Breaking Artist: White Denim

Who: Garage-rock trio White Denim, an Austin outfit whose frontman, James Petralli, nearly followed his family into a career in professional baseball, but turned to rock when he got busted for too much partying.

Sounds Like: On their loud and raw EP Let's Talk About It, which was written and recorded in a 1940s Spartan trailer, the band combines the Stooges' raw power, Hendrix's psychedelic flourishes and the White Stripes' stripped-down blues rock.

Vital Stats:

• Petralli and drummer Joshua Block once performed in a noise-rock group called Parque Touch, who became infamous among Austin crowds as the band that stole beers out of the hands of fans in the front row.

• Petralli's literary lyrics are inspired by the poetry of Gertrude Stein. Songs like "Sitting" especially tap into language experiments. "Some of Stein's writing lends itself to music," says Petralli, who penned the line "I would rather be you sitting with you sitting with me."

• Petralli's grandfather was a catcher for the Washington Senators, a team that later became the Texas Rangers and drafted catcher Gino Petralli, James' father. Major league teams are also scouting Petralli's brother. Block's grandfather, interestingly enough, was also a player on the Senators. Bassist Steve Terebecki lacks a baseball pedigree.

Hear It Now: The band's debut EP Let's Talk About It is available on iTunes. Click the video above to check out the band's video for its title track.

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Song Stories

“All Along the Watchtower”

The Jimi Hendrix Experience | 1968

Jimi Hendrix got hold of Bob Dylan's early John Wesley Harding tapes and in late 1967 recorded a version of "All Along the Watchtower" with the Experience in London. Dissatisfied with that first development, Hendrix brought those tapes with him to New York in early 1968 when he began work on Electric Ladyland. Eddie Kramer, Hendrix's engineer at the time, told Rolling Stone that Hendrix "was still looked upon by his basically white audience as the mammoth black guitar hero. There was a constant fight within him to expand himself." Hendrix's successful take on Dylan's work has long been recognized by the songwriter. "I liked Jimi Hendrix's record of this and ever since he died I've been doing it that way," Dylan wrote in the liner notes to his Biograph box set. "Strange how when I sing it, I always feel it's a tribute to him in some kind of way."

More Song Stories entries »

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