The Falcon – Gather Up The Chaps

A man of many musical pursuits, The Lawrence Arms co-vocalist Brendan Kelly showcases his ragged punk rock style across a range of similar endeavors.  His solo work, and latest work with The Wandering Birds definitely stood out as some of his most distinct, but rewinding the clock another ten years harkens back to the punk rock side project perhaps most coveted by fans: The Falcon.  Long since dormant shortly after releasing the celebrated debut full length, Unicornography, the band took an unofficial hiatus – and the wait began.

Initially consisting of two thirds of The Lawrence Arms and Alkaline Trio’s Dan Andriano, the band’s resurrection a decade later now marks the addition of Dave Hause, further defining the project as a veritable punk rock supergroup consisting of three of the genre’s most recognizable frontmen.  For their long awaited sophomore follow up, Gather Up The Chaps, The Falcon further fleshes out their identity as Kelly’s rawest project, while integrating the varied instrumental and vocal talents of their all-star cast.  Kelly remains the central driving force, with Hause and Andriano trading off as swaggering vocal accompaniment, and occasionally picking up the mic as lead vocals.

Time has done little to dull The Falcon’s sharp tongue and dirty mind, making Gather Up The Chaps a playful batch of rough-cut tunes that deliver on their sonic and lyrical rag-tag promise.  Opening with the stylistic throwback of “The Trash,” Kelly briskly belts his unmistakable raspy call of “woah-oah” heavy choruses.  The party kicks off harty as riffs crunch to an upbeat tempo in a way that unabashedly announces The Falcon as taking flight once more.  Songs like “Sergio’s Here,” “Hasseloff Cheeseburger,” and “Glue Factory” continue the legacy of toe-tapping, feel-good tunes about just about everything dirty, degrading and taboo that you probably shouldn’t write about (especially the latter).  On the other front, Kelly seems to have migrated some of the low-tone, moody vocals used in The Wandering Birds to tracks like “War Of Colossus” and “Dead Rose.”  The effect rounds out Kelly’s contributions admirably.

Unique to Gather Up The Chaps, Andriano and Hause each take the lead on select tracks.  While a fan’s gut reaction might be to cry foul on Kelly taking a back seat, both vocalists manage to hold their own under The Falcon moniker with pretty near all the attitude and snark as Kelly.  Hause’s contribution, the aptly titled “If Dave Did It,” aims for a sort of “over the top” anger, key to the creepy, obsessive stalker vibe the track aims for.  Hause’s somewhat pseudo-spoken word style fits the context and content, and with Andriano and Kelly giving an intermittent play-by-play commentary, listeners stand to enjoy the marked change of pace.  When Andriano takes the stage on “You Dumb Dildos,” he opens with the self-destructive and suitably The Falcon-esque line, “are you ever going to let me die.”  Dan’s relatively clean vocal style makes for a well-suited momentary divergence.  Andriano and Hause may never be the definitive voice of The Falcon, but they are certainly welcome contributors deserving to take the mic from time to time.  

If you held out hope for a second LP, then Gather Up The Chaps is the perfect homecoming for those waiting patiently for The Falcon’s return.  Otherwise, the album is a welcome surprise to those of us who long since gave up on the band’s return to activity.  Not only does Gather Up The Chaps encapsulate everything we love about Kelly, Hennessy, Andriano and now Hause, but The Falcon takes to the skies with a renewed vigor ready for a new decade and fresh chapter.  Let’s just hope that we won’t have to wait until 2026 for the next installment.