iSound

Bringing an infusion of bloody-knuckled punk energy to storytelling epics and tear-in-your-beer honky-tonk, the two musicians of Two Gallants had the balls to name themselves after a short story by James Joyce, and they back up their hubris by crafting a surprisingly original sound out of their timeworn influences. Founded in 2002 by childhood friends and San Francisco natives Adam Stephens (vocals, harmonica, guitar) and Tyson Vogel (drums, vocals), Two Gallants cut their teeth at house parties and frequent guerilla shows outside Mission Street BART stations.Equally adept at dark, brokenhearted ballads shot through with a whiskey-soaked wit that belies their youth (Adam and Tyson are in their early 20s) and punked-up jigs that make the duo sound like a pared-down version of the Pogues tackling Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music, the gallants honed their startlingly mature material with extensive touring and a couple of homemade CDs, long before they had an album in stor...