Stride of pride

The Walk of Shame rocks hard. Really hard.

So hard, in fact, I imagine a secret society of famous musicians meeting in a dark room somewhere deep in Los Angeles at this very moment. They’re smoking huge cigars, indulging in some evil laughter and stroking their black cats. Maybe they’ll call in strippers, or maybe they’ll have someone killed just for the hell of it, but before they leave, they’ll figure out a way to pull Walk of Shame into their dark musical circles.

The whole thing would probably go something like this:

“We interrupt another amazing RN&R band profile to bring you an important message from the International Alliance of Slightly Off-Tune White Singers Who Kick Ass Nonetheless.

The IASOTWSWKAN, being made up of president Bob Dylan, vice president Neil Young and Treasurer Rivers Cuomo, is pleased to announce that Reno’s own Walk of Shame has not only joined us, but has been nominated as representative for the entire state of Nevada.

Thank you for your time, we now return you to your regularly scheduled arts and entertainment.

Why are Neil Young and Bob Dylan arranging assassinations even as we speak?

It all starts with lead singer and guitarist Jeff Done. The 29-year-old has this slightly off-tune, Weezer-but-more-yelling thing going on with his vocals, great presence and almost as many tats as Lil’ Wayne. He absolutely shreds on the guitar.

Done says that he doesn’t drink anymore, which is a shame, because I hear many vague references to pissing on restaurant tables back in the drunkard days.

Joining him on bass, Kevin Dunn lays down filthy beats when there’s no opening for a “Yo mamma” joke. Like the other Dunn, 37-year-old Kevin has the quantity of ink I normally only associate with prison life.

Playing keyboard, guitar and singing backup vocals, 28-year-old Sue Duh hits the high notes and lends a retro sound to some of the slower songs. While most of what he does sounds good, Duh’s in-practice tangents guarantee the Walk of Shame can, if pressed, seamlessly transition from contemporary rock to a sort of horrific ranchero music with lyrics that translate to something like “seven eight, I am, Maria is, burritos.”

Rounding out the quartet, 25-year-old drummer Preston Duhon enjoys beating the crap out of his snare. A relative newcomer to the music scene, Duhon explains his evolution as a musician.

“I started playing drums eight or nine years ago when I was in high school,” he says.

The Walk of Shame’s songs, “Give Me Romance” being the best example, have a loose-jointed quality reminiscent of Queens of the Stone Age, except harder. Each song has at least one good hook, and none of them suffer from awkward chorus-to-verse transitions. They play really, really loud and the vocals still sound great.

If you’re reading this, Neil Young, I don’t care who you have to kill, get this band into IASOTWSWKAN.