influences really vary. While we love raunchy classic rock and blues, we also love groovy jam bands, punk rock, and down and dirty funk. We use our songs as a base to improvise live. Because of this, the live show and records can be quite a different experience and no two shows are ever the same." - Houston Press

This week we talked to Black Pistol Fire, who headline tonight at Warehouse Live in the studio with Animal Farmacy. The Austin duo and proud transplants from Toronto are loud, aggressive and bluesy. Though they get comparisons to the Black Keys, they don't see much of themselves in that other bluesy pair from Akron, Ohio.
"The Black Keys are great, but we don't take much from them, even though we always get compared," the BPF boys say on the way to Texas.

"Our style and influences really vary. While we love raunchy classic rock and blues, we also love groovy jam bands, punk rock, and down and dirty funk. We use our songs as a base to improvise live. Because of this, the live show and records can be quite a different experience and no two shows are ever the same." - Houston Press

Here’s the tricky part. With the demise of The White Stripes, the inevitable search will begin for the next band to fill their shoes. Frankly, we’d prefer a band that shares that same love of blues-tinged rock and roll, but finds their own way to win our hearts. It’s been a long time since a new band has blown me away with their passion, songwriting and musicianship. Black Pistol Fire are one of the most exciting bands I’ve heard since the inception of this website. The two-piece from Austin’s soon-to-be-released debut, fills the speakers with an intensity that would leave your proto-typical four-piece gasping for air. They seem to understand that the brilliance of the blues is that ability to recognize that those moments of quiet can be just as intense as those filled with fire and brimstone. While the Stripes hailed from Detroit, it’s Kevin McKeown on guitar/lead vocals and Eric Owen on drums who seem to have spent their youth listening to early Stooges records, finding a way to incorporate that punk ethos into their sound. The result is a band that exudes smoke, sweat and whiskey…. and these are just a few of our favorite things. Eric took a few moments to talk about our plans for their global domination.

Where You Been Before by Black Pistol Fire

TDOA: I’m originally from Detroit, so your decision to record this album there has special significance to me. What led to the decision to record there?

EO: Nice. Well, Detroit has such a rich musical history. You go back to Motown and then the garage movements of Iggy and The Stooges and MC5 in the 70’s. Then The White Stripes, Von Bondies and Greenhorns in the late 90’s. I wish I could say that was the main reason, but there’s more to it. We knew there was a powerful sound that we had live and we wanted to be able to capture it on record. A studio in Detroit was the place we were able to do that.

TDOA: Despite being a two-piece, the sonics of this record are incredible. Who produced the record and how did you get such a dense sound?

EO: This is actually why we went to Detroit. The producer on most of the record is our good friend Michael Rocha of Roachmouth Records. He is from Toronto and he really helped with songs, arrangements, and keeping us on our toes. Detroit has Mr. Jim Diamond who recorded, mixed, and mastered the entire LP. He worked on a lot of the records that we were really into at the time and we knew he could capture the sound that we wanted. We met him in Austin and it seemed like the right fit. A big part of the sound comes from the way that we play and the energy that the two of us share and reflect back to the other. We also record on to tape and do most of the stuff live off the floor. His studio is this big room in what looks like an abandoned building that lends itself to this type of music. Kevin and I are both pretty powerful in the way that we play and Jim is the best at capturing it. We will definitely be working with both of those guys again.

TDOA: Mind satisfying the guitar geeks out there and tell us about your guitar and amp set-up?

EO: 57 princeton reverb amp, 4 10 hot rod deville amp, es 335 hollow body epiphone. tube screamer and a fuzz pedal, thats it!

TDOA: Inevitably, people are going to compare you to The White Stripes and Black Keys, due to your two-piece lineup and blues-tinged feel. Do you like to be compared to other bands or do you feel like it diminishes what you’re trying to accomplish?

