David M Rangel / September 9, 2026 / Review
In the world of music creation, it takes a certain kind of “it thing” to stand out among thousands of artists and bands. This is particularly true if the music in question has its roots in genres that are older, classic sounds that have been done over and over again. We are talking musical styles such as roots, folk, jazz, rock, soul, and others. To make a mark performing these types of sounds, you have to have a piece of creative steel going straight up your back. It has to be flexible enough to bend, but not brittle enough to break. Very few artists are gifted with this ability to rise above the masses.
Pokey LaFarge, aka Andrew Heissler performs music from older times mostly originated in down home, salt-of-the-earth settings. He has that aforementioned “it factor”, whether it lies in his production, vocal delivery or general musical vibe – something is there that sets him apart from countless others immersed in those tried and tested sounds of rural America. His music has rich, twangy tones that somehow sound vintage, yet modern. It is said within blues music, the same two to four chords are performed by many different people, but in many different ways, all which are exclusive to each performer. LaFarge seems to effortlessly achieve his own slant, within a number of sounds.
On Rent Money, LaFarge takes multiple styles and fuses sounds that aren’t usually found together such as blues and reggae (in his blue collar lament, “Work”) and makes them sound fresh and new. He paints musical pictures of the past taking the listener on a tour of a number of different long-gone settings. Opening track “The Thing” starts things off on a somewhat seductive vibe with a minimalist surf sounding guitar that recalls a number of beach-themed Elvis Presley movies filmed in the 60s, complete with a girl group sounding rhythm cadence.
LaFarge is connected to the past in a way that exudes a modern hipness found in other throwback acts such as The Black Keys and The White Stripes. It makes sense that The White Stripes’ Jack White previously signed LaFarge to his Third Man Records label to enlist his sense of old timey cool in movies and television shows, as well as White’s own Blunderbuss record. “Can’t Take It With You” takes the listener on a bluesy trip by way of an early sounding first wave reggae beat, recognizing the hard facts of human mortality. And an excursion to some good-time backwoods juke joint is in order on “Hambone” a rave-up number that brings to mind the old rockabilly style (with a ragtime piano) of the late Ricky Nelson. Harkening back to the 70s, the chilled, bluesy urban style of Bill Withers snakes along hypnotically in “Told You So” as it also throws in the interesting addition of a jazz sounding old-time cornet.
What’s always apparent in these songs is the simplicity of their messages and relatability to the common American man and woman. LaFarge addresses familiar issues of recently troubled times and makes even the most dreaded existential crisis, a joyous, and entertaining affair. He helps the listener find something jubilant in the chaos, as all the best blues, country, and jazz songs do. This is (arguably) the most apparent in the soulful rock/gospel tinged positivity of “Stick Together”, a rally call that we have hope if we are not divided, even in the worst of days. But it’s not all doom and gloom. Sometimes the music is just an infectious rock ‘n’ roll display of being content as in the “single” sounding garage rocker, “My Baby Loves Me”.
Pokey LaFarge has created an album that is not just the usual rehashing of tired, old musical styles. His unique, updated takes on classic sounds is a burst of fresh air in a musical world where we often forget to go back to the basics. The record is nostalgic enough to appeal to older listeners, yet able to hold its own in the 2026 market of younger listeners who may be less familiar with these genres. Overall, it’s a welcome change of pace in a market that can be very disconnected from human feelings and the true joy of music.
Rent Money is out everywhere this Friday, September 11th, on LaFarge’s own Boxer Boy Records. Hear his latest single “Hambone” here.
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