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Reviews

Show Review: Reverend Horton Heat, Legendary Shack Shakers, Unknown Hinson, Lincoln Durham

Written by Jesse Davidson.

Photography by Jesse Davidson

After witnessing The Legendary Shack Shakers live at the Lancaster Moose Lodge, I was an instant fan and decided I wasn’t going to miss another one of their shows. When I found out about the upcoming tour they had with Reverend Horton Heat and Unknown Hinson, there was no way I was going to miss that. Then I had the bright idea of interviewing JD Wilkes before the show since I’d already be going. One thing led to another and not only did the wonderful folks at the Shack Shakers management, 12×12 MLS, set up a phone interview with him but also a press and photo pass to review the show.

I arrived a little after 5pm at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, CA and quickly obtained my press pass. Well actually, it wasn’t a pass but rather a purple wristband. But hey, I’m not picky. Not only did I have a great lineup of bands to watch but I also got to document it. My timing seemed to be serving me well as the Shack Shakers were just beginning their sound check. It was interesting to see them communicating and working with the tech crew in this venue. Like a fly on the wall taking a small snapshot of their average day at work. Soon after they finished, Lincoln Durham would be next to sound check and open the show. When you hear the name, you expect the focus to be on one man in the band but that’s just what he is, a one-man band with a lot of gumption behind him. His gear set up was just as interesting as the man himself. It starts with his drop tuned resonator guitar with punk stickers all over it. Iggy Pop was the most prominent I could see. From the guitar, his sound led out into a guitar amp also run in tandem with a bass amp providing him with a full sound before any of his percussive elements got a say in it. When they did, he had two kick drums placed in front (one with a tambourine on top) and two snares he would beat mercilessly during drum breaks in his songs. Before the actual show started, I had two people at the show hyping him up to me since I’d never heard of him. One of them being his tour manager and one being a really cool photographer covering him for a blog called High Voltage. Apparently, he’s been out on the road doing his one-man thing for years. It showed because although the crowd trickled in during his set, he still played full bore and very well at that. He also showcased a variety of instruments that night including a strum stick and a cigar box guitar. It feels almost insulting to say this because he’s been working for years on the road but he’s definitely someone to look up and watch out for.

Lincoln did about 30-40 minutes and then it was time for L.S.S to take the stage. As the crew got everything in place for them, I compared notes with the photographer on where good places to shoot would be. Not much time could be had for this because when they were up, they just walked out without fan fare. JD started wail on his harmonica and then the band took off. Not only did I take note of their show for this article but also as a fan. The first time I had seen them, a few months prior, was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. However, things like that can’t be compared too closely. It’s best to live in the moment and that’s exactly what the Shack Shakers do. When JD goes off and does what he wants, the band did a great job at following him. There’s something to be said for that. On the drums, Preston Corn of The Dirt Daubers would be replacing longtime drummer Brett Whitacre and bassist Fuller Condon would be replacing longtime bassist Mark Robertson. This is also no easy task for a band to pull off. Along Brett and Mark being amazing musicians, changing out a rhythm section is like changing out an engine on car. It drives the group and gets people moving. Preston and Fuller had a tight and punchy chemistry that made you get down in true L.S.S fashion while also having a slightly new sound to it. Rod Hamdallah was of course still on guitar and killing it as usual. When songs like “Mud” and “Shake Your Hips” came up in the set, he added so much personality to the music creating a great top layer of sound above a fantastic rhythm section. I’m not sure what car part analogy he would be but when you play like he does, you don’t need to be one. Nor does JD Wilkes.

