I asked lead singer Parker Gispert point blank upon meeting him, “So has Greg Dulli ever come to one of your shows?” His answer, to paraphrase, was something in the neighborhood of, “No, but his lawyer was very interested in our band.” The impressive three-piece outfit from Athens, GA who own the trademark on the name The Whigs aren’t worried about Dulli bum rushing the stage anytime soon. “We had the name trademarked for a year. Anyone having claim on the trademark of the name has a year to step forward and [The Afghan Whigs] never did.” Though the band, who has great respect and reverence for The Afghan Whigs music, sometimes feels awkward being referred to in the same breath as one of Cincinnati, OH’s greatest contributions to music, they had never heard of the Afghan Whigs when they came up with the name. “I seriously had never heard of them, ” Parker told me, “and it wasn’t until someone pointed it out that it became apparent.”

Fascinating coincidence that I should learn, on the very same night that I meet The Whigs, that Afghan Whigs are reuniting to record two new songs for an upcoming retrospective. An insider to the project tells me that Greg Dulli and John Curley have buried the hatchet and should begin recording the tracks within the next month or so.

In the hands of a lesser trio, the adaptive moniker would be a worn out welcome mat on which dirty feet had been wiped repeatedly. However, their recent signing to Dave Matthews’ indie imprint ATO Records is quite obviously a mark of accomplishment and a sign of things to come. An Aquarium Drunkard shared these two tracks quite some time ago, and I’d be a fool not to do the same thing. Give ‘Em A Big Fat Lip is an exceptionally impressive debut and lays flat any need for comparison to, well, anyone actually. The live show seen tonight, along with Nashville’s Luna Halo and Memphis’ Arma Secreta was the final proof that this band is one to watch carefully. Rachel happened to be covering the show for a new feature column on Spin.Com called It Happened Last Night so expect more press from this. In the meantime enjoy these tracks and, while you’re there, The Whigs had a quick message for the people as seen below. Loudersoft <3 The Whigs. No, not gay.

Listen To The Whigs – Technology
Listen To The Whigs – Don’t Talk Anymore

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