Review Roulette: The Dusters, Guilt, "Alive At JC's" (1986-1991)

THE DUSTERS
This Ain’t No Jukebox...
Nashville blues-rockers check in with their first full-length disc, which turns out to be well worth the wait. A collection of ten earth-scorching tunes, it’s obvious that the dusters took their time and did it right. Although long-time fans of the band will recognize such live favorites as “The Truck Won’t Start” and “This Ain’t No Jukebox…We’re A Rock ‘N Roll Band,” other cuts shine as well.

The dusters’ cover of Savoy Brown’s “Hellbound Train” smokes the original, achieving in three to four minutes what the original took thirteen to accomplish; “Phantom of the Strip,” “Street Legal,” and “Blues Highway,” all dusters’ originals, bristle with bluesy energy and rock and roll fury. Ken McMahan’s growling, guttural vocals are well-matched to his searing guitar style, while Dave Barnette’s solid bass lines and drummer Chris Sherlock’s pounding rhythms round out the (still maturing) dusters sound. This Ain’t No Jukebox… is the album that George Thorogood should have made, as a new generation of white boys pick up the blues-rock torch. (The Metro, 1991)

GUILT
Thru the Night
Long-time Nashville cult-heroes deliver a strong five-song, twenty-minute EP with Thru the Night. Lovingly produced by Steve Earle, the disc showcases the band’s impressive, innate abilities (which are often overshadowed by the cult of personality that has evolved around the band). The music is somber, passionate Goth-rock, heavily influenced by the works of Bauhaus, Sisters of Mercy, and Joy Division while retaining a metal-influenced edge.

Guitarist Chuck Allen’s six-string soars at times, providing some honestly thrilling moments, while Skot Nelson’s bass playing is an important part of the mix, throbbing with visceral delight. Toss in vocalist Tommy McRae’s primal vocals and one will find Thru the Night to be an excellent intro to one of the Music City’s longest-lived and exciting bands. (Radical Pizza, 1991)

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Alive At JC’s
What’s the matter, Bunkie...bored to tears over the same old nifty fifty as heard over your “all-of-the-hits-all-of-the-time!” radio station? Heavy metal misogyny, hard rock histrionics, and empty-vee got you down? Well, cheer up…because in Green Hills, tucked away on Bandywood Drive is a quiet, unassuming establishment by the name of JC’s, a wonderful club offering up great food, a selection of imported beers, and the very best in jazz music as performed by a truly talented roster of the Music City’s top artists.
    
Alive At JC’s is a cassette compilation of material performed live by three of the hottest and most popular acts to appear on the JC’s stage. The tape opens with Funktion, their trademark sound revolving around the dancing, soulful saxwork of Jeff Kirk, and buoyed up by the sparking keyboards of Micky Basil and the searing, fluid guitar lines of Stan Lassiter. Bassist Bob Burns, keyboarding Kevin Madill, and percussionist Dale Armstrong fill in the edges, producing a sound as tight and clear and flowing as you’ll ever find.

Apollo follows, presenting a unique jazz/funk fusion style that’ll brighten your day every day. The basic guitar (Cliff Richmonds) – bass (Carl Dobbins) – drums (Stan Smith) formula is fleshed out in Apollo with the addition of keyboardist Ted Wilson, Jamie Nichols’ congas, and the wailing reed of Mark Douthit. The result is an exhilarating and original sound that’ll have you humming these melodies for days. The superstar assemblage Rush Hour closes the tape, featuring the talents of Apollo’s Douthit on sax, and Funktion’s Madill alongside a number of impressive hornmen and rhythm players. Rush Hour’s sound illustrates improvisation as only the jazz art form can encourage, never sounding clichéd or derivative.