I’m a big fan of people who follow a John Lee Hooker approach to music. This means when you perform your songs, you don’t play them the exact same way twice. I’m not sure if that’s where he got it from but JD definitely fits that philosophy. Watching him at the Canyon last night, I felt I got the spectrum of American entertainment presented in front of me. There was Iggy Pop hopping off the stage and eating someone’s dinner and drinking his or her beer in the front row (not to mention holding a mic between your crotch and having someone from the audience singing into it). There was an actor on the stage doing a theatrical version of “Blood on the Bluegrass” making the lyrics come to life with his movements. There was a little bit of D. Ray White dancing and sliding across the stage. Mid song, he did some sort of sudo-James Brown split move while wailing on his harp. Dare I say it, there was bit of a Three Stooges slapstick element in it with the faces he makes on stage. Although not every single person in the audience was thrilled with his wild antics. While sitting at a friend’s table to watch part the performance, JD took a sip of an open water bottle and then flung it all over the audience. Everyone laughed and cheered him on except for one woman directly in front of me. I could only see the back of her head as she waved index fingers around frantically but something told me she didn’t appreciate that part of the show. At the end of the set, JD went back to the same that table he absconded food from and took someone’s glasses to wear on stage. I guess that person wasn’t having any of it either since he immediately gave them back. Laughing and apologizing he said he was just trying to entertain. Then, he proceeded to do a somersault across the stage and belt out the most rock and roll scream during the final seconds of their closing song. The Reverend Horton Heat praised him later in the show for being one of the best front men in history and he was right. He channeled the energy of this sonic soulful force into the people and won them over. The Legendary Shack Shakers say we are hear to raise hell and have fun and the people follow suit. We need more of that.

After that thunderous performance, only one thing could top that. That would be a joint set from The Reverend Horton Heat and Unknown Hinson. Like the previous acts, The Rev’s set also had its surprises. For starters, like the other acts, they came out with no particular fanfare. They just walked out on stage and kicked off an instrumental jam (possibly “Marijuana” but I wasn’t 100% positive on it). Adding on to that first surprise, they started with “Psychobilly Freakout” and “Bales of Cocaine”. That was a bold move considering they are arguably the two biggest songs for the group. Early on in the set, something else happened I didn’t expect. As Jim Heath (AKA The Reverend Horton Heat) was praising his opening acts, there was this low feedback coming from the stage monitors persistent enough to stop his anecdote about Lincoln Durham reminding him of Bull Durham tobacco. The feedback went on and off for about a minute and half as The Rev criticized what was happening over the microphone. This struck a personal chord for me because as a sound guy/stage hand, it’s a huge pet peeve when performers openly criticize you on stage. At the same time, it was a lot of feedback and I wondered why it went on for as long as it did. Ultimately, I don’t know what happened and wasn’t really any of my business to know what happened except for the fact that it created a weird momentary lull in the show. Luckily, the show continued on without a hitch and Jim Heath picked it back up with his usual classy charm. Keeping with the surprise theme, Eddie Nichols of the Royal Crown Revue came out and played guitar on a Bill Haley tune (the name of which escapes me now). Along with a new song called “Zombie Dumb” complete with The Rev doing a sort of Frankenstein walk across the stage,“Jimbo Song” was next. Of course since it’s a Reverend Horton Heat classic, the crowd belted every letter of his name and was swept up in a huge burst of energy. Carrying off of that energy, Jimbo and Heath switched instruments and began to play the Chuck Berry classic “Little Queenie”. Shimmies and shakes were being had all over the packed bar area. Through this last set, The Rev really demonstrated his musical prowess and ability to seem timeless. His voice has seemingly stayed exactly the same since the first album without diminishing in quality. That calls for a certain amount of respect from both musicians and non-musicians alike. It also helps that he another fantastic rhythm section backing him provided by “Nature Boy” Jimbo Wallace on the upright bass and Scott Churilla on drums. The dynamic rhythm section had a great highlighted moment in the set during “Smell of Gasoline”. Scott showed an incredible amount of stamina as he kept a consistent double kick going throughout the song and his solo. Then the spotlight was on Jimbo for his solo. His solo wasn’t long but he looked so damn cool while he did it. Jimbo Wallace looks like an iron-jawed badass who does what he pleases but also uses his powers for good.

