I’ve seen mention of Blitzen Trapper in various places in the music press over the past couple of years or so, but never really thought to delve in and see what they were about — I guess the name alone just didn’t sound like a band I might like. Just goes to show you the importance of a band name, I guess. I still think it’s not the best choice of name — it conjures up images of someone lying in wait on a snowy rooftop with a bear trap, waiting for the arrival of Santa and his reindeer, ready for a little reindeer steak. And really, who wants to be thinking of that while they’re listening to music?

But I finally took the opportunity to listen to some “BT,” and was very pleasantly surprised: their newest album, American Goldwing, released in September 2011, has the makings of an American classic. It takes bits and pieces of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Tom Petty, ’70s Kinks, Wilco, and even Big Star, tosses them in a blender, and ends up with a nifty Southern/alt-country/power-pop/hard rock concoction that goes down as smooth as a margarita on a hot summer day. In fact, this would be a pretty excellent album to blast at high volume while hanging out at a summer weekend gathering, now that I think of it.

Today’s New Music Monday featured song is the leadoff track from American Goldwing, “Might Find It Cheap.” It’s one of those rare songs that grabbed me the very first time I heard it — it kicks things off in high gear and sets the tone for the rest of the album. There’s enough of a ’70s rock influence throughout the album to please even the least adventurous classic rock devotees, but enough modern-day nuances to please any fan of solid Americana rock, whatever your stripes. If this song finds you breaking out a little air guitar, go for it and check out the rest of the album — I’m pretty sure you’ll have found a great soundtrack for this summer’s activities.