Robotic Hawks - Minnesota Fats

Photo by Kelly Davidson Studio

Hailing from New Hampshire, Robotic Hawks have released a new three song EP. Minnesota Fats is fast paced alt-rock that is ridiculously catchy. The title track is the kind of song that is instantly familiar and sounds like The Replacements formed in the mid 90's, recruited Robert Pollard, and decided to inject a little metal into their sound. "Turn Away" is going to draw even more Guided By Voices comparisons, and kind of goes into a little bit of a Southern California in the 60's sound. The EP closes out with a cover of Tommy Conwell and the Young Rumblers' "I'm Not Your Man." It's a modern power pop cover of a classic from 1988. Robotic Hawks are masters of an infectious blend of alt-rock that is an absolute blast.

Tyler Pollard (vocals, bass) says of the song "Minnesota Fats:"

“On the surface, the song is about real life ‘pool hustler’ Rudolf Wanderone a.k.a. ‘Minnesota Fats’. Fats had a complicated relationship with his skillset and fame. Building on the success of the Jackie Gleason film The Hustler, Wanderone altered his original nickname of ‘New York Fats’ to ‘Minnesota’ in hopes of widening his legend and ultimately tying his legacy to audiences’ instant connection to Gleason’s character. Wanderone was convinced that ‘Fats’ was based on his life regardless of the film writer’s denial. When a gift or ability defines your purpose or meaning, how much validation does one truly need?”

You can listen to "Minnesota Fats" below. The EP is available through Bandcamp. For more on Robotic Hawks, check out the band on Instagram and Facebook. The band is playing an EP release party tonight (March 31) at The Square Root in Boston. You can find more information on that show here.