 

About halfway through their set, Unknown Hinson was introduced and The Rev and company backed him up. The King of the Country and Western Troubadour’s walked out to his famous drum intro followed by his chart toppin’ hit “Silver Platter” The last time I saw Unknown was at the Arcadia Blues Club in 2012 on his own show. California has been known to be a less frequent tour stop for Hinson let alone touring with Horton Heat to back him up, which was a real treat. Unknown spanned the plethora of #1 chart toppin’ hits under his belt including “Fish Camp Woman”, “Venus Bound, “I Ain’t Afraid of your Husband” and “Your Man is Gay”. He carried with him the usual swagger you’d expect from Unknown minus the sideburns and bowtie. The tone and style of picking is something you could hear all night long. As cool and special as this co-headlining tour was, I ended up wanting more Hinson in the show. Even though, I walked away feeling satisfied that I had seen him again. The night ended with a big finale jam. Horton Heat, Unknown Hinson, and Rod and JD from the Shack Shakers came out and performed “Love Whip”, a Rev classic followed by “King of the County Western Troubadours” minus JD and Rod. This show was a really fantastic night out and I hope the Shack Shakers team up with more great acts for future tours.

Related articles: 

The JD Wilkes Interview Part 1 & Part 2

What You Missed (photos): Legendary Shack Shakers 

Questions for JD Wilkes

Reviews

Compton by Dr. Dre: West Coast Comeback

 

 

home_comptonAlbum: Compton

Artist: Dr. Dre

 

By Maya Avila

Hello lovers of Rap & Hip Hop,

Dr. Dre is back, and luckily for us it’s in a good way. Finally, one of raps most prolific contributors has come back to us. Can you believe it’s been 16 years since the famously elusive rapper/ producer has released a studio album? And boy o’ boy is it wonderful. Look, I’m not saying this record is going to be your favorite, or that it’s the greatest of all time, or that it will have you screaming with glee at the top of your lungs, but it has far more substance than anything else out right now and it’s a far cry from the shit polluting the ears of some religious radio listeners today.

Compton was inspired by N.W.A’ s predicted blockbuster Straight Outta Compton, and features well known rap alumni such as Ice Cube, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, and Xzibit among others, and even showcases some up and comers like the N.C. native King Mez, Anderson .Paak, Candice Pillay, Asia Bryant, Justus, and Jon Connor. This record has so many features, it almost feels orchestrated with Dr. Dre front and center as its conductor. He has managed to produce a sound uniquely recognizable as west coast hip-hop. Known as G-Funk, its sound is deep yet minimalistic, its lyrics usually consist of angry and righteous social emotions. Very in your face.

 

Although the west coast has been on the rap and hip hop scene for a very long time, the East coast has arguably been cultivating the genre as a whole, continuously pumping out easy urban beats with flowy poetic lyrics. N.W.A was the first group to bring modern West coast rap to the forefront and practically inventing gangster rap. This sound has really been sort of lost over the years since Death Row Records has become less and less relevant.

 

It should come as no surprise that the Doc has managed to mix classic beats and give them a new age flare, experimenting with some jazzy, soulful, even reggae chants, and a cappella vocal beatboxing. This is amazingly prevalent throughout the beginning of the album.

 

In classic Dre style, he comes out aggressive and still very angry. He mostly sights the oppression of young black men in LA and unapologetically dismisses any other rapper who might think they even come close to being on his level. Probably the softest moments Dr. Dre has is when he pays tribute to his former N.W.A mates, more specifically on a track titled Darkside/Gone, he gave remembrance to the only deceased member of the original rap group, Eazy-E.

 

Compton features a heart stopping array of talent including old and fresh faces, each of which totally enhance the album. Snoop Dogg finally sounds like his old self again delivering his lines that remind you how old school he really is. Ice Cube lays down a short but solid verse in on track 8 named Issues. For a moment, you realize that Ice Cube is one of the badass pioneers of West Coast Hip-Hop and not just some angry detective in 21 Jump Street. Eminem, as always, expertly throws precise punctual spitfire in your ears on Medicine Man. The soul veteran Jill Scott also offers her beautiful voice to the record. And of course how can we forget Dr. Dre’s latest protégé Kendrick Lamar, whose voice is constant throughout the album even though he is officially featured on two out of the sixteen tracks

 

The most powerful performances came from the up and comers who really managed to hold their own against the elite cast of veterans. Candice Pillay, Asia Bryant, and Anderson Paak all have voices that create unique sounding hooks that have you wanting to know more about them. King Mez and Justus delivered knockout verses on their respective featured tracks.

