Baltimore reggae band Can?t Hang?s newest album, “Blood, Sweat and Beers,” is not a mystery to figure out.
“It?s appropriately named,” said Steve Lynch, the band?s guitarist. “Those three things really did make [the album] happen. It was a lot of hard work.”
Most of the songs on “Blood, Sweat and Beers” are from an earlier time. “I actually went to my mother?s house and got stuff off of the old computer. They were like, [Microsoft] Word docs from 2001,” Lynch said.
Mike Matthews, the program director for Towson radio station 89.7 WTMD, called the album “as addictive a record as you?re gonna hear,” and Down the Road Webzine called it “enjoyable, fun and totally danceable.”
But it hasn?t all been easy for Can?t Hang. The band?s members ? vocalist Luke Mysko, bassist Rob Eisenhut, drummer Alex Crowley and Lynch ? went through several lineup changes, then faced the problem of studio time. Even after Jerome Maffeo ? the drummer from Jimmies Chicken Shack ? offered the guys his home studio, the album still took months to record.
But even though times are tough, the band is still dedicated to making music.
“I?m ready to throw in the towel pretty much every day. It?s amazingly frustrating to keep the train rolling,” Lynch said. “But every time I want to stop, something awesome happens. No matter what, it just won?t die. Somehow it keeps getting better.”
Can?t Hang has supported acts such as Busta Rhymes, The Pietasters and Jah Works, and frequents such venues like Castaways in Ocean City and The 8×10 in Federal Hill.
“They are one of the few reggae/ska bands that get it right,” said Brian Shupe, owner of The 8×10.
Future plans for Can?t Hang? Taking their new Ford Econoline 15-passenger van and touring old-school style.
IF YOU GO
Can?t Hang performs with The Wailers, Steel Pulse, Lionize and Shoreline
» Venue: Pier Six Pavilion, Baltimore
» When: 2 p.m. Saturday
» Tickets: $15 to $35
