So when I got a request from the Sumner Brothers, I went though the motions. British Columbia. OK. I listened to the first song. Interesting. Then the second. The third; finally the last. That last song was good.

I watched a video on their Myspace site. Brian Sumner and a guitar, singing about a soldier gone wild in Iraq. Rapes and kills a young girl and her family. Sets fire to the whole lot with a can of gasoline. The song isn’t good. It’s horrible. But I’m goddmaned if I don’t agree with what he says. Some things, can not, must not, will not be hidden or covered up. I don’t care if there’s a heaven for all the fine men: I just hope there’s justice for them.

I bought both of their CDs.

They’re raw, unrefined, primitive, unpolished, gritty. Spiritual undertones add heft to the words. The tunes are spare, the production amateurish. And very, very good.

Honesty, courage, moral fiber cannot easily be hidden or disguised. These guys have it. Now I know what it felt like to have a young Johnny Cash wander in from the street with a guitar.

Listen to Sumner Brothers – Ticket To Ride

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