English Teeth: “Roadrunner”
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From their name down to their faux-accents, it’s hard not to love the cheekiness of local outfit English Teeth. Their sense of humor is certainly British-dry, but the Austin group is also committed to some serious projects.
Over the past few years, English Teeth have come to be known for their take on classic British rock sounds from the ’60s and ’70s–there’s a dose of Kinks smarts, Stones swagger, and Who power. Yet recently the quartet has taken on political issues. They helped launch Protest Tunes, a website that allows users to upload their own original protest songs and offers free compilations for download. During South By Southwest this year, English Teeth headed to the Travis County Correctional Complex to teach music and songwriting classes to inmates as a part of Jail Guitar Doors.
It’s safe to say the Teeth lead by example, be it with social issues close to their hearts or with old-fashioned rock and roll. The group recently stopped by KUT’s Studio 1A for a live performance and talked about these two divergent interests, and they mentioned they’re hard at work on a new record. But in the meantime, here’s “Roadrunner,” a song from the session (and from Two, the group’s 2010 EP) that shows English Teeth at their best: British power-pop with a Texan twist.
Podcast: Download (3.4MB)