 

However, Dr. Dre’s work doesn’t come without its critique. The songs are frequently interrupted by dialog, which makes the whole album seem a bit theatrical and cinematic. Although it doesn’t throw of the complete flow of all the songs as a whole, it is annoying and repetitive. Perhaps one of the most off the wall moment came from track 7 titled Loose Canons where a man suffering from some sort emotional battle ends up shooting his girlfriend and getting his friends to help him take care of the body. The entire altercation is a bit long and quite frankly disturbing. It also seems to me that Dre, when rapping himself, is repetitive. Always talking about his hard upbringing and the pressure his peers always have him under, which to me is somewhat unrelatable in this day in age, given that he is raps first self-proclaimed billionaire. I’m not saying he shouldn’t feel some type of way about his hardships, but come on; Dre really needs to evolve himself lyrically.

 

On track 5 titled All in A Days Work, Dr. Dre talks about some of the pressure he is under which part of which I suspect comes from the failed release of what was supposed to be his long awaited third studio record Detox. Supposedly the album never came together and just wasn’t really any good. I would guess this would have made him feel somewhat incompetent and unable to compete with the biggest rappers at the time, or maybe he was too busy building the careers of his newly discovered artist Eminem and 50 cent. Either way, it was a disappointment

 

Overall taking in all the good with the bad, Dr. Dre has shown he still has what it takes to produce something worthy of our time. Once again, the West Coast sound is relevant. Each beat has been masterfully crafted proving he is still one of the best producers in the game. I wouldn’t be surprised if not too long from now you hear newer artists sampling from this album. This record is a worthy addition to any rap or hip-hop collection. Definitely don’t sleep on this.

Reviews

A Pleasure to Burn by Thoughtcrime: Review

Thoughtcrimealbum

By Irving Mira

Thoughtcrime is a melodic punk band from the Antelope Valley in Southern California. Comprised of Oscar Pleitez on guitar and vocals, Gabe Gonzalez on bass and backup vocals, and Jose Carrillo on drums, they first debuted in late 2013 with the release of their first album “Unfair Warning” on December 24th. The album we look at today is “A Pleasure to Burn”, which is their first full-length album and the follow up to their previous 2013 release.

When first looking at this album you can’t help but notice the cover art, and let me tell you; not only is it great, but it fits the overall spirit and theme of the album really well. The cover was done by Michelle Navarette and it reminds me a lot of political graffiti up against the cold concrete of a cityscape. The cover depicts an individual strapped with a backpack or tank on their back and a matchbox (disguised as a bible) and lighting a city or a mural of one on fire.

The title track “A Pleasure to Burn” seems to be about the burning of documents or books and it is very short and to the point and is a great intro track due to this reason, despite being possibly the most simplistic song on the album. ”World Gone Grey” (which is personally my favorite track on this album) is really melodic and reminds me a lot of bands such as Rise Against and Pennywise. It has a infectious bass intro, starts up low and as the bass swells up, the song explodes into existence. The very melodic bass is full of climbs and descents, loaded with trills as well as a great bass and guitar solo, all accompanied by the steady (but driven) pound of the drums. It’s upbeat, catchy, and conveys a message of conspiracy and of how what really goes on in the underbelly of society remains unseen and how everyone eats up the lies and falls into place. Pretty thought-provoking stuff.

“Make Room” is the ninth track on the album and it’s definitely the one that stands out the most. It starts off with clean guitar accompanied by a moderately fast beat and segues into a pretty interesting and enjoyable intro-solo and then the first verse. Oscar’s vocals in this song remind me a lot of Fat Mike’s vocals from NOFX. The lyrics seem to be about not feeling good enough for someone or not being able to give them what they’re looking for. The album becomes more personal towards the end again with the track “Home”, which is possibly the perfect song to close with and definitely stands out on its own as well.

