Here in the Deep South we are use to a variety of debut bands being influenced by the Buddy Guy and Muddy Waters high-energy juke/jam rock and roll aspect of the Blues Explosion. Much of today's North Miss. Allstars and Widespread Panic's party vibe owes a debt to classic British bands like the Rolling Stones and Cream for introducing the music of Black America to the white watercolor of the '60s. I'm talking about Muddy's "Got My Mojo Working" and a Doors "L.A. Woman" juke. When bands like the White Stripes express some bluesy roots they can sometimes seem shallow and contrived. The U.K. has always had a knack for maintaining the visceral and primal intensity of rock and roll, and somehow reinventing it, like it was the first time you heard the Doors, the Stones, Iggy Pop, and your favorite surf band. Their name comes from Delta bluesman Skip James' 22-20 Blues. Ladies, gentlemen and Astralwerkers, I give you the 22-20's, and rock and roll. -- Herman Snell and Alex Slawson
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