Omar & the Howlers - Hard Times In The Land Of Plenty

The Howlers, UNEASY LISTENING: 1974-1978.

There once was a band of mostly Mississippians who decided to head west out of the Magnolia State and head for Texas. It was a group that knew there was action to be found in Austin town, and they started kicking up sand in action in the Lone Star state. It didn’t take long to create a reputation for musical movement and unending excitement. Kent “Omar” Dykes was accompanied with such a richness of musical talent that The Howlers climbed to the head of the night club action in River City right away. They soon were winning awards and making a lifelong reputation for full-tilt excitement The crew got busy playing and recording big time blues and rock & roll wherever they could, and find live juke joints and theaters to build a blasting reputation. These recordings from the mid-70s have been put together on a collection called UNEASY LISTENING, and after sitting in storage for nearly a lifetime; it’s time they were set loose on The Howlers’ fandom to show the world about an era of live music that was truly one of a kind. A whole range of rock & roll classics like “Honky Tonk,” “You Can’t Catch Me,” “Oh Pretty Woman” and more juke joint perennials join seriously deep-fried origins so that it feels like the clock has been turned back to when rock & rollers were running the streets of Austin with such fervor that it seemed like it would go on forever. UNEASY LISTENING is the kind of music that offers a new life for those seeking the vibrancy of the past and the promise of the future. And while there’s long been a feeling that people can’t go back again, don’t believe it. The Howlers are here, fired up by some of the best players on the planet 40 years ago, and they’re proud for the musical promise they all delivered, and for giving Omar and his jolly band of sonic pirates a place to get started and deliver the mischief to bandstands across the South. Burn baby burn, and do not despair. The cavalry’s arrived.
- Bill Bentley
Bentley's Bandstand
Americana Highway

Omar & the Howlers - Hard Times in the Land of Plenty (1987).

Side A. Hard Times in the Land of Plenty
Dancing Rock me the Wrong Way
Border Girl
Mississippi Hoo Doo Man
Don't Rock me the Wrong Way

Side B.Same Old Grind
Don't You Know
You Ain't Foolin' Nobody
Shadow Man
Lee Anne

Omar and the Howlers

Omar Dykes - Vocals, Guitar
Bruce Jones - Bass Guitar
Gene Brandon - Drums

Bruce Wynans - Organ
Neil Peterson - Synthersizer