Their sound is a wonderful combination of searing power-chords, with the occasional well blended solo like the ones during “Doubleplus Kill”, “Endstart”, “Emergency”, and the intro and outro to “Make Room” as well as the finale to “Home”. The drums are fast, punchy, precise punk beats with plenty of build. Meanwhile the speedy driving bass holds everything together nicely. The album is well produced, but still has a nice raw edge to it which matches their sound perfectly. All in all – if you’re a fan of political punk with a good melody and a fun feel to it, I highly recommend you check this one out!

To here the album, click here

Reviews

These People Are Animals! A review of This Place is a Zoo’s Strangers

Strangers TPIAZ

By Marlon Admiral Joseph Cappuccino

I was sitting in my easy chair sipping my afternoon tea after a rousing game of strip-polo, when I was approached by the representative of Jesse Davidson to write a review for This Place is a Zoo’s latest album Strangers. “But this is a hardcore band,” I replied remembering years ago hearing their music in class with former drummer Ryan Wolanski and genuinely enjoying it, “I don’t know anything about hardcore punk music.” It’s true, I’ve dabbled in Dance Gavin Dance, I’ve heard a few North Lane songs and liked them and I’ve been known to, as the youth say,”fux with” with La Dispute but for the most part remain ignorant about the genre. “Mr. Davidson would like you to have the review on his desk by Saturday” I was told. And thus began an interesting prospect to offer an outsider’s, or dare I say, Stranger’s perspective on what proved to be quite the complex album.

The soundscape opens up with “Distinction” in which some ambient space pinball sounds that give way to heavy guitar, drum beats and screams. By the slow, smooth, somewhat jazzy refrain of the second track “Curiosity Killed Us All” (a song I expect is about the dangers of what we may find on Mars) it became clear that This Place is a Zoo exhibits a trait that is the one common through-line of all good Antelope Valley bands. They refuse to be confined by one specific genre and will borrow from and shift to anything that fits. Their protean antics take the listener from the zesty Latin waltz feel of “Deadline”, to the funky reduction spread over the title track “Strangers”, to the insane gumbo of stylistic changes within “Compulsion Sets In” morphing effortlessly throughout the album from one style to another and always bringing it back home to the brutality

Now, one of the things I immediately noticed as someone enthusiastic about lyrics is more often than otherwise, I couldn’t understand a single word happening and of course I tried my best to avoid reading the provided lyrics on bandcamp because that’s cheating. I assume that’s a customary staple of hardcore, as I never can figure the words out. At some points it even felt like the vocalist made a clear and potent point to be as unclear and unintelligible as possible but I was pleased to find that it didn’t just descend into chaos and wild careless thrashing. The music seems more to follow the Khalil Gibran philosophy that music is the language of the spirit and communicates primarily to the emotions telling stories of hopelessness, frustration, revenge, and frustration masterfully through the notes, dynamics and syncopations. Leaving the actual words as supplementary footnotes in case the listener wants further exploration of the themes. And this is so well done and so captivating, I found myself dancing along, shouting unintelligibly and overturning furniture alone in my bedroom. “THE WALLS ARE CLOSING IN. MY SANITY’S WEARING THIN” (I really can’t get enough of that bittersweet tortured disco “Insecurities”). Not to mention my delight to find the album includes a seven-minute track about extinction called “Extinction” which, I have to say is EXACTLY the kind of thing I’m into.

I came to about 50 minutes after the start of the album when my laptop fell silent. My clothes were badly torn and I was washing blood off my hands. Whose blood? What transpired on this night? What had I done? What evidence had I yet to hide? I wasn’t sure but I found myself feeling strangely hopeful for the future after listening. Awash with an unexpected euphoria. This Place is a Zoo delivered a solid hard core punk rock music album and I’m confident their future as musicians (barring crumbling society, alien invasion, and the end of the world) is a bright one.

