New News! We haven't played in a few months (only once since BOB left) but we did figure out how to post all our songs to the internet!
Here they are (you might have to copy the address directly into your browser window because myspace is stupid)!
Chokecherry: In the Wine Press (Human Grapes Sing not nor Dance)- 2008 CD
http://www.4shared.com/dir/20186893/5acc6b1f/In_the_Wine_Press__human_grapes_sing_not_nor_dance_.html
Chokecherry: Pigs Eye and the Many-Headed Hydra- 2006 EPCD
http://www.4shared.com/dir/20186899/ba198201/Pigs_Eye_and_the_Many-Headed_Hydra.html
The CD is done so if any labels or distros wanna help us out with distribution that would be greatly appreciated.
You can buy the new CD, In the Wine Press (human grapes sing not nor dance), at many local Minneapolis record stores including Extreme Noise, Cheapo, Electric Fetus, and Arise Bookstore. You can also get the CD on Itunes or at CD Baby by clicking below.
www.itunes.com/chokecherry
or
History
Chokecherry has been playing some of these songs under different names and line-ups for the last few years. For a long time it was just Pam and Jon and we were afraid to play out. Since late 2005 Bob and Chris have distracted everyone with their ravishing good looks and we feel ok.
In the last few years we've played all sorts of different venues from punk houses, to DIY spaces and infoshops, to benefits and bars, and even the occasional festival. In the morningtimes we drink coffee and we are thinking about starting a band kombucha colony.
REVIEWS
In the Wine Press (human grapes sing not nor dance)- CD 2008
The Rift Magazine
Nov. 28, 2008
By Anthony Newes
First thing you need to know about this record is: if you’re going to listen to it, you’re probably gonna have some fun. Second thing you ought to know is: if you’re having a fun time, no point in worrying about anything else, just have fun. Permission granted.
That being said let me tell you about this band a bit. Chokecherry is a four-piece, lo-fi country band with a punk rock mentality, and a mission. According to their myspace page, “Our mission is to destroy Capitalism by fermenting transcendent fun. We could also be convinced to build a snow fort.”
They may not have crushed Capitalism yet, but they’ve succeeded in having a good time and there’s proof all over this album. It consists of 16 sing-along tracks, and you get the feeling it was recorded in a basement with only a couple of mics, a case o beer, and a weekend’s worth of time.
It’s got a nice, raw feeling to it and I can’t help but wonder if much of it was recorded live in only a take or two. Don’t let that fool ya though; they’re plenty tight in their playing. They’ve got the basic country set-up going for them: guitar, drums, bass and violin (with a bit of banjo too), as well as dueling male/female vocals for many of their songs.
The songs on this album only take a listen or two before they stick with you which I find to be the quality of good songwriters. Let me throw a couple highlights at ya. 1. Refreshing take on Whitney Houston’s ‘I Will Always Love You’ at the end of ‘Every Greyhound Station (Smells like an Ashtray)’. 2. ‘Roger’s Song’ begins with the sing-along “Sometimes I think that Jesus made me for drinking beer and acting crazy. Guess he knows the things that I do right.”
Chokecherry may drink beer and act crazy (I’m guessing the live show is energetic too), but if Jesus did in fact make them, I applaud you Jesus. Well done.
In the Wine Press (human grapes sing not nor dance)- CD 2008
from City Pages
By Loren Green
Published on November 03, 2008
With their first full-length, In the Wine Press, Chokecherry bring a wealth of old-timey sounds; the four-piece includes a guitar, bass, violin, and drums, with some banjo and horns added for good measure. The group plays a fast bluegrass hybrid with punk sensibilities and anarchist lyrics. Songs like "Teargas and Whiskey" and "Singing Along to the Radio" are reminiscent of the folk-punk group This Bike Is a Pipe Bomb, especially in the male-female harmonies. But the group isn't just a bunch of bike-riding, bandana-wearing pamphleteers: Chokecherry stays country-first with the laments "Time and Time Again" and "Work Will Never Set You Free," and the violins effectively carry the melodies. If you ignore the lyrics, it is easy to imagine the band playing in a nameless small town.
Lyrically, they wear their beliefs on their sleeve—the Crass font on the album cover is a dead giveaway—and the messages of solidarity mesh well with the old-style country. Despite all the heavy topics, however, they don't always take themselves seriously, mimicking a Whitney Houston chorus on "Every Greyhound Station." Weighing in at 16 tracks, In the Wine Press is mostly upbeat, favoring toe-tapping hoedowns over tearful ballads. Chokecherry somehow straddle the line between sorrowful country and cheery pop-punk, and the authenticity behind the twangy vocals and weepy violins is indisputable, regardless of the uniform the musicians may be wearing.
Pigs Eye and the Many-Headed Hydra- EP CD 2005
from HeartAttack 50
Chokecherry- Pigs Eye and the Many-Headed Hydra CD
I've hear so much "folk punk" lately (thanks for moving in, Larry) that it's nice to hear a band that puts the focus on folk, while still paying close attention to punk, rather than vice versa. Utiliizing instruments like the banjo and fiddle, Chokecherry will appeal to fans of This is My Fist and This Bike is a Pipe Bomb while not forgetting Woody Guthrie, Buck Owens, and everyone who made this sorta music possible. Six great late night tracks well worth picking up. (MAH)
from Razorcake 31
Chokecherry-
Pigs Eye and the Many-Headed Hydra CDR
Political country-punk stuffs. The songs are upbeat in a "she'll be coming round the mountain." way and the lyrics are anti-system and pro-common man. Not bad. The kids at Plan-It-X would really like this, me thinks. -Mr. Z (spiderland)
from Slug & Lettuce 87
Chokecherry-
Pig's Eye and the Many-headed Hydra EP
I think this may be what the kids call old timey punk. It sounds a bit country but way more bluegrass. It's definitely catchy and fun to listen to with cool anti-authoritarian lyrics. I wish the lyrics were printed cause I really can't understand most of them under twangy vocals. Besides the normal acoustic guitar bass and drums this band has also got violin and banjo. My favorite songs are all the ones with both male and female vocals. There's also an explanation of the record title which is pretty interesting. This is good stuff. (europian)
from Profane Existence
CHOKECHERRY Pigs Eye and the Many Headed Hydra CD
Hailing from Minneapolis, MN, Chokecherry are a folksy, twangy, country-esque, acoustic political band with a damn good sense of humor. The use of fiddle and banjo gives CHOKECHERRY a particular dynamic that makes this CD quite good. Much of the lyrics are dual male and female vocals sung in harmony. The songs are fairly simple and straightforward, in a down-home-folksy sort of way, with lyrics that you can't help but sing along to, as they wail away "You and I will never be freeeeeee! 'til every boss is dead and buried!". How could I not fall in love with this CD? Anyone who loves funny-yet profound political lyrics, twangy guitars and banjos, sultry singing fiddles, and anything remotely folk-country-punk, check this out! (Maygun)
DISCO!-GRAPHY
In the Wine Press (human grapes sing not nor dance) CD 2008
Teargas and Whiskey Split 7-Inch w/ the Knotwells 2008
Pigs Eye and the Many Headed Hydra EP 2005
Don't Fall Asleep: A DIY Minneapolis Compilation for Daybreak Newspaper 2007 These are available locally from Extreme Noise, the Seward Cafe, Arise Bookstore, Frostbite Distro (www.myspace.com/frostbitedistro). The compilation is being distributed through Profane Existence and interpunk.com. For other ordering information just email us.
