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Pinkeye D’Gekko |
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Feature
Pinkeye D’GekkoNot Just Another Lounge Lizard!
by Tom Lounges
In his classic rock anthem, “Rock ‘N’ Roll Never Forgets”, Bob Seger sang –– “all of Chuck’s children are out there playing his licks”.
Like the string-bending architect of rock ‘n’ roll, the Gekkos hail from the city under the arch –– St. Louis.
Though the band is Southern Rock enough to warrant them a full summer tour supporting Lynyrd Skynyrd, they can not be tucked so easily into a snug little box.
The sound laid down by pinkeye d’gekko on their sophomore album – Dry Clothes For The Drowning – is unique combination the runs the gamut from bluesy boogie (“River Boat Queen”), to hard rock (“Queen Of Fire”), electronic pop (“Call Me Adolf During Wartime”), and sassy tropical groove pop (“The Velvet Fizz”).
While the tastefully recycled Chuck Berry licks make “Girls Of Arkansas” an instant standout on the album and a future Southern Rock anthem, there is a considerable amount of great music awaiting those with a discerning musical palate, who dare to let their ears taste-test something fresh and new.
“I’ve always been a huge Lynyrd Skynyrd fan, so to be invited to go on tour with them and getting the kind of respect we got from their fans for my music is dream come true,” said Steve Richards Mahoney, the singer/songwriter/band leader of Pinkeye D’Gekko (www.pdgrocks.com).
“Skynyrd has been great to us all summer,” he continued. “They made us feel right at home and so have their fans.”
“We were doing stuff like ‘Queen Of Fire,’ ‘River Boat Queen’ and an extended version of ‘Girls Of Arkansas’ that would close the set,” said of the 25 Skynyrd tour dates they logged in between June and August.
“I was a little nervous heading out on this tour, because Skynyrd fans are real rock fans and tough to win over,” said Richards. “I’m happy to say that we’ve gone over great at all the shows. We’ve had the time of our lives!”
However, as explained earlier, their are many hues and colors to Mahoney’s songs and the crew he has playing them – Mauldin (guitar), Dave Grelle (keys), Jahmal Nichols (bass) and Stephen von der Heyde (drums) – than just the sounds found south of the Mason-Dixon Line.
Along with his Southern Rock heroes, Mahoney cites The Beatles and hippie bard Bob Dylan as having had a huge impact on his music.
“Our album sort of reflects all of those influences I think,” he said of Dry Clothes For The Drowning.
“I just can’t imagine what music would be today if it had not been for The Beatles,” he added. “They changed everything and influenced everyone who came after them in some way.”
Pinkeye D’Gekko has a few distinct Beatlesque moments on the album with songs like “See You Again” and the John Lennon-inflected closer, “Missing,” and those who check out PDG’s solo headline tour will experience the full spectrum of the band’s sound.
While his is proud of the diversity of their newest album, Mahoney said spending so much time with Skynyrd has rubbed off on him and the band.
The band is writing while on the road and those new tunes are shaping up in such a fashion that the Stars ‘N’ Bars will certainly be waving more and more at PDG concerts.
“I’ve always tried to have a wide style of songs on the albums, but our next one is definitely going to be MUCH more Southern rock from start to end,” he concluded.
Pinkeye D’Gekko perform October 8th with The Highway Band at Cronies Charhouse & Gin Mill in Kouts, Indiana |
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Homage is certainly given to Chuck Berry by guitarist Tim Mauldin
of Pinkeye D’Gekko, on the band’s snappy new song, “Girls Of
Arkansas.” 
The band stuck exclusively to the boogie side of their songbook while
out romping down the highway with their legendary tour mates.