The Best Songs in Dallas Music, 2009: RTB2 and "When Hammer Hits Stone" Come Together at No. 6

[Editor's Note: Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be presenting my favorite local songs of the year, counting down from No. 25 to No. 1, one track a day. Today we take an in-depth look at song No. 6 on the list--and, please, feel free to click after the...

By Pete Freedman

December 26, 2009

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[Editor's Note: Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be presenting my favorite local songs of the year, counting down from No. 25 to No. 1, one track a day. Today we take an in-depth look at song No. 6 on the list--and, please, feel free to click after the jump for a free download of the track. Lastly, please keep checking back to see how the list pans out. Also after the jump, check out songs No. 40-26 in the Top 40 list that will update as it grows...]

No. 6: RTB2 -- "When Hammer Hits Stone"

Ryan Thomas Becker and Grady Don Sandlin aren't re-inventing the wheel with their classic, blues-rock sound. But on their most recent release, their In The Fleshed EP, the two are making sure to take us all on a hell of a ride.

Bonus mp3:

RTB2 -- "When Hammer Hits Stone"

There are no frills: no bass; no second guitar; no synthesizers. It's just Becker and the guitar that acts like an extension of his arms, and Sandlin behind his rather modest drum kit. That's it. But these two musicians, each among the region's finest at their crafts, need nothing else. And on "When Hammer Hits Stone," as RTB2, these two prove that much with inspiring ease.

Disregarding any pre-conceived notion of song structure, "When Hammer Hits Stone" serves as a just-under-five-minute sonic freak out of rip-roaring guitar solos and drum kit breakdowns, perfectly gritty and raw and yet tastefully refined in its blues-rock realm.

2009 saw technology playing a large role in the direction of Dallas music--and yet, here, this garage duo on anabolic steroids stayed its course headed in the opposite direction. And as it did so, it bitch-slapped its flashier counterparts one-by-one in the face with one off-the-cuff riff after another, making sure area listeners remembered that a classic rock 'n' roll sound, although less favored from time to time, always has its place.

The Top 40 Local Songs of 2009 (Links to music videos and free song downloads available where applicable; links to streams where neither a download nor video exists.)

40.

The Wax Museums

-- "Safety in Numbers"
39. Macon Greyson -- "Pushing Strings"
38. The Burning Hotels -- "Austin's Birthday" (video)
37. The Riverboat Gamblers -- "DissDissDissKissKissKiss" (video)
36. Salim Nourallah -- "Endless Dream Days"
35. The Phuss -- "Preacher, Preacher"
34. The Southern Sea -- "These Things Always End Badly"
33. Fungi Girls -- "Pacifica Nostalgia"
32. Giggle Party -- "Jason Bought a Hatchet" (video)
31. Carter Albrecht -- "Country Living" (stream)
30. This Old House -- "At Risk"
29. Occult Detective Club -- "You'll Follow Me"
28. Bad Sports -- "Nothing But Agitation"
27. Darktown Strutters -- "Quakertown"
26. The Crash That Took Me -- "Patricia Lynn" (stream)
25. Red Monroe -- "Pat Mayse Lake"
24. Danny Balis -- "Tethered"
23. Sleep Whale -- "Cotton Curls"
22. PVC Street Gang -- "Cutlass" (video)
21. Air Review -- "Jura"
20. Xrabit & Damaged Good$ -- "Follow the Leader" (video)
19. Doug Burr -- "The Righteous Will Rejoice"
18. Seryn -- "We Will All Be Changed"
17. galleryCat -- "Say Say Say"
16. Sunnybrook -- "Waving Hands"
15. The O's -- "You've Got Your Heart"
14. Ishi -- "Pastel Lights"
13. Binary Sunrise -- "Five Minutes"
12. The Paper Chase -- "What Should We Do With Your Body? (The Lightning)"
11. Fergus & Geronimo -- "Tell It In My Ear"
10. Max Moon -- "Urban Outfitters"
9. Neon Indian -- "Deadbeat Summer"
8. Bosque Brown -- "This Town"
7. Dorrough -- "Ice Cream Paint Job"
6. RTB2 -- "When Hammer Hits Stone"
5. ????????
4. ????????
3. ????????
2. ????????
1. ????????

...and be sure to keep checking back, as this list will update daily

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