Husky debut “Circle the Wagons” set for March 2006 release


    After six years together Charlotte-based instrumental trio, Husky, release their debut album, “Circle the Wagons.” Six years is a long time to spend honing your sound in a damp basement, but Husky wasn’t exactly planned. Guitarist Phil Strickland, bassist Mark Hadden, and drummer Nate Wilkinson spent many evenings zeroing in on a single musical idea that might gather steam and float on for a good 20 minutes before winding to a slow, bluesy finale. Nourished by Miller High Life, the trio rocked for rock’s sake, playing the occasional, sometimes completely improvised, show.
    Jamming birthed songs and those songs flourished into the bluesy shakedowns, psychedelic slow burners, and racing boogie that make up “Circle the Wagons.” A love of the Patrick Swayze, late ‘80s ass kicker, “Roadhouse,” cowboys and Indians, ‘70s classic guitar rock, the bands Clutch and Kyuss, American history, professional wrestling, fast cars, loose women, High Life, and an ongoing debate about Star Wars, old and new, fueled the “Wagon’s” inception.
    Live, Husky is gaining fans with a no frills approach. They’ve recently shared the stage with Atomic Bitchwax, Pearls and Brass, and Gods of Mars. With nonchalance Strickland’s effects-heavy, psychedelic meandering flows almost effortlessly through his blaring, white Matamp, while Hadden anchors the trio with steady, signature bass lines. The burly Wilkinson, whose big-boned boyhood physique lends the band its name, hovers throughout with a rippling rhythm section.
    “Circle the Wagons:” Southern rock filtered through three decades of hard rock, blues, and desert metal.