This Place is a Zoo’s album Strangers is available on bandcamp for $8 or more if you so choose and if we’re ascribing numerical ratings with these reviews, I’d give them an 8174/10000 and a “Good Job” sticker with a star and a thumbs up. And I’d like to offer my recommendation for anyone capable of turning sound waves into information to give them a try.

 

 Check out Strangers below:
Strangers Promo
If you would like to hear Marlon on soundcloud, click here:
 
Marlon
Reviews

Hidden Gems: Hypno-Punko™

 

Hypno-Punko™

When most people think of concept albums, a few things may come to mind . Usually, images of the past are conjured up. Bands and artists from the 60’s and 70’s singing about strange things like Pinball Wizards, brick walls, and such. Most people probably wouldn’t think of a punk band from the early 90’s. That’s where The Vindictives came in. Formed by singer Joey Vindictive in 1990, The Vindictives were known for sporadically releasing  7″ inch records and not touring on a regular basis. In 1999, that changed with the release of Hypno-Punko™. This is truly a unique document in rock ‘n roll. Not just of the idea of a punk rock concept album but also of Joey Vindictive’s struggle with mental illness and everything happening in his life at the time.

At first listen, it gives off the feel of 90’s punk. But the real beauty of Hypno-Punko™ comes with the more you listen to it. The style on this record was dubbed  “Punk Floyd” by Joey Vindictive during the making of this album. The meaning of the title is a satire on the hypnosis tapes that were popular at the time while the album art itself harkens back to carnival and magician aesthetic. The inside liner notes speak of the powers of Hypno-Punko™ and warnings how powerful it can be. The concept of the record is about using Hypno-Punko™ or punk rock to eliminate negative things in your life that you don’t want to be apart of or avoid that you otherwise couldn’t do without the aid of it.

Preceded by visits to psychiatric hospitals, a traumatic car accident, and other serious health issues, had created doubt on whether Joey Vindictive would continue. The original intention for all these songs was to create a punk rock musical. This is a culturally accepted idea now but not so much in the late 90’s. A large portion of the album and lyrics originated while Joey was hospitalized. During rehearsals for recording, the band relentlessly practiced the music while Joey provided musical direction from a distance. Despite having hardly a budget to create a concept album, the production of the album and overall song structure is something of incredible worth that is rare to find.

The album begins with “Medication Time” which is a take on the effect and the relationship between people and various pills that are widely consumed.  Leading into that is the key track on the album, “I Will Not: Pt I (sections A & B). Much like “Another Brick in the Wall”, various “I Will Not” tracks appear in four separate parts as a reoccurring  theme in the album (and is one of the greatest rock screams of all time). Through the use of Hypno-Punko™,  the story’s protagonist (and perhaps the listener) can stand up and say “I Will Not” to various controlling factors in his life. So much of the struggles and conflict in the album is directly pulled from Joey Vindicitive’s life at that time. It has deeply personal touch throughout the album, including his kids singing on “I Will Not: Pt. 4” and using an edited voicemail of his mother complaining about punk rock friends hanging out in front of her apartment building .

Stylistically, this album is so eccentrically diverse and yet flows together like they all belong under the same album and band. The sound can shift radically from fast punk rock, to an a capella harmony track, Benny Hill-esque music, and even a cover of Bing Crosby’s “Accentuate the Positive”. Along with layered guitar and sound effects throughout the pieces, there are various tracks done to give the effect of a hypnosis tape  so they drone on for long periods of time (In Pursuit: Pt. 2 which is the last track on the album and loops for 43 minutes straight).

 

The best part about this album is that it has a timeless sound. Much like albums that are classics, Hypno-Punko™ has a sound that could be played at anytime and still sound great. This, I believe, accounts for the new discovery of this album by many music fans of today’s generation. As a music fan, to experience something different, or just hear what people missed out on, I highly recommend this album.

Thank you to Jughead’s Basement for providing the background on this album. If you’d like more info on this record, visit this podcast:

http://jugheadsbasement.com/2014/12/19/hypno-punko/

Reviews

Reverend Red: Godde Hill Road review

 

 

Album art for Godde Hill Road also used for their album release show.
Album art for Godde Hill Road also used for their album release show.

