Hank Dogs
Deeper Than a Hat
by Pamela Murray Winters

In a smoky American bar, under strings of old license plates from the 50 states, I'm talking to a man in a Stetson. The subject is Joe Boyd of Hannibal Records and his prowess for finding talented and innovative musicians: the likes of Maria Muldaur, 10,000 Maniacs, and now this man's band, Hank Dogs.

To the remark "Joe Boyd is really batting a thousand," the Stetson tips up to reveal a startled face. "What does that mean?" Andy asks crisply. "That's an Americanism."

"Americanism" is not a foreign concept to Andy, nor to his companions in London's Hank Dogs, Lily and Piano. (They prefer not to use their last names.) Offstage, they listen to Steve Earle, John Hiatt, and Nanci Griffith.

Onstage, and on the superb debut album Bareback (released by Hannibal in early 1999), the trio blends the sounds of its homeland with those of American roots musicians and a generous infusion of imagination. As the band finishes its second album, it seems clear that Hank Dogs' status as citizens of their own peculiar and magical world will not change. They can't claim loyalty to a single heritage.

"The Englishness comes from my guitar playing," said Andy. "It's not exactly blues, and it's not exactly Celtic. I learned to play guitar on a six-string. I was listening to John Fahey and John Renbourn.

"Maybe 10 years ago, I suddenly got struck by all this new country music," Andy continued. Steve Earle is a perennial favorite. (The Dogs also admire his sister Stacey, and on this recent U.S. tour they regretted that they kept just missing her; in Arlington, Virginia, she was playing the night after them.) In alt-country music, Andy and friends found a kinship. "They weren't entirely accepted by Nashville. That's how we felt. We weren't accepted by the folk establishment [in the U.K.]. We didn't feel like a folk band. And they don't feel like country bands. They just play the songs the way they like to hear them," Andy explained.

Piano was quick to point out that "folk music" isn't a slur. "We don't have anything against it. We just haven't really crossed paths with it." Hank Dogs (the name is an homage to Hank Williams, as well as a tribute to Andy and Piano's late Labrador retriever) handled its maverick status in a sensible way: Andy and Piano started their own club. The Easycome Acoustic Club in South London features "English acoustic indie" music.
One of Easycome's inspirations was the club where Hank Dogs was born in the late 80s. At London's legendary Troubadour, the late-night come-all-ye's provided on-the-job training. "It's like an open mike night, but without the mike," said Andy. "You'd wait all night to play one song, and you'd be terrified, but you'd really learn the art of going up on stage."

"The standard of people playing [at the Troubadour] was so high, it made you think you've gotta be that good," Piano said.

This is an excerpt. Read the full article in Dirty Linen #86 (Feb/Mar '00).