Prison Book Club

Shepherdstown, WV

Rock/Southern Rock

When it comes to Prison Book Club, the marriage of two of the state’s best bands — The Demon Beat and The Fox Hunt — it’s all been said.

Well, almost.

Prison Book Club's self-titled, sophomore album is available now. Photo courtesy of Prison Book Club

Everyone knows that The Demon Beat’s Adam Meisterhans and Tucker Riggleman joined up with The Fox Hunt’s John R. Miller to create some sort of intricate, pop-country genius. That’s old news, and really, exactly what any self-respecting West Virginia music fan would expect if told the three veterans of the state’s music scene were joining forces.

Prison Book Club brings to the fore the best of the two genesis bands with Miller’s carefully crafted, achingly lonesome lyrics and Meisterhans’ and Riggleman’s proficiency on guitar and bass, respectively. Andrew Ford adds a complementing beat to frame the outfit’s tales of heartache and regret, adding splashes of character when Miller’s words, delivered in a raspy, confident tone, call for just such an accent.

What no one talks about is how the success of PBC might affect The Demon Beat and The Fox Hunt. While both are still very much active, independent bands, PBC has been met with such success and obvious chemistry, the four multi-tasking musicians are not likely to abandon that ship anytime soon either.

Best-case scenario: Miller, Meisterhans, Riggleman and Ford remain inspired and motivated enough to continue both PBC and their other efforts equally. Riggleman already runs the independent label Big Bullet Records in addition to his band responsibilities, and one look at Miller’s touring schedule and Meisterhans’ on-stage acrobatics will prove their mettle, so these guys are anything but lazy.

Even considering the alternative — dissolution — seems blasphemous.

The alt-country, rock super group has released two albums to date, 2009′s “Required Reading” and their recent self-titled album. Both can be streamed and purchased at the following website.

Website(s): http://prisonbookclub.bandcamp.com/