Old Man Markley

Blood On My Hands [7-inch] (2012)

Joe Pelone

I don't even know how a band so unabashedly bluegrass as Old Man Markley ended up on a punk label like Fat Wreck Chords, but I'll take it. The group packs a lot of pep into their new 7" for the label, Blood On My Hands, tossing in twinkling banjo and violin over clean, triumphant vox.

Those qualities are all on display on "Blood On My Hands." The track couldn't be any more energetic without falling apart. It's a kitchen sink sort of song; Old Man Markley throws in tons of vocal lines and instrumentation, achieving a real hoedown of a good time in the process. As a teasing taste for the band's next full-length, "Blood On My Hands" is hopefully a good sign of what's to come. Fat has had success with advance singles in the past with Smoke or Fire and the Flatliners; OMM should surely join their illustrious ranks.

Despite the title, b-side "Folk Song" skews more towards pop-punk, at least as much as a bluegrass band can, and reveals why Fat is all stoked on this band. The vocals have a very SoCal punk vibe, even though there's a banjo solo. That, and the "Fuck what they say / It doesn't matter anyway" chorus kind of helps. It even segues into handclaps! How cheerfully nihilistic. While the 7" is a brief listening experience and Guts ‘n Teeth isn't even that old yet, the two tracks reveal a band brimming with promise for the future.