EO: Don’t really mind being compared to those bands, as we are fans of both. Obviously there are some similarities with us and them but we don’t feel like we particularly sound a like. We didn’t plan on being a duo, it just happened. We went through a few bass players in the past and it just never seemed to work out. We thought we would see how things go with just the two of us. We play as if we weren’t a duo. We play with the comfort that players in a bigger band would feel because we trust each other to back up whatever the other is putting out there. There’s not always the need to fill space….. sonically speaking of course. Those comparisons will come, but once people see us live they will see just how vastly different we are from both the Keys and Stripes. For one, we typically play at a much quicker tempo. And a lot of our music is more conducive to dancing. Plus we really feed off each other and improvise A LOT when we play live.

TDOA: I’m not sure people understand the roots of the music that you’re making. What do you deem to be your influences?

EO: I know that Kevin grew up on old Rock and Roll like Elvis, Carl Perkins, Little Richard, and Buddy Holly. Then he progressed to The Beatles, The Band, and Dylan. Derek and the Dominoes and Hendrix really turned him onto guitar. I grew up listening to a lot of grunge and punk rock. I started with Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Bad Religion, and Rancid. Then I really got into Southern Jam bands like the Allman Brothers, Widespread Panic, My Morning Jacket, a - The Dumbing of America

Black Keys blues miss only Dan Auerbach's production credit on Black Pistol Fire's eponymous debut. Instead, the former Toronto duo of Kevin McKeown (guitar/vox) and Eric Owen (skins) recruited Jim Diamond to transform its South Austin garage rock into an urban beatdown back in Detroit, where the producer's early work with the White Stripes and long tenure in the Dirtbombs – not to mention a short stint in mid-1990s Austin – ups the ante from local Chili Cold Blood and guts to smoking gun powder burns. A spidery guitar break on opener "Cold Sun" and McKeown's end flourish on "Jezebel Stomp" loosen aural pheromones leading to a Red River rumble on "Your Not the Only One," though it's the roundhouse wallop of "Black Eyed Susan" backed by the cymbal splash and guitar sirens of "Silent Blue" that sets Black Pistol Fire rolling and tumbling toward the last third of the LP. Bull's-eye.
*** - Austin Chronicle

Black Keys blues miss only Dan Auerbach's production credit on Black Pistol Fire's eponymous debut. Instead, the former Toronto duo of Kevin McKeown (guitar/vox) and Eric Owen (skins) recruited Jim Diamond to transform its South Austin garage rock into an urban beatdown back in Detroit, where the producer's early work with the White Stripes and long tenure in the Dirtbombs – not to mention a short stint in mid-1990s Austin – ups the ante from local Chili Cold Blood and guts to smoking gun powder burns. A spidery guitar break on opener "Cold Sun" and McKeown's end flourish on "Jezebel Stomp" loosen aural pheromones leading to a Red River rumble on "Your Not the Only One," though it's the roundhouse wallop of "Black Eyed Susan" backed by the cymbal splash and guitar sirens of "Silent Blue" that sets Black Pistol Fire rolling and tumbling toward the last third of the LP. Bull's-eye.
*** - Austin Chronicle

Black Pistol Fire, a new Austin blues-rock duo transplanted from Toronto will be sure to melt some faces at the Fall 2010 Old Pecan Street Festival. Formerly The Shenanigans, the now two-piece outfit have relocated to Austin in pursuit of success.

I met with Eric Owen, the drummer of Black Pistol Fire and had the chance to talk about where he and Kevin (guitar & vox) are headed as a band.

Eric & Kevin have known one another since they were five years-old. Both playing in several bands together, Eric says: We were always the core and were in many great bands together. After playing in Toronto for a while, things just kind of got stale. It was time to do our own thing; Austin felt like the perfect place to do it.

After playing as the Shenanigans for around 7 years, a name change felt appropriate as Eric & Kevin felt that the name didn’t match their style. The guys now have more of a dirty-southern, soul-driven, rock & roll sound. They are, indeed amazing.

Black Pistol Fire’s biggest influences are CCR, The Allman Bros, The Black Keys, The White Stripes, & early Kings Of Leon.

Eric says: Kevin sounds like John Fogherty…He brings the blues, where as I bring kind of a punk rock sound. Our ultimate goal as a band is to create a following and tour the world.

Black Pistol Fire performs Sunday, September 26th at 3 o’clock on Trinity & 6th St.

Weston L. McGowen

Austin, Texas
- Pecan Street Festival