by Phil Rainone
Six To Eight Mathematics -
High Heels, Whiskey & Mayhem
(sixtoeightmathematics.com)
A Barrage From The Garage of Punk
Rock ‘N’ Roll!
Lovingly known to their fans as S.T.E.M.S. (Hey,
try saying, “Six To Eight Mathematics”
three times fast - now you know why they like
to call them S.T.E.M.S! Oh crap, you can say
it! Well, hopefully the band will do an interview
soon, and we’ll get to the bottom of this
“Six To Eight Mathematics” thing,
along with the story of their new album.
)
Before Six To Eight Mathematics blasts off
into punkoramaland, and just to see if you’re
paying attention, they open the album with
a sort of who-done-it sound effects. First
you’ll hear of a pair of high heels
walking across a wooden floor, then a bottle
being smashed (presumably it‘s a whiskey
bottle), and a woman’s high-pitched
scream - “High Heels, Whiskey (I hope
the bottle was empty before they broke it)&
Mayhem” - get it?! Also, Miss Heather
did the cartoonish cover art, depicting the
title of the album, along with an old-school
amp, that has a nice retro feel to it.
So, after two paragraphs of silly stuff (hey,
that’s just the way I roll), you’re
probably wonderin’ how the music is?
Well, let me put his way. If Lenny Lounge
(promoter, DJ, and all-around-cool-guy) was
still putting on his monstrously, cool-as-fuck
Barrage From The Garage Shows, S.T.E.M.S.
would be the unequivocal house band, hands
down!!
All the songs on the album are full of color.
Vividly collaborative, songs like “Love
Song?” or “You Won’t Love
Me” ditch the erotic pleading you’d
find from bands that write for the sake of
popularity in favor of romantic directness
without the frills. In other words, honest
love songs without the self-interest, and
all the punk rage you can handle.
There are no wasted moments on this 8-song
disc, just to the point stories like “I
Wanna Know, or “Participate,”
that are fueled by punk’s basic rage
‘n’ roll! This is prime Six To
Eight Mathematics!
I got turned on to S.T.E.M.S. at one of Lazlo’s
Blowupradio.com shows at Buddies Tavern in
Sayreville a few months ago. They bashed out
a thirty minute set that was head-turning!
Hey, I even put down my thin-crust pizza to
check out the band! Their live show was a
white-hot salvo with human tornado energy.
They were also road-testing some of their
new tunes along with tried and true originals,
and a cover or two for good measure.
With band members Ali McDowell on lead guitar/
vocals, Alana Quartuccio on lead vocals/guitar,
Mike Random on drums/vocals, and Marybeth
Kochmar on bass/screams, they play with classic
rock (the good stuff), aspirations accented
by razor-sharp, guitars-in-overdrive mode.
The rhythm section adds the decisive time
signatures that propels the songs cadence
with deadly accuracy.
Any way you add it up, Six To Eight Mathematics’
new album High Heels, Whiskey & Mayhem
is a brick wall of solid punk rock ’n’
roll howl from start to finish!! Listening
to them live, and then their studio album,
this is a band that doesn‘t play out
of just self-interest, they play out of the
purest of need, like it‘s in their DNA.
Six To Eight Mathematics will be at Buddie's
Tavern, 277 Johnsons Lane, Parlin NJ on Saturday,
February 28, with Kosmic Daydream. 9 pm, no
cover, 21+
