Stephanie
White and the New Jersey Philth Harmonic -
Knee Deep Insanity
(myspace.com/philthharmonic)
So, if the name of the band is Stephanie
White and the Jersey Philth Harmonic, does
this mean there may be a New York or Arizona
Philth Harmonic out there? Ok, I'm getting
a little giddy here. Actually, besides a kind
of crappy name for a band, this is an excellent
album! The band is "Knee Deep" into
rock n' soul music. The press kit describes
the band as "A sort of Joss Stone Meets
Dave Matthews Band, mash up of organic palatable
pop." Well, they got the Dave Matthews
comparison right. This is a one of those special
bands that can play so tight and on the money,
that they actually give the impression that
they’re really laid back,and loose.
But as far as the Joss Stone vibe, well, they’re
not too far off there either. Stephanie White
sounds more like Amy Winehouse or Corrine
Bailey Rae than Joss. (When it comes to neo-soul,
Joss Stone deserves a genre of her own.) I
have very few grips about the album. Here
and there ("You're Not Alone," and
"Tough Enough"), the mix is a little
lacking, but otherwise we'll all benefit from
a fine, fine album. The opening cut, "Girls
Have Expenses" will have you at "Hello."
It has everything you'd want in a hit single.
A good story line (with tongue in cheek irony)
backed by a solid, fluid band. From there
the music stays funky and fresh, with very
few low points. I think by the time they make
their sophomore album, and keep refining their
live shows, the Philth Harmonic will be a
band to be reckoned with! - Phil Rainone
Box
Car Satan & Ghostwriter -
Hobo Nouveau (Endofthewest.com)
Thirsty for a little Southern musical comfort,
of the swampy, blues rock variety with some
John Hiatt lyrical wisdom thrown in for good
measure? Well, "Saddle up a buzz-buzz"
as The Cramps would say (I was wondering how
long it would take me to find just the right
time - over ten years - to use that line).
Like their cultural brethren, Southern Culture
on the Skids, or Rev. Horton Heat, this CD
brings together a gargantuan gumbo of musical
genres to the dinner table. Hobo Nouveau features
those devilish dervishes of musical mayhem,
Box Car Satan collaborating with self-proclaimed
one-man-band of post-modern punk, Ghostwriter.
Songs like, "Disarray," "Dead
Man's Hand," or "People" convey
the back porch fell of a couple of good ol'
boys stomping, and banging out rough tunes
with raw spirit, as authentic as anything
the aforementioned bands could muster. These
13 songs fit more with songwriters like Willie
Dixon and the Chicago bluesmen of yesteryear.
Minimalist clatter-and-strum are substantially
invigorating on covers like Dylan's "Serve
Somebody" and Townes Van Zandt's "Blaze's
Blues. They play " Woody Guthrie's "Jesus
Christ" close to the vest, as it's performed
with just a quiet guitar, bass, drums, and
vocal. More true to Wood's version than I've
heard in a while (U2 did a full-throttle version
a few years back on a tribute album to Woody,
"A Vision Shared"). Unless you check
the copyright date (2008) you'll swear that
this nasty, rockabilly unit existed two decades
back. Now there's something to stomp about!
- Phil Rainone
Morning
Theft - Between Walls (morningtheft.net)
"Between Walls" has a crisp, tight,
live-sounding production that is decidedly
out of vogue, and that's a good thing! I'm
hearing early Kinks, Byrds, rock/blues guitar
over exuberant Replacement- like vocals. This
is a collaborative effort all around. It's
a showcase for the band's emotional and spontaneous
sound, a middle ground between Big Star and
modern pop punk. This is an eclectic mix that
is alternately depressing and uplifting, ugly
and beautiful. In other words it's pushes
pretty much all the emotions you should feel
in a really good rock 'n roll record. Buy
it!! - Phil Rainone
CD Reviews 
