Rocktober '10s Song #8: "Run Rabbit Run" by Black Pistol Fire (2014)

In the last 20-25 years, duos have proved that you don't need a full band to make fantastic rock and roll music, with The White Stripes and Black Keys kind of setting the standard with only a guitarist and a drummer.  Many great bands have followed suit, one of which is Canadian, yet Austin-based, duo Black Pistol Fire, comprised of Kevin McKeown on guitar and lead vocals and Eric Owen on drums.

They met in kindergarten (!) in Toronto and began playing music together in high school before relocating to Austin.  They released their first album in 2011, and they began to catch the eyes and ears of music audiences beginning with their 2014 album Hush Or Howl.  I discovered them around that time, and I first saw them at Lollapalooza in 2015 -- and have seen them five more times live since then.  Following in the footsteps of The White Stripes and Black Keys, they play mostly garage rock, with some blue-based and punk influences.  Their songs are generally full of energy, as are their live shows, and they get a hell of a lot of sound out of those two instruments.

I'm going with "Run Rabbit Run" off of Hush Or Howl, though admittedly, it was a tough choice because all the songs on the album are great.  Owen lays down kind of a rock shuffle beat that drives the song, and the song explodes in the choruses.  It's a perfect example of why I've seen them a half dozen times in the last eight years and will see them whenever they come through town.