“When it comes to writing songs, you can get an entire album’s worth of material out of just one broken relationship,” says pinkeye d’gekko vocalist and chief songwriter Steve Richards Mahoney. “Fortunately,” he laughs, “I’ve been in plenty of ‘em, so I’ve got enough tunes to last a lifetime.” Mahoney’s “pain” is pure pleasure for fans of barnstorming boogie-rockers pinkeye d’gekko. Two years after releasing their audacious debut album Rhythm & Westrn, the St. Louis-based sextet is back with Dry Clothes for the Drowning, a scorching mix of grooving backbeats, feel-good harmonies, punchy pop hooks and loud, gritty guitars. “We call what we do ‘Southern Invasion’,” says Mahoney, citing influences ranging from The Beatles and Lynyrd Skynyrd to The Rolling Stones and Allman Brothers. Fans and reviewers may note some Beck and Cake overtones as well. This is a band that does a lot of things brilliantlyand they do all of them on Dry Clothes for the Drowning. Simply put, this new album offers something for everyone. Over the course of Dry Clothes’ dynamic dozen tracks, Mahoney (who also produced the album) and crew swing from six-string stomps (“Riverboat Queen”) and funky clavinet-flavorings (“Queen of Fire”) to meaty, beaty, bouncing (“God Bless You Baby”) and beautiful Lennon-esque ballads (“Missing”). But make no mistake this is Southern Rock at its finest! Among the disc’s many highlights is “Girls of Arkansas,” a freewheeling slice of heartland rock dedicated to the ladies of The Natural State. “They are some of the sweetest, friendliest fans we’ve ever met,” says Mahoney with a smile. “They make us feel right at home. This tune is our way of saying thanks.” The band road-tested a lot of new material during last year’s tour. “It was an amazing experience. Audience reaction is instant, so you can immediately see what works best,” says Mahoney. With that in mind, the road-enlightened pd’g entered the studio determined to give their fans what they want: amped-up rock & roll dance music. “Our roots don’t begin with Nirvana and I think a lot of our fansespecially the older onesappreciate that,” adds Mahoney. “Don’t get me wrong, we love the music of the ‘90s and beyond, but some groups don’t know the rich history that came before. We dig a little deeper and then give it a modern twist. I think that’s what’s helping us break out from the pack.” After coming together in 2002, pinkeye d’gekko’s multi-flavored sound quickly made its mark on a “vanilla” music scene. Debut disc Rhythm & Westrn drew rave reviews while the band garnered airplay on radio stations all across the Midwest and South. “The response was tremendous,” says Mahoney. “It was really mind-blowing for us, because we originally just got together to jam in the studio. But the songs came out so good that we decided to release it as an album. That’s when our label, Force MP Entertainment entered the picture and the whole thing just took off. Suddenly, what started as a fun get-together among friends became a national touring band.” The group hit the road in support of the album and proceeded to tear up stages across the heartland. “There’s nothing like the feeling of going into a new town and winning over the audience,” says Mahoney. “We’d finish playing a song and this wave of applause would hit the stage. It’s really exhilarating and almost knocks the wind out of you. It made us anxious to get back in the studio to make another record so that we could go out and experience it all over again.” As he tells it, Mahoney fell for the promise of music at an early age, inspired by (of all things) an old episode of “The Monkees.” I remember watching them as a little kid and just being floored by these four guys who got girls, went on adventures, got paid and did anything they wanted just because they played music. I thought, ‘That looks like a good job to have!’” Has his dream of a Monkee-like existence come true? “It works out pretty well,” he laughs. “And we’re enjoying every minute of it.” Find out more about pinkeye d’gekko @www.pdgrocks.com