A rootsy three-piece whose sound puts a dark, punk-influenced undertow on acoustic blues, the Yawpers play hard-hitting songs that touch on culture and class as well as the emotional trials of ordinary lives. They released their debut single, "Savage Blue," in 2011. The following year, the Yawpers released the Capon Crusade EP. By mid-2013, the group had relocated to Denver and ramped up their tour schedule; soon they were playing close to 200 dates a year. The staff of Bloodshot Records, Chicago's gutsy roots music label, liked the Yawpers' sound and style during a South by Southwest performance, and soon signed the trio. Their first full-length album, American Man, was produced by Johnny Hickman (Cracker) and released in October 2015. ~ Mark Deming