 

By Jesse Davidson

“That Reverend Red ain’t right!”

 

They sure ain’t, Reverend Red aka Marshall Dymowski and his band have been causing a musical ruckus for years now and are back with their second full-length album Godde Hill Road. When you listen to a band like this for the first time, you may not know what to make of it. Surf guitar sounds with metal drums underneath them? Punk rock guitar along side a banjo? What is this madness?! Reverend Red that’s what. It’s this weird gumbo of Americana, surf music, punk rock, country, folk, goth, rockabilly and a few more genres to boot that form together to make their sound and this new album being no exception.

 

Songwriting:

 

For those who are fans of Reverend Red, this album is a musical evolution of the Rev sound. For those who’ve never heard the band before, this is an interesting start to becoming a fan of the band. Overall, Godde Hill Road broadens the style of songs performed from This Damned Town, their last album. Instead of a primary focus on a psychobilly sound mixed with a Tom Waits/Gothic element, Godde Hill Road includes not only songs that fit right into the canon of songs already in the Reverend Red repertoire (“Burn Um” and “Its My Fault” the first two tracks on the album) but there is a real diversity here between country, ballads, punk, surf guitar, spaced out jams, and an almost metal vibe on certain tunes. A great example of this “Rivers Red” and “What Now Sinner” which feature breakdowns and guitar solos that would make you think you’re listening to a progressive metal band for brief moment and not a contemporary of Hank 3 and Bob Wayne. Although listening to “Working On Sunday”, you can hear how much of an influence Bob Wayne and outlaw country has on Marshall’s song writing. It almost sounded like a song written for Bob to cover at some point.

 

Another sonically expanded area for the band is in the ballad type songs on this album. “Everyday Conversations”, “I Did it For Denver” and “Godde Hill” put a nice change of pace in the listening order of the album. In the midst of these high-energy songs, in come these folky ballads about love/heartbreak, leaving home, and whores (in which no Reverend Red album would be complete without).   “Blood of the Lamb”, an old gospel song originally penned Elisha Hoffman in 1878, is one of the more unique songs on the album. This is gospel meets distorted guitar, punk backing vocals, and Tom Waits. At times this song is slow and creepy and switches gears into a punk sound. Lyrically, Rev has take a few liberties from the original song to create something resembling “Chocolate Jesus” by Tom Waits. The pinnacle of the new sound comes from the last track “Knock Three Times”. This track sums up the best of the creativity and performance of all the new musical elements Godde Hill and hints a possible new direction for the band to take. It not only features added instruments like steel guitar but adds a duet with a female lead vocal and has interesting dynamics from the entire band. The end of this song is entirely unfair because it’s a musical build with Marshall screaming at the top of his lungs and band playing as hard as they can then the song just stops. I didn’t know it was possible to have blue ears but now I do and it’s for the band’s next album.

 

Performance:

 

The way the band plays is just as eclectic as their songwriting. Marshall is back with his infamous fuzz tone and clean country tones and you can hear them demonstrated on solos throughout the record. His vocal styles often mimick his guitar playing going from a screaming vocal to a folk tones just as fast as he switches effects on his pedalboard. Banjo has also taken just as a prominent spot as guitar in his playing now. Along with many style changes, this album also introduces “Sloe Hand” Servio Maladanado on the upright bass. Although his has moments of flashiness, Servio is the man holding down the pocket while guitars and drums are doing a lot of movement through the songs. This album also sees the return of “Whitey” Matt Grahmn on drums. Along with his psychobilly style playing before, he has incorporated a lot of metal influences in his playing on Godde Hill. This really shines and comes through on the songs with open jam and solo sections. I don’t know if “Blood of the Lamb” has ever been played with blast beats in it but now it has. Notable guests on the album like Andy Gibson on steel guitar (who also recorded and mixed the album), Amanda Contreras on guest vocals, and Jimmy Clark on fiddle and a nice level of depth to the album and provide tasty bits that would otherwise not be there on the album.

