Well, whatever the turkeys may say, happy Thanksgiving! We’ve got an NSFW track from the all-female, all-jokes troupe about what they are grateful for on Thanksgiving. Steal it! And be thankful.
Denver has an answer to the Wu-Tang Clan. Actually, we have two.
First, there is , a performance art group of eight women that occasionally perform incredible covers of Wu-Tang Clan songs. Fans of the killer bees swarm, but the subtext is much broader than a tribute. These are women who take the often misogynist tones of hip-hop and reverse it, building empowerment, without losing what makes the Wu-Tang Clan classic.
Then, there’s . Not sure if the name is intended to beg for a “Clan” to follow it, but the reference is there nonetheless. Harpoontang, like Lady Wu-Tang, is an all-female performance art group, but a lot more silly. Comprised of the three harmonizing angels of , as well as Laura Goldhamer and M & the Gems singer Maria Kohler, these ladies exploit their innocent looks for comedic shock-and-awe. The shock is found in the language and overt sexuality, and the awe is in how well they pull it off, both musically and conceptually.
Harpoontang would be silly schlock were it not for the undeniably musicality. The collaboration started as a joke, and largely remains one, but there is something so compelling about the music they make, especially the live show, which is vaudevillian. Add to the music value a super smart joke that we’re all in on — these otherwise delightful ladies get crude and rude — and there is another layer of brilliance.
On November 26, Harpoontang performed at for and The Night Before the Night Before Thanksgiving show. Unlike other holidays, Thanksgiving has never seemed to draw commemorations in song. Harpoontang ruined that run with a song that, like Wu-Tang Clan, trades off verses on what they are grateful for. Warning: This is a rough draft; be sure to wait for the vocals. And at least one member is grateful for a dildo, so this track is deemed NSFW.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Please note that downloads offered via Steal This Track are intended to whet your appetite, and are NOT CD-quality recordings. If you want those, please support the artists by buying their music and/or seeing them live.
If you’re a band or musician ready to expose your fresh sounds to the readers of Reverb, email your tracks — along with any interesting facts about them, as well as a photo or album art — to Steal This Track for consideration.
Josh Johnson is a Denver freelance writer and Reverb contributor. He is also a co-host/co-producer of the Denver podcast . He’s also a journeyman butcher. Seriously.
