The GutterCats - Whisky Avenue E.P.

NOTE: THIS REVIEW IS BEING REVISED. THE OVERALL OPINION OF THE E.P. WILL STAND, BUT A FEW PROBLEMS WITH THE REVIEW HAVE BEEN BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION, AND OUT OF RESPECT FOR THE BAND AND ROCKY SHADES I HAVE CHOSEN TO REVISE THE REVIEW. 

The GutterCats – Whisky Avenue EP

Line up:

Andy Guttercat – Vocals

Natt – Bass

Mitz – Drums

James Guttercat – Guitar

Let's take a moment to ponder on a question. When was the last time you heard a band and thought to yourself “Damn, that was a lot of fun”? Music that was written with a complete lack of social or political statement. Music that was written by a bunch of guys who are throwing on the guitars, picking up the sticks, and just planning to have fun. Lyrics that are all about fun, living it up. Not in a tongue in cheek way, making fun of their past (Steel Panther), but rather writing their lyrics and actually meaning to have a blast. The type of thing that is done with humor, but mainly because the guys are just like that, just having a blast. No self-mockery of self-loathing. No anger. Just fun. No, not like that stupid band that has become so popular that calls themselves “fun,” even though there is nothing fun about their music, unless you are a masochist. But fun, real fun.

Let me introduce you to The Guttercats.

The Guttercats are actually all about a tip of the hat to their favorite bands from their past and having a hell of a good time. If the listener is familiar with The Last of the Teenage Idols, The Babysitters, or Wrathchild, then the listener will be able to pick out the influence. In fact, they do this so closely that one can actually pick the songs apart as almost a song by song tribute. There are three songs here, and each one pays their tribute.

Do not misunderstand me, these are not a bunch of rip-off tunes. These are every bit as much a tip of the hat style as Hanoi Rocks did once upon a time. “Back to Mystery City” aped The Dead Boys “3rd Generation Nation,” but still managed to be its own song. They did that with Alice Cooper, The Dictators, The Ramones, and a slew of others. This is how The GutterCats do their thing. They pay tribute, but they do it in the guise of making other bands sound their own. All of the songs do sound like the same band, they all have their own style, but they also meld perfectly into what inspired them. They all work on this EP, but each of the bands mentioned could also take these tunes and play the songs, and their sounds would work perfectly with the tunes.

We kick off with a very Babysitters type of tune, “Whisky Avenue.” Straight Bluesy Punk, Rock and Roll with more attitude and fun than most bands know how to handle. Cocky, silly, and swaggering all over the dang club. Are the lyrics great? No, but they work perfect for what they are meant to do. They are simple enough to get a crowd singing along while raising their drinks as vocalist Andy pours beer over their heads during the breakdown, and ends it with spraying beer, or champaign, all over the place.

“Who's She Killing” may as well be a long lost LOTTI track with Andy channeling Buttz (LOTTI vocalist) almost to perfection. He steps into Buttz shoes so closely that I would almost swear Buttz was in on giving Andy tips. If you are familiar with LOTTI then you know what this tune sounds like. If you are unfamiliar, this will be a tough one to describe. Nobody sounds like LOTTI. They are Rock and Roll, they are Glam, they are Punk, they are . . . British . . . they are unlike anything that ever existed, and nothing has been like them since. If this was the only song The Guttercats ever recorded I would still rate them as a great band. The fact that somebody else was able to figure out what made LOTTI the brilliant band they were, and then wrote a song in the style of LOTTI instantly makes that band a wonder to behold. This is as much a statement of love for The Guttercats from me, as it is a statement of love for Last of the Teenage Idols.

Who's following along here? First song is a Babysitters type of tune. Second song was a LOTTI style tune. Anybody wish to guess what the last one might possibly be? Yes, “Mile High” is all Wrathchild. The vocal delivery is close to Rocky Shades, lyrics are similar sex style lyrics one would expect from Rocky, and the whole thing just fits that early 80s Wrathchild did.

One thing I do find funny about these songs also comes down to the comparison to the earlier bands. In all three of those bands the best vocalist was Buttz during his LOTTI days. That was when he seemed to have the most control of his voice, the most confidence, and the best swagger, sneer, and Hell bent humor. Rocky was always a bit of an acquired taste, and when people usually have a problem with Wrathchild, it is his voice that throws them for a loop. Give him a few listens, and one will fall in line and understand where he is coming from. On these songs, oddly enough, the best vocals come on the song that is the most LOTTI like. Andy does himself a heck of a fine job here, a moment to be proud of.

Good Lord people, I have rambled on and on about a three song fucking EP! Take a hint, get the damn thing. Solid songwriting, solid guitar playing, solid bass playing, solid drumming, an all around damn fine release for those of you who like Glam, Trash, Punk, Rock and Roll, and just a whole shitload of fun. Drop the band a line, get hold of it, and rock the fuck out of your neighborhood!

 GutterCats on Facebook - GET THEIR SHIT!!! 

Bobby Durango - RIP

So I was supposed to be working on homework this morning, but when I was bouncing around here this morning I found out that Bobby Durango passed away last year. Bobby was the vocalist for Rock City Angels, a band that showed up in the late 80s and should have been huge. Problem is that they showed up at the Hairband time, and got labeled a Hairband, but they were far from it. They played straight up Blues infused RnR.