 

Production:

 

Overall, the sound of the album is enjoyable and step up in production value for the band. One odd thing I noticed throughout the album is that at some points the record sounded somewhat thin. I could hear all the instrumentation but in order to really hear the detail and definition of the low end (bass, kick drum, etc.), I had to turn up the record louder than I normally would. This is something I usually do on old school albums because that’s just how they sound. Since this feels like an intentional part of the production and not an accident, it brings up questions. Was this album mixed in the style of an older rock, country or punk album? Or did the band want to capture the sound of the band without being beefed up by Protools trickery? Another noticeable thing about this album is that it’s not over compressed. So when you do listen to it loud, the quality of sound isn’t really compromised. Which is a nice change of pace from some new music being released today.

Art/Design:

 

Something not as considered as it should is album art and design. Reverend Red has considered it for this album and it’s fantastic. Done in an old grindhouse/horror movie style art, the album cover folds out like a poster. This is a unique featue of the album coupled with the cover gives it that extra something to make it cool. Also, added inside is a description of the Rev’s plan to go and raise hell complete with a set of liner notes. This coupled with using a picture of the Antelope Valley as a background for the CD itself is a nice tribute to the real “This Damned Town”.

 

Overall:

This album is for anyone who is a fan of rockabilly, punk, country, rock n’ roll, goth, or music period. Not only has Reverend Red created a good album but is paying omage to local places and people who have helped him in Antelope Valley who have helped out. This album is evolutionary step for the bands sound and I’m looking forward to see where it goes from here.

 

If you want to check out the album, you can listen via Soundcloud

http://www.facebook.com/thereverendred

Reviews

Kendrick: Hip Hop Heavyweight

Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp a ButterflyAlbum Review: To Pimp A Butterfly
Artist: Kendrick Lamar
by Maya Avila
”Loving you is complicated.” – Kendrick Lamar
Yes Kendrick, loving is you very complicated. So complicated in fact, some listeners are taking sides. Most would say this album is a masterpiece. Others would say that isn’t the Kendrick Lamar that they know. Either way its obvious Kendrick is an animal that can’t be tamed.
Kendrick Lamar is the definition of a musical craftsman. Unafraid to tackle hot topics like politics, black oppression, and self reflection, love, and hate. This record comes out just in the wake of many social issues brought to light in today’s working class. To Pimp A Butterfly comes as a follow up to his previous Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, which became a cult classic to hip hop listeners everywhere. Although mainly appealing to youthful listeners, the sound of this album is not for everyone, and you definitely won’t be hearing Ryan Seacrest announcing any of these songs KIISS FM.
Kendrick comes blaring out of your stereo unapologetically. Each song uniquely Hip Hop with deep undertones of jazz, soul, and spoken word poetry. He is somewhat unconventional in a sense, yet still very within his realm of Rap. There has been overwhelming support of his music, which to me, tells me that the millennials today do infact crave meaning and substance to their music. Could this mean a turn around in how artist actually deliver their work? Probably not. Many mainstream artist will continue pump crap out of the radios of young teenagers. But still, there’s hope.
So here on the otherside of the argument (which I might add is relatively small), we have those who aren’t so crazy about what Kendric has managed to come up with. Many state that Kendrick has lost sight of his original sound. That he’s trying to appeal to the radio waves and lost sight of what makes him great. Others that he speaks too
much on Race, further dividing people instead of bringing them together. Because that is what true Hip Hop was essentially tries to do, bring people together.
Well to that I say this. Yes, Kendrick has taken a new path and with it a new sound. But is that what great musicians try to do? Experiment and creative? Hip Hop and Rap doesn’t have to be something you agree with. Hip Hop wasn’t created to follow norms. It was made to stand out and get people to listen. To be ever evolving like society. To bring social issues to light. Hip Hop was made to inspire and any true lover of music knows that. This is a feat that Kendrick has managed to accomplish. And for his creativity I applaud him.