Skilled songster and reggae historian Brent Hagerman tends to start bands when he hears a really good record. The Passive Resistors (the name is both a play on Gandhi’s political strategy and an electrical component used in instrument amplification), has as its sonic touchstone Willie Nelson’s Teatro, a Danial Lanois-produced tour de force that cradles Nelson’s outlaw songwriting in a Latin-inspired rhythmic hip hug. Always keen to stride across multiple genres, Hagerman’s songs for the Passive Resistors include nods to the rebel folk and bluegrass side of country (Doc Watson, Bill Monroe, the Stanley Brothers, Johnny Cash, John Prine, Crooked Still, Spirit Family Reunion), the rural side of blues (Leadbelly, Robert Johnson, Blind Willie Johnson, Bukka White), the roots side of ska and reggae (The Wailers, The Maytals, The Specials), the alternative side of rock (Tom Waits, The Clash, Violent Femmes, The Pogues, The Sadies), and the songcraft side of Americana (Jason Isbell, Steve Earle, Fred Eaglesmith).
Based in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, the band consists of Hagerman (vocals, acoustic and slide guitar), Gianni Salvador (bass, vocals, chirango, cuatro, requinto), Tony Burke (mandolin, accordion), and Michael Faiella (drums, vocals). They are in the process of recording their debut which will feature a Tom Petty-ish love letter to the music of the 20th century (“Hand on the Needle”), a raucous Spanish-tinged ode to all liquor except one (“Malt Liquor”), a wheel-on-fire ska powerhouse (“Scandalous”), a measured assessment of boorish celebrities (“Flat Black Duo Jet”), and a Teatro-worthy ballad to a lost childhood home (“Blues for East Saint John”).