Back in 2009 RCA showed up again, new line up fronted by Bobby. I had Sonic Ruin going at the time, so I decided to try and get something done with the band. Bobby and I started to go back and forth through emails and we hit it off, possibly better than I ever hit it off with any of the other bands I was interviewing. We spent a long time working on the interviews, and he went out of his way to make sure I got all that I needed. 

During that time I was going through Hell with my job. I knew the poop was hitting the fan, and my mood was going downhill fast. I lost interest in almost everything, and Sonic was one of those things. Sadly, the Durango RCA interview never saw the light of day. I lost touch with Bobby, except we were Facebook friends. Every now and then I would pop him a line, or he would pop me a line, just to say "hi." He told me on numerous occasions that he understood how things fell apart, and he had no bad feelings. I still felt terrible about it, and have gone back numerous times to look over what I had started, and thought about finishing it up.

Now today I see he passed away. It was last June. A long time ago. On his page there are a few "miss ya buddy" type of posts. Only one hidden in another message about how he passed (liver failure). I saw no mention on Yahoo news, nothing on any other sites. No mention anywhere on here. He may not have been an Axl Rose size success during that time, but he was supposed to be the guy that knocked Axl of his throne. Anybody from back then will remember that hype. 

So, instead of homework right now I am digging through that interview we did, finding the emails we exchanged, planning out how to make the issue that was originally intended for him to now being a great tribute to him. If anybody has any old pictures, ads, anything RCA related and is willing to donate it, please send it along. Thanks. Peter Banks is gone, Clive Burr is also gone. This one, though, is the one that really is the punch to the gut. Bobby was one of my guys, from my world.

RIP Bobby.

Yes, by the way, this work will have as little info in it as possible about the former member who went on to massive stardom. That guy gets enough publicity. This is about Bobby.

Suicide Bombers – Criminal Record:

Anybody who is familiar with Chris Damien Doll and his former band Trashcan Darlings should have an idea of what to expect out of Chris's new offering, Suicide Bombers. This is not to say that this act sounds exactly like Trashcan, but there are similarities, for obvious reasons. The main songwriter in Trashcan was Chris and this band has a similar style. While this is a separate band, there is no doubt this is a Chris Damien Doll product, and if this review gets somebody to pick this album up, I would kind of like to think that it might also cause them to seek out the previous band also. There is a lot of Chris Damien Doll goodness out there for people to spend some time with.

Let us first explore what is the same in these songs with those from previous days. The main thing one should notice is that Chris continues to show his care of song construction. Chris doesn't just write a song. Chris seems to like to pull apart his songs, find ways of fleshing them out, and actually building a song. His material might sound like “just rock and roll,” and one could easily take it for such. But if one was to really listen to the songs, the layering, the transitions, every aspect, one can find that there is a lot going on. Everything flows and everything fits.

It would seem that the big difference between the two bands is that while Trashcan had that Punk edge, Suicide Bombers live up to their name. They deliver bombastic Rock, the kind of stuff arenas were built for (sorry, sporting events were just time killers until somebody invented the electric guitar). The kind of stuff that was made to shake the earth. This is R-O-C-K that finds the right groove, the right hook, and then goes for the jugular. Hooks in the verses, and hooks for every chorus.

Songs such as “High On Explosives” and “Princess Socialite” push forward with such an urgency that in a live situation I would have to expect the club would be bursting. “Princess Socialite” in particular has such a high energy, and carries such a wonderful chorus, that when the song calms down in the middle one is almost thankful for the small break.

The only time the Bombers seem to not be so interested in rocking the living Hell out of your world is when they slow down ever so slightly for “Teenage Breakdown.” Don't get me wrong, this is nowhere near an “Every Rose Has Its Thorns” slow down, but just enough to probably give the boys a chance to stop running around the stage. Think mid-tempo Dogs D'Amour from either Dynamite Jet Saloon or Errol Flynn. I could almost hear Tyla singing this one. A duet between Tyla and Chris would be absolute Heaven for this tune.

“Bombers En Vogue” might not have the same high energy drive as other songs, and might move at a slower pace, but the tune is all about strutting. The song works as a theme song, and it gives the listener an idea of the cocky swagger that the band must have. It gives us an idea of what their stance and position on a stage must be like. These guys own the land that stand on, and the stage is always theirs to conquer, no matter the locale or situation.

Chris does sound quite a bit like Trashcan vocalist Strange? Gentle, which surprised me quite a bit when I first heard the album. It probably should not have been too much of a surprise, as Trashcan ended due to Strange? feeling he had run the course, so Chris might not have been ready to put that band to bed yet. Chris might be a little bit better than the man who guided his previous band, but it will ultimately come down to a personal taste. If one liked Strange's voice, then one should be cool with Mr. Damien Doll.

This is not a perfect album, but it is extremely good. If there is a spot that might cause one to pause, it would be that Chris might have an acquired taste voice. It is not bad, but it is a voice perfectly suited to Trash and Punk. One won't find Chris throwing down against a Sebastian Bach, which for some is a grand thing. A voice like that would work against the attitude and power that hides within these songs. In all honesty, however, I am growing more and more fond of this album as time passes by.