Although the bands represented on this collection will surely go onto greater venues and increased prominence, you can rest assured that JC’s owner “Chick” Cicatelli will always present the freshest and most talented artists in the world of jazz. If you’re truly bored and disgusted with commercial hacks and music that all sounds alike, go on down to JC’s and see what the real artists are doing...and if you like what you hear, ask “Chick” about the Alive At JC’s cassette…you’ll be glad you did! (The Metro, 1986)

Review Roulette: Stone Deep, Teen Idols, Thee Phantom 5ive, Terminal Mycosis (1990, 1996)

Stone Deep photo by Heather Lose

STONE DEEP
“Gangs and The Govt.” b/w “Mr. Sunray”
(Secession Records)
    Nashville’s Hard Corps were local heroes in their day, an ultra-popular band that played a hell of a live set and built a large and loyal Southeastern following by doing so. That their single major label album didn’t reflect the extent of their talent and energy was a true shame, and an indictment of the way that even minor league labels try to force bands into a preconceived mold. Out of the ashes of Hard Corps came Stone Deep. With the worthy addition of former Scatterbrain guitarist Glen Cummings, Stone Deep have developed an identity and following of their own that rivals that of their musical predecessor. Their first effort is another 7-incher that has been lost in our vaults, but it’s well worth looking into.
    Side one offers “Gangs and The Govt.,” which takes a unique lyrical stand by comparing villianized street gangs to the government that battles them via police S.W.A.T. teams and Federal task forces. In light of events like Waco, it’s a bold and insightful statement, a true view from streetside. The music is pure metallic funk, a hybrid of rap styling and hard rock riffs that drill the vocals home. “Mr. Sunray,” on the flip side, is a lighter, soulful bit of musical whimsy with a funky beat and some interesting vocal play. Since the release of this single, the band has only increased their popularity in the region and recorded a number of other songs. (1996)

TEEN IDOLS
Nightmares EP
(House O’ Pain Records)
    Nashville’s Teen Idols are my favorite live band on the local scene – few of the Music City’s rock pretenders and poseurs can match the energy and sincerity shown by Teen Idols on any given night. The band’s latest HO’P vinyl release, the Nightmares EP, offers solid evidence as to why. The band kicks ass through five short and sweet, hit-a-lick and hit the door punk rock tunes. There’s just enough pop mixed into the screaming guitars and frantic rhythms of songs like “I Regret It,” “Anybody Else,” or the title cut, “Nightmares,” to make it easily accessible, just enough fervor and attitude to keep it punkish. You won’t find a bad cut on the EP, no matter how hard you may try, filled as it is with infectious rock ‘n’ roll with a real edge. I expect big things from Teen Idols, who have been building a loyal regional following and solid musical reputation for over a year and across several vinyl releases now. (1996)

Thee Phantom 5ive

THEE PHANTOM 5IVE
...Lift Off To Kicksville EP
(self-produced)
    Another 7-incher that’s been sitting on the shelves since last summer waiting for its moment in print, Nashville’s Thee Phantom 5ive are rapidly becoming Nashville’s resident gods of instrumental surf music (Los Straitjackets, who are increasingly going “Hollywood,” notwithstanding). As advertised by its title, ...Lift Off To Kicksville delivers plenty of kicks, with lively surf guitar punctuating the EP’s four scorching cuts. “Pressure” and “Our Favorite Martian” grace the first side of the disc, offering cheap thrills a plenty with ringing six strings and a steady beat. Side the second starts off with the roaring “Surf Softly,” an energetic instrumental that bravely explores musical turf that others fear to tread. The lone vocal cut of ...Lift Off To Kicksville, “(We Built A) 501 (Caddy)” sets off in search of cheesy sixties-styled thrills with vicious dueling guitars and hilarious trash talk about the “biggest road car ever!” If surf rock instrumentals are your passion, then you owe it to yourself to check out Thee Phantom 5ive, the new kids on the beach. (1996)

TERMINAL MYCOSIS
Nine of Cups
(Potters Wheel Records)
    I crossed paths with this mysterious and pseudonymous recording several months ago, awestruck by its simplicity and disturbed by its dark, brooding ferocity. A cassette-only recording of eight songs, Nine of Cups explores an experimental side of music where even angels fear to tread, an industrial-styled psychotic portrait of pain containing scraps and snippets of found vocals (was that Adolph Hitler…or Ronnie Reagan?), odd instrumentation, distorted guitarwork and demented percussion. At once both fascinating and repulsive, Nine of Cups is a cacophonic cry into the abyss. The question raised by such an artistic statement, however, is whether its creator…the anonymous “Terminal Mycosis”…is mad, or is society? (The Metro, 1990)

