Feature | Get on With It

I was instantly swept into ‘Get On With It’s’ groovy beat. The song is an excellent blend of genres, with soul, alternative rock, and bluesy instrumentals throughout. ‘Get On With It’ is the seventh track on Brendan McKinney & The 99 Brown Dogs’ latest album titled ‘Skin a Cat’. Brendan McKinney, the singer/songwriter of the track, is no stranger to the stage. His solo performances and gigs with The 99 Brown Dogs have delighted audiences in person and on screen. McKinney’s songs have been featured on many TV shows and even a feature film (Lean on Pete).

I’m not surprised this music has made a splash in multiple formats. ‘Get On With It’ is my first impression of Brendan McKinney & The 99 Brown Dogs and I was thoroughly impressed. The soulful harmonica, cruising rhythm section, and funky guitar riffs each stand out in their own right, but not so much that they don’t compliment each other. McKinney has the perfect voice to carry the song, equal parts smooth and rough around the edges in all the right places. It's the type of song I would turn up on the radio or jam to with the masses at a concert. The production skills of longtime friend and colleague of McKinney’s, Philadelphia native , Erik Horvitz are a pleasant addition.
McKinney and Horvitz, who collaborated years ago, reunite for this project, bringing a sense of familiarity and renewed creativity to the album.
“Erik helped me with one of my very first original projects years back in Ardmore Pennsylvania,” McKinney recalls. “I was heading over to Europe to travel around and perform, and we put together a muti-track recording of my songs. I brought it with me to sell at shows.” Horvitz’s production skills are highly renowned and respected in Philadelphia and surrounding areas. His expertise brings a new dimension to the band’s sound, enhancing each track’s depth and texture.

‘Get On With It’, while a fun song to rock out to, is lyrically a call to action. McKinney’s gritty rock and roll voice urges a friend who is drowning in drink and playing the blame game, to “get up and get on with it”. It’s a tough, but necessary reminder that wallowing in excuses and pointing fingers at other people can’t actually get you where you want to go. Eventually we do indeed have to just get up and get on with it. Fortunately, the challenging message goes down pretty smoothly to such a cool soundtrack.