Conference napalm::heavy_metal

>     Has anybody else ever heard of them?
    
    Other then me, of course, since I let you listen to my tape...
    
    I like these guys a lot.  The tape I have is a compilation of a couple
    of their older albums that Paul McCarron made for me because I couldn't
    find any of SA's stuff locally (it was on a small label and apparently
    didn't get wide distribution).  Anyway, I just recently got back into
    the tape and I have to say that these guys rip!  I've been listening to
    nothing except this and the Contagious EP for the last 4 days!
    
    The albums Paul included on this tape were obviously done on a tight
    budget, 'cause there are a lot of mistakes in the playing, but they
    have a cool sound overall and a LOT of raw energy!  They're dry and up
    front type mixes and I love that sort of thing.  The writing is
    interesting and has something to say.
    
    I've heard part of the new song "Someone To Shove" on the radio and it
    sounds like it has a little more polished sound then this old material.
    
    Greg
                                         

    I caught these guys in a club up in Boulder last night and they put on
    an excellent show!!  They had the Jay Hawks opening for them and the
    Lemonheads after that.
    
    I considered not going, after not being able to find anyone that would
    go with me, but since Paul McCarron had pumped up how great these guys
    are live, I decided to head on up anyway.  I was a little worried that
    I might not get in 'cause I didn't buy a ticket ahead of time and I
    couldn't get ahold of the club to find out if it was sold out, but
    decided to take a chance anyway.  I'm really glad I did, it was well
    worth the 120 mile drive (each way, ugh) and the 45 minute wait out in
    the cold to get in.
    
    The Jay Hawks are kind of a 60's-retro alternative rock act, the singer
    played an acoustic for every song and they had an organ player and a
    lead guitarist, drummer and bass.  I thought their sound was cool the
    first couple of songs, but then it started sounding kind of
    repetatious, since they didn't really change their instrumentation much
    (and the guitar player only used one sound for leads).  All in all,
    fairly interesting, but I wouldn't pay to see them again.  They
    mentioned that they have a new album on Def America.
    
    The Lemonheads are a three piece, hard alternative rock type band.  I'd
    never heard any of their stuff before (except for a couple of songs on
    the radio that I didn't know were them) and didn't really know what to
    expect.  They've gotten good writeups by the people in RADIO_RADIO so I
    hoped I'd also enjoy them, and I did.
    
    They have a fast, heavily distorted musical style with a lighter pop
    vocal on top of it.  If that sounds strange, all I can say is that it
    works *really* well for them.  They were great!  They put on a really
    good show!  I'd definitely go see them again.  The crowd was really
    into their show too.  From the chatter I heard during the (long) break
    between them and Soul Asylum, I got the feeling that not very many
    people were familiar with their stuff before the show.  I bet they'll
    have a good boost in album sales in Boulder now though.
    
    After a long break getting the stage set up, Soul Asylym came out and
    did a great set.  They have an incredible amount of energy onstage,
    even if their songwriting doesn't quite keep up at times.  They did a
    lot of their newer material and I didn't like it as much as the older
    stuff I'm more familiar with.  
    
    In case people don't know, they're a 4 piece with drums, bass, lead
    guitar, and rhythm guitar.  The rhythm guitar player sings lead most of
    the time and the lead guitar player also sings quite a bit (mostly
    prominant backups and a couple of leads).  They both had excellent
    guitar sounds and the whole band was very tight and sounded great!
    
    An excellent show, I really enjoyed myself (even if I had to go alone)!
    
    gh
                                                                           

    Oh yeah, I meant to mention that the lead guitarist for Soul Asylum
    plays a Les Paul *exactly* like the one I play all the time!!!  (a gold
    top Deluxe, with the cream pickguard still on, a maple neck with a
    rosewood fretboard and trepazoidal mother of pearl inlays)
    
    If anyone cares, he played through an old Ampeg head (V4?) plugged into
    a Marshall cabinet and had a killer tone!
    
    Greg

    They supported Guns N' Roses at the Milton Keynes bowl on Saturday. 
    They played a good set and I was very impressed.  I had only heard one
    of there songs before this.  That was "Somebody to Shove"  and that
    ain't bad.
    
    
    
    Gary

    I like these guys a lot, but their new album doesn't even come close to
    doing them justice.  It's a lot lighter then they really sound in
    concert and I don't like it nearly as much.  Some of their older albums
    are more representative of what they really sound like.  The new
    album's got some good songs on it, but the production is pretty slick. 
    I'm not sure it really fits the "rough and tumble" sound of the band. 
    These guys are very much a "sloppy rock band", but with a great groove
    and a lot of energy.  
    
    gh

    
    	YAWN.  "Somebody to Shove" is by far the best song on the album,
    	and the rest is garbage.
    
    							GTI

    How many albums do they have?   I thought this was their first. :^}

    Far from their first album, these guys have been around for a *long*
    time!  The current album is their first on a major label, the others
    were on a smaller label (sorry, I forget which one).  I know there's at
    least three or four full length albums prior to the current release and
    a couple of EPs too.  I've heard two of the older albums and I consider
    them both better then the major label one, where they kind of watered
    down their sound.  

    The old albums used to be *very* hard to find, but now that the new
    one's generated some interest in the band, I've seen them around quite
    a bit, even in the generic chain stores like Sound Warehouse.

    gh

    I just bought their latest album the other day...
    I wasn't that psyched with it.  I liked the two songs they have
    released and there's one other song on there that I really like.
    I've only given it one full spin so I'll have to see.  The other
    song is this long narrative that is really cool.  ...Ok I just
    realized this review really sucks and is telling you absolutely
    nothing.  Overall I think the disc is much more mellow than their
    other albums and a few of the songs just really irritated me.
    So 3 good songs isn't too bad for $9.99.
    
    $9 Hooker, 10% off on hump Wednesday