Originally from Grand Prairie, Texas before moving to Chicago, Illinois, Tyler of Monte Carload created a concept album this year. Of the same name as the band, it’s about “the journey of a drunken werewolf, from curse to rehabilitation.”
We explore this humorous yet interesting idea with the first track of the album. Cleverly named “Heir of the Dog”, it’s a catchy song beginning with a slightly fuzzy guitar, a catchy drum beat, and a funky bass line that gets you revved up to listen to a compelling tale.
Tyler begins his story as the werewolf, saying:
At the heir of the dog
at the far edge of town
see the neon is on
but nobody around
no one taking any orders
no one drinking any drinks
just a dog in the corner
maybe I should leave
This werewolf’s ready to start their drunken escapade, but no one’s here except for some dog in the corner. It’s weird though; the sign’s on so why isn’t anyone here other than this dog. Before they’re able to reconsider, the music suddenly picks up with a slightly more aggressive guitar as our werewolf begins to sing the refrain:
Who turned all the lights off?
Who turned on the jukebox?
there’s a shadow I see movin’ over to me
so I reach for a glass and I pour me a drink
devil in my right hand
angel in the quicksand
there’s a shadow inside, wanna go for a ride
try to run for the door but I don’t make it in time
The lights have gone out, but the jukebox is on now, so I guess it’s time to have a drink. This werewolf’s set on a night of sin, angel be damned and left to sink in quicksand. Whatever hesitations were present before are now gone, a shadow taking its place and blocking access to the door. At this point, the werewolf decides it may be a good time to talk to the person who’s now at the bar:
Now the lights are back on,
and the shadow is gone
I look at the dog
Hey, what’s in the beer?
Says it don’t got no alcohol
I say none he says none at all
then tell me what’s in here
he just scratches his ear
The werewolf seems to be having second thoughts. Maybe it’s not too late to go back on this drunken escapade. The bartender seems to be familiar with this werewolf’s drinking problem, but it also sounds like they’re too good of a customer to lose. Maybe if the bartender can convince him that it’s nonalcoholic he can get him to start on a bender and end up forking over a lot of money? It’s worth a shot, and it sounds like it pays off as the werewolf croons:
Stranger in a ghost town
I can get the first round
One drink can’t hurt, can it? Our werewolf friend decides it’s just one round after all before going off into the refrain, officially calling his bets off of sobriety and placing them all on a raucous night.
From here, the music starts off like most nights of drinking do. Beginning with a slow and steady wave of percussion and bass guitar, it’s not too long before it picks back up into a full-on rock fueled night of drinks, laughter, and bad decisions as a guitar can now be heard going off into an ever-ascending solo. The music slowly fades out, leaving behind nothing but three slowly descending guitar chords, hinting at where the night may be heading next.
Overall, it’s a captivating song leaving me wondering what happens next to our werewolf friend. It’s a good thing Tyler made a whole album on this concept, isn’t it?
Image credit: Jose Lorenzo Pacheco
