"Garage-Pop Duo" WILD HARES Have you ever asked yourself what would happen if the Preacher from the Black Lagoon met a Hardcore Punkin-head, and they combined forces in a perverse experiment that would defy all that is natural? Of course not; nevertheless: Ladies and Gentlemen, Wild Hares. Tracy Santa (yes that is his real name, or so he says)(guitar and gutteral incantations), and Michael Salkind (hitting things that don’t hit back), led parallel musical existences on opposite coasts in the early and mid 80’s. Santa fronted such bands as 84 Rooms and Idlewiles, while Salkind backed bands such as No Trend and United Mutation, and later, to add some local Springs flavor to his resume, Egamufin. Somehow Santa and Salkind knew that one day they’d meet – all unholy alliances are like that - and thus at the Club Thirsty Parrot, November of 2007, while others were trying to enjoy Sarah Borges, they were introduced to each other by a local apparition whose name can never be spoken out loud but can only be referred to by initials. The meeting resulted in several years of Santa and Salkind busting their chops in 60’s garage rock cover band the Psycho Delicates. Santa currently directs the Writing Center at Colorado College, while Salkind’s day job is directing his own criminal defense practice. The two get along beautifully musically, but in no other way. Some say that this tension is the very key to the unique Wild Hares sound; sure, why not. On the self-titled debut CD, Wild Hares plays mostly Tracy Santa compositions, recent and vintage, as well as “tributes” to Alex Chilton and Nick Drake. In fact, Santa’s knowledge of songs from rock’s history is wide and deep. Live, look forward not so much to renditions as “renderitions.” You know how when you take an engine apart and put it back together again, there are always some leftover pieces? Like that. Wild Hares is often compared to such bands as the Rolling Stones and the Beatles; Wild Hares does not fare well in this comparison. Speaking of faint praise, as one Dutch publication so eloquently states regarding one of the CD’s “tributes”: “Pink Moon by Nick Drake never sounded like this.” And: “A pleasant surprise is this Wild Hares (house), because it means a renewed acquaintance with the last of the radar disappeared Tracy Santa.” And: “By duobezetting (sic) there is bare, sometimes downright hollow sounding rockabilly. Garage that are just as easily makes the transition to country soul, such as Love Will not Lie Down.” (quotes, but not quotation marks, courtesy of www.altcountry.nl; props to Google for the translation) The next CD will, no doubt, be entitled “Duobezetting.”