TERMINAL MYCOSIS
None To Share
(Potters Wheel Records)
    Nashville’s Terminal Mycosis has returned with he/she/its second effort, a thick, complex and multi-layered grouping of five compositions. None To Share rests somewhere in the musical netherworld between industrial music and cyberpunk theory, blending magick and ritual with found vocals, technological sound, synthesizer-produced rhythms and odd, unidentified random instrumentation to create a dark and disturbing hybrid too heady for many folk. Fans or followers of Psychick TV, Arcane Device, or the Hafler Trio would enjoy this; many others would simply dismiss it without knowing exactly what it is: the abyss of the soul glaring back at the listener. (The Metro, 1990)

Review Roulette: Dan Baird, Marshall Chapman, David Schnaufer, Tone Patrol (1990, 1993, 1995)

DAN BAIRD
Love Songs For the Hearing Impaired
(Def American)
    Former Georgia Satellite songwriter and frontman Dan Baird “fired” himself from that band after their wonderfully complex and darkly emotional third album and struck out on his own. That he should hit the often-traveled trail of the journeyman should certainly come as no surprise; the Satellites were always just a group of inspired journeymen at heart, as loose as a pick-up band in a one-night jam session, as tight and cohesive a unit as any well-practiced bar band could be. It should not come as any surprise, then,  that Baird’s solo debut would draw upon the same influences and inspiration as did the band’s best work: the Stones, Chuck Berry, The Faces...all those musical pioneers who defied the expectations of their time and defined an art form. Love Songs For the Hearing Impaired is no-frills, straight-ahead, gut-level, guitar-driven rock ‘n’ roll. A vastly underrated songwriter in a Woody Guthrie/Hank Williams “keep it simple but convey a lot of thought” vein, Baird has always had a flair for penning both lyrical and musical hooks, he provides both here in quantity. Tunes like “The One I Am,” “Jule + Lucky,” “Seriously Gone,” and the grammatically-correct “I Love You Period” are meat and potato tunes for fans who like their rock unpretentious and undiluted. From Baird, I would expect no less... (The Metro, 1993)

MARSHALL CHAPMAN
It’s About Time...Recorded Live At The Tennessee State Prison For Women
(Margaritaville Records)
    With two decades of toiling away in the music biz under her belt, Marshall Chapman has amassed a resume of songwriting credits and major and indie label releases that would make even the most hardcore alternative rocker blush with envy. The talents of Ms. Chapman have long been overlooked by all but her loyal legion of fans, however, making her one of Nashville’s best kept musical secrets. Only time will tell if It’s About Time...Recorded Live At The Tennessee State Prison For Women will win Chapman the long overdue success that she deserves, but one thing’s for certain: she’s a hell of a performer. Chapman’s blending of country, rock, and blues tends to make her too difficult to pigeonhole into any ready-made format, and that’s just the way that it should be. Chapman’s live delivery of songs like “Real Smart Man” or “Good-Bye Little Rock & Roller,” her throaty, sensual vocals, and energetic guitar playing as gleeful and electric as they were twenty years ago proving that there really is still magic to be found in the streets of the Music City. (T-Bone, 1995)

DAVID SCHNAUFER
Dulcimer Player
(S.F.L. Records)
    Dulcimer master David Schnaufer may well be one of the Music City’s best kept secrets…’tis a shame, too, because Dulcimer Player, Schnaufer’s second album for Nashville’s S.F.L. Records, is a sheer delight. This collection of tasteful originals and inspired covers offers a Celtic-flavored romp through the dulcet tones of Schnaufer’s dulcimer, a traditional instrument making a welcome comeback. With the help of skilled session folks such as Mark O’Connor, Tone Patrol’s talented Dave Pomeroy, “Cowboy” Jack Clement, and the Cactus Brothers (also known as members of Walk The West), Schnaufer expresses pure emotion through his instrument, creating a wonderful and spirited sound which needs no words to encumber the anarchistic freedom of its soaring notes. (The Metro, April 1990)

