The Dagg Nabbit Stubbs

The Dagg Nabbit Stubbs Now, if you can’t tell whether Hogjaw is a joke or not, here’s a much easier one. One look at their MySpace reveals that the Dagg Nabbit Stubbs are making a mockery of Southern rock, blues, and other genres. Don’t let that dissuade you from checking them out, though, because it is a hell of a joke. Beyond the visual gags, the blatant Def Leppard rip-offs and the stage names — Chapped Lips Monroe, for instance, is credited with the band’s twang-strangin’, sing-u-latin’ and book-learnin’ — the Stubbs have a knack for drawing out all the absurdities of Southern rock and glam rock and blowing them out of proportion, but without sacrificing any of the things that made those acts so awesome to begin with. The music is still filled with stories of deals with the devil set to overindulgent power chords and overdubbed with cheesy monologues. With songs like “Devlin’ Under the Influence,” they show off just how original they can be while working their schlock-rock shtick: “I get in the car / Strap in the baby / And my sweet cousin Ronnie / ’Cause he’s got special needs.” If they didn’t take themselves so damn seriously nowadays, Spinal Tap could be this good. — Brian Bardwell