INTRODUCTION:

Woke Again… a recent release claimed by PackMule’s resurrected muse is true to a crotchety equanimity evident in the reawakened RonnieHays. The record bristles with casual sensibility. For example, in the opening track, Coolest Place, the lyric reveals an unusually low level of existential anxiety. This from the perspective of someone determined not to be defined by geographic locality or relative influence among personal friends and acquaintances. As the tracks play on, we see natural forces (tornadoes, meteorites) doing what they do to beleaguered humanity with the song’s protagonists fairly indifferent to the ravages. A recurring theme, “…sometimes redemption requires discipline” underscores the point, and this so-it-goes equanimity plays throughout.

As stated in the EP’s liner notes…

The cover art suggests a singer awoken in the body of a pack mule. Unfazed by this apparent karmic demotion, he beholds a gaggle of wild children inhabiting this strange and foreboding world. To them, he offers no lamentation. Instead, he offers Rip Van ramblings to pass time as they slowly satisfy their curiosity.

HAYS DAYS:

There were a couple writeups in RonnieHays’ salad days. One was a newspaper profile for a combo called, “Crossfire.” Crossfire was a band playing stadium rock (Zep, VH, Def Leopard, Rush, etc.) at a time other area bands were either cashing in on “American Graffiti” nostalgia or crooning Bon Jovi, Journey, or the sell-out version of REO Speedwagon covers. Crossfirians were rebels and underdogs not playing by the local rules. Crossfire went on to win the Western Kansas Battle of the Bands (Miller Highlife’s “Rocks to Riches”) in the spring of 1983.

SELL-OUT DAYS:

Another write up came as RonnieHays was literally dying on Ron Rohlf’s creative vine. Determined to stop disappointing his parents, Rohlf took a job with a produce distribution company in Salina, KS. His musical side-hustle was a failed attempt to produce records for local artists using his pre-digital 4-track cassette recorder. The local newspaper thought it admirable someone was interested in promoting LOCAL talent… hence, the write-up.

AND NOW:

Rip Van PackMule is a fitting metaphor for Rohlfie’s muse as the second most recent effort, Rohlfie’s Dog, was burned to hundreds of compact disks (CD) and passed out to friends and family many years previous (Christmas, 2005).  Much has changed since then. Namely, this and all subsequent releases will be uploaded to streaming services… there will be no more CDs burned, packaged, and shipped from the home office.

In the Woke Again tracks one might hear hints of influence from John Hyatt to Tom Petty. And though none of the work is designed to appeal to a particular demographic, lyric-centric, vocal-forward production remains consistent features of PackMule’s output. 

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