TONE PATROL
5.19.89
(Earwave Records)
    For those of you who caught Tone Patrol’s wonderful performance at The Metro’s Second Annual Nashville Music Awards show, then you’re already familiar with this talented quintet. For those of you who sadly missed the affair, this tape – recorded live at Nashville’s Douglas Corner – would serve as an excellent introduction. Stepping out from their various roles as session players, Tone Patrol’s Dave Pomeroy, Kenny Malone, Biff Watson, Larry Chaney, and Sam Bacco placed their creative skills together to deliver an energetic and mesmerizing performance, captured here in all of its beauty and grace. Tone Patrol performs an original and unique blend of jazz, rock, and so-called “New Age” music, instrumental tapestries delicately woven by the combined skills of the musicians, played to perfection in the spirit of the performance. I’d suggest catching these guys their next time out…and after you see them live, you’ll search high and low for a copy of this tape (as well you should). It’s creative efforts such as this which serve Nashville’s image as the “Music City” best. (The Metro, April 1990)

Review Roulette: F.U.C.T., The Grinning Plowman, Jet Black Factory, Today Is The Day (1990, 1995)

Welcome to the first “Review Roulette”column, a collection of various short album reviews of Nashville bands that were first published by The Metro magazine and other outlets during the 1980s and ‘90s…

F.U.C.T.
Dimensional Depth Perception
(Carlyle Records)
    Nashville’s bad boys of thrash set out their first CD with the expected results: Dimensional Depth Perception is a monster of a release, a no-holds-barred leap into the abyss of otherworldly reality; thirty-plus minutes of industrial strength rock ‘n’ roll fury. Set beneath the multi-decibel mix of howling guitars, pounding drums, and throbbing bass lines, you’ll find vocalist Clay’s twisted, painful King Hell vocals kicking out some serious jams about life, morality, society and our endangered existence upon this spinning, twirling sphere that we call home. Forever Ungratical Corinaric Technikilation have a whomping good time musically, but they also have a positive message to relate to their listeners with their songs. Hear it! (The Metro, August 1990)

THE GRINNING PLOWMAN
I Play Jupiter
(Carlyle Records)
    With their long-awaited second album, Nashville’s the Grinning Plowman tread much of the same stylistic ground as their first disc, but that’s good, for there’s so much territory to explore in the musical realms that they journey through. Their sound is dark and aggressive, like a soul on fire, with the music building from a somber funeral dirge to a frenzied, dervish-like howl within the space of a few seconds. The Grinning Plowman are redefining the boundaries of music, delivering material with a Gothic feel and a vague lyrical poetry akin to Lovecraft or Crowley. This is heady stuff, exhilarating yet disquieting, and well worth the wait. (The Metro, August 1990)

JET BLACK FACTORY
House Blessing
(391 Records)
Nobody was really watching, but even though it should have come as no surprise, while everyone was involved with – and enthralled by – a dozen-and-one other bands, Nashville’s Jet Black Factory quietly became one of the more creative forces to be found in the city. On the heels of two successful and widely-acclaimed EPs, House Blessing is Jet Black Factory’s first full-length album and their most mature and engaging creative effort to date. Dave Willie’s voice has grown into a magnificent instrument: dark, haunting vocals caressing the somber, oblique poetry that is the band’s lyrical forte. Bob German’s six-string work perfectly complements the material while the remainder of the band skillfully manipulates the texture and tone of the material. Treading a stylistic ground which owes as much to the Velvet Underground as it does Joy Division or R.E.M., Jet Black Factory has delivered a debut LP, of sorts, which is sure to make the coastal trendsetters sit up and take notice. (The Metro, April 1990)

TODAY IS THE DAY
Willpower    
(Amphetamine/Reptile)
I’ve been predicting that Today Is The Day will become the "next big thing" in alternative circles for a couple of years now, and there’s nothing about Willpower, their latest, to sway me from this opinion. This Nashville-based trio knocks down an exciting, high decibel blend of cacophonic instrumentation, metal-edged rock and industrial-strength noise that will blow the listener out of their seat. With vocals that sound like the singer is undergoing a root canal without the benefit of anesthesia and harsh backing music that walks a tightrope between bludgeon-like simplicity and razor-sharp complexity, Willpower provides an appropriate soundtrack for a society in decline. Throw these guys on tour with some like-minded big name like Nine Inch Nails and they’ll walk out of the joint with the audience in their back pockets ... bet on it. (R.A.D! zine, 1995)