“I’ll be honest, when I took bassist Matt Shaffer’s 3-D design class at Santa Fe and overheard him talking to singer-guitarist Dan Stepp, a fellow art professor, about playing some music, I was skeptical. Not about their taste, they are some cool customers, but rather, I was skeptical about their abilities. What an insanely stupid miscalculation on my part. Matt Shaffer and Dan Stepp are the two founding members of a local staple, The Hard Luck Society, a band that I have woefully overlooked during my tenure as a local music columnist. I feel foolish, and I’m sorry that it’s taken me so long to realize that, holy cow, these folks are just wonderful. If you like catchy, Dixie-land-ish Americana with a folksy bent, this is the band for you. Granted, there are plenty of local bands that do this genre well, but these dudes, along with a few other dudes ( David and Andrew Cook, a father and son dream team if I am not mistaken) do it a little differently, and dare I say better?” -The Gainesville Sun    Read More