I waited far too long to pick up The Evening Rig’s 2007 debut, Never Been’er. The Evening Rig are made up of members of the criminally underrated pop-punk band The Crush, as well as an ex-member of Cadillac Blindside and The Cardinal Sin. The band are triumphantly Minneapolis echoing the ghosts of the city’s classic bands. There’s also a little Old 97’s thrown in here but let’s be honest, Never Been’er seems stacked with Replacements influence. Singer/guitarist Jason Miller’s passionate vocal cry remains intact for The Evening Rig much the same as it did for The Crush. Still sounding like Blake Schwarzenbach (if you don’t know who that is you need to show yourself the door) at times, Miller also recalls another familiar front man. Perhaps it is just the change in musical scenery cause I never noticed it before but Miller’s vocals resemble Paul Westerberg (of The Replacements of course) a great deal especially on the slower paced tracks. The Evening Rig eschew much of the pop-punk of their past instead focusing on a more rustic take on Americana-laced rock and roll. Hell, with The Evening Rig around maybe we don’t need that Mats reunion so badly afterall.

Lil’ Miss Miserable

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