The Porkroll Project
"Three Legged Dog"
High Tone Music Group
By Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro © September 2011

The key to repeatedly producing a quality product is to repeatedly use quality ingredients or parts. This holds true from the food you eat to the machinery you work with to the music you listen to, and it includes the makers of that music as well. Spanning seven years and several CDS, the ingredients that make up the Porkroll Project have been pretty much the same five top notch musicians. They are: Neil Taylor on guitar & vocals; Joe Stout on organ & vocals; Paul Matecki on piano & vocals; Chad Edstrom on drums; Ed Young on bass and vocals; and Buddy Cleveland on harmonica. On "Three Legged Dog", which contains seven band originals out of twelve tracks, a few other "quality ingredients" were added. They are: Mike Bardzik on drums, Joe D'Amico on mandolin, and Randy Phister on conga. Now let's listen.

Apparently, doing this must be a lot harder than it might seem. As Paul tells it, he'll take out his baby's trash and even mop her floor, he'll also do her laundry, iron her clothes, wash her back, polish her toes and more - just as long as he doesn't have to walk her "Three Legged Dog" anymore. The deal breaker could have very well been the fact that the dog also can't see. Between complaints about the poor pooch there's a killer three minutes of powerful rhythm backing some ass kickin' guitar and harp leads.

With four of the band members sharing vocal leads, "Ninety-One Days" is one of the five tracks that feature Paul Matecki and it's by far his best effort. Getting in lots of piano highlights as well, I guess it's no coincidence he wrote the song.

Although no one will ever do it like Johnny did, most of the versions that I've heard of "Folsom Prison Blues" have been enjoyable. The song and it's writer are so legendary, it's almost sacrilegious to say you didn't like a particular version of it. And that's certainly not a factor on The Porkroll Project's rendition. As a matter of fact, Neil Taylor does an admirable job on the vocals and guitar, and the extra addition of Buddy's harp and Paul's piano both add a little something even the great original version didn't have. Good stuff.

On this particular track it sounds like the band is ready to "Party Till The Cows Come Home". This is one of those songs where everyone just cuts it loose and it all comes together sounding great because they all nailed it. Let it roll....yeah, yeah, yeah....let it roll.

Inasmuch as I had hoped that the lyrics to "Three Legged Dog" were fictional, it's all too sad that the lyrics to "All I Got Is Time" definitely aren't. It's about a diligent, conscientious, very loyal employee of twenty-seven years being laid off because of downsizing. Happen to anyone you know? Same here. Adding Randy's conga for some extra added percussion, make this one hot rhythm driven track.

Other tracks on "Three Legged Dog" include: "Broke And Hungry", "Shoeshine Joe", "Cold Turkey", "Lamp In The Window", "Miss Mandy's Kitchen" and "Ain't A Day Goes By".

The Porkroll Project can be found at www.porkroll-blues.com. While you're there, in addition to telling them the Blewzzman sent ya, you can thank them for not injuring any animals, dogs or otherwise, in the making of this recording.