The V-Roys
Are You Through Yet?
(E-Squared)
First Appeared at The Music Box, March 2001, Volume 8, #3
Written by John Metzger
Mon February 12, 2001, 12:00 AM GMT
If nothing else, The V-Roys' latest disc Are You Through Yet? proves that the group was a formidable bar band. There is really nothing pretty about the way these guys shredded a song to pieces, tearing into each of the 17 tracks with a vengeance worthy of Neil Young and Crazy Horse. It's only fitting, then, that Are You Through Yet? begins with a churning cover of Young's Moving Pictures, which erupts in a blaze of grungy guitar glory.
The material for Are You Through Yet? was recorded in August 1999 in Johnson City, Tennessee, and the disc delivers The V-Roys final offering to their fans. Throughout the set, the band scattered a number of notable covers songs (The Las' There She Goes, Loudon Wainwright's Out of This World, and Paul Westerberg's IOU) -- each performed with a primal sense of urgency.
More importantly, however, is The V-Roy's own material, which -- while not particularly revelatory -- holds its own remarkably well alongside these cover selections. The band's songs fuse together a long litany of influences, which include The Clash, CCR, Gram Parsons, Uncle Tupelo, Elvis Costello, and even The Beatles (think Rubber Soul-era melodies fused with the raucous stinging guitars of the White Album).
It's truly unfortunate that the V-Roys are no more. If Are You Through Yet? is truly a
representative sample of the band's live performances, they certainly must have been a joy to
witness. 
Of Further Interest...
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Green River
Scott Miller - For Crying Out Loud
Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2001 The Music Box