The Hard Left came together in Minneapolis in the fall of 2005, when drummer Pat McKenna rounded out the trio of: singer/songwriter Brian Drake, guitarist extraordinaire Tom Lischmann, and killer bass man Scott Glaser. These guys' previous outfits read like what some would call a partial "Who's Who" of Minneapolis indie rock... The Magnolias, Idiot Savant, The Bleeding Hearts, 60 Cycle Hum, Octopus Harem, The Sycamores, The Pushbacks,....well, you get the idea.

Although The Hard Left is literally brand new...these guys have been around the block. Collectively the band has logged many thousands of touring miles, played endless club and concert dates, appeared on national radio and television...including MTV, and released an impressive number of widely acclaimed singles, albums, and CD's.

The Hard Left's music, while wholly original, is colored with influence from almost every genre of Rock & Roll....British Invasion sounds meet Hard Rock, Power Pop, Punk, and New Wave. With considerable buzz, the debut CD is being embraced equally by Classic, Modern Rock, and Alternative Rock formats.

New but familiar...American Rock and Roll.

"Their very cool 'n impressive, 8-song debut is chock full of Plimsouls inspired, garage guitar pop! And we mean lotsa jangly and crunchy guitars here folks! They also sprinkle in some tasty keyboard accents throughout too. The leadoff track "Who She's Gonna Turn To", and the jangly, ringing guitar-filled, power pop gem "Lover Girl", both coulda fit nicely on the 'Souls "Everywhere At Once"! "Sad Soft & Sleepy" flat out rocks! Midwest garage pop at it's very best! EXCELLENT!!!...koolkatmusik.com 1/2007
 

"Go right now, listen to "Lover Girl."... This is what we call `classic hard-drivin`, brawny power pop`. One does not hear this style of pop enough because too many bands are afraid of either sounding `too pop` or `too rock` and skirt the challenge of having it both ways. Produced crisp, clean and sharply by Ed Ackerson(Polara, Antenna), "The Avant-Sounds Of The Hard Left" turns the guitars up and works up a sweat with a style of music that merges all kinds genres (yup, power pop, but plenty of desert-rock, new wave, 60`s Brit-Invasion, punk and probably more!) but blending it all together... it`s a cohesive, consistently excellent batch of hard rocking power pop to these ears. One moment you`ll hear the roots-rock greatness of Green On Red, The Replacements or Georgia Satellites, the next the 60`s Brit-Invastion genius of The Chesterfield Kings, the next the jangle new-wave power pop mixture of Raspberries, Cheap Trick and The Knack ("Take It Out On Me"). Bottom Line: Power. Pop. The Hard Left rocks`n pops without missing any of the potent abilities of melody pasted onto their songs! The open chorded sounds sweep, largely accessible strokes all wrapped up in gruffy, good natured hooks`n melodies. So what`s not to embrace here? `Nada` as all of The Hard Lefts` songs wrap themselves snugly to these rocking ruminations. This 30 minute, 8 song power-step exercise in guitar mechanics and pumping melody is a Midwestern (they are from Minneapolis) gem that is very much EXTREMELY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!...Not Lame Records 12/2006