We're All Blaming Johnny

I know you guys are all salivating at the mouth for a new group, and I'm sorry it's been a couple of days since I updated. What with my sister's birthday last Thursday, and mine on Saturday (yes all, I am now 19), it was a busy and crammed weekend, and I still had to make time for at least a couple of my college application essays.

But now I'm back, and do I have a group for you. Out of the same Bay Area in California that spawned Green Day and Metallica, I present you with Blaming Johnny, a five-piece ska-punk band that puts a new twist on the reggae-rock sound. Composed of Sierra Harry (vocals), Jan Lembke (guitar), Josh Lippman (guitar), Justyn (bass), and Erik Falkowsky (drums), Blaming Johnny have built a large following both in their home state and online thanks to their unique female vocal-ska style music, and such songs as "Help Yourself" and "1158."

But I'm getting ahead of myself, and nothing will do these guys (and girl) justice but telling the whole truth. Though they have undergone a couple of lineup changes since their inception, Blaming Johnny have soldiered on, releasing their debut recording, The Driving an Escalade EP, and following it up recently in 2008 with their debut full-length album, The Yellow Album. Though this seemed a tad Weezer-ish to me in the beginning, after listening to the first 15 seconds of the first track, I'm floored, and all of my preconceptions evaporate.

This first track is "Part of the Club," and from the first guitar riffs from Lembke and Lippman, I'm already in love with it. Lembke leads in on a sweet Sublime-esque, ska riff, and then Lippman takes it up a notch with a clear and crisp hard-rock riff. Then Falkowsky drum rolls in, and Justyn's bass line are strongly pumping away. Then comes Sierra Harry's voice, and this song is already a five-star track 45 seconds in. With clear, clever lyrics and a voice that just sweeps you away in melody and tone, Sierra proves to be a most powerful frontwoman, and the song is only better for it. I particularly love the slow down-speed up dynamic and rhythm of the song, and along with Lembke's and Lippman's charging guitar riffs, Justyn's bass locks tightly with Falkowsky's drum beats as we're all brought home on Sierra's vocals. Clearly, this song has to be the lead-off single for the album (at least in my opinion), because the minute a record label hears this, they'd have to be braindead not to sign these guys in a heartbeat. Brilliant. 

Track two is one of the tracks that helped Blaming Johnny build their initial following. "1158" starts with with a more mellow, more contemplative set of notes from Lembke, as Falkowsky slowly builds in with a more post-grunge style drum beat. Then Lippman sears away any doubt I might have had with a sweet progression that burns me from outside in. Love it. Justyn's bass, meanwhile, busies itself with providing the perfect ledge for Lembke's and Lippman's guitars to climb out on. Then the whole dynamic changes. We go from Alice in Chains to Evanescence in the blink of an eye as Sierra blasts in on a vocal line that could pull anyone from a static stupor. Though not pushing her voice to the same ranges as Amy Lee might, Sierra still dazzles my ears with her vocals, even as she opts for a lower key and lower range. What's the big surprise in this song, though? If the post-grunge, Evanescence sound didn't really appeal to you, no worries. For the last minute of the song, Blaming Johnny prove how versatile they really are, as amongst drum rolls from Falkowsky and pick-slides from Lippman and Lembke, they pull back to their reggae-rock, ska-punk sound before finishing the song with a true hard-rock finale.     

The third track on my set-list is "Pirate Party/Retrospekt," and from the recording of the first few seconds of the track, I feel like I should ready myself for something out of "Fiddler on the Roof" (for those of you who've never seen it, it's a great movie). Then Johnny moves to a more ska-rock sound as Falkowsky amps up his drums, and amid cymbal crashes, Lembke and Lippman fly in on ska notes and progressions as Justyn's bass pulls back a little, but still keeps time under the other guitars. Sierra's voice here is ska-rock, yes, but there also seems to be something deeper to it, as it takes on a darker tone than it had in "Part of the Club." This is a definite must-hear track on the album. Certainly not a filler track, and not one that anyone could call fluff. 

The last song I listen to is "Help Yourself." This song is fantastic, beginning on a sick guitar riff by Lembke before blasting into rampaging drum rolls and bass notes from Falkowsky and Justyn, respectively. Then Lippman enters, and his palm-mutes are just what the doctor ordered. Next to Lembke's awesome riffing, one of the things I love most about this song is when the guitars drain out and we're left with Justyn's bass notes. This guy must be understated all the time for being the bassist, but the fact remains that he knows his instrument, and he's damn good at it. Above all the organized confusion of Blaming Johnny's instrumental parts, Sierra's voice pours a sweet, tangy, sugar of vocal notes on to an already incredible song, This is truly amazing icing on an already incredible cake. Even if Sierra's vocals sucked, this song would still rock. But they don't, and because of that, this song is definitely my second favorite of the night, right after "Part of the Club." I could not have finished on a better track, and if these are only four songs for their album, I'd love to see what else Blaming Johnny have up their sleeves. Less Than Jake, No Doubt, move over, Blaming Johnny is here to claim the spotlight they truly have earned. 

Sounds Like: No Doubt, Less Than Jake, Mustard Plug, Evanescence

Key Tracks from The Yellow Album: "Part of the Club," "Help Yourself," "1158," "Pirate Party/Retrosepkt"

Check out Blaming Johnny more at: http://www.myspace.com/blamingjohnny and http://www.unsigned.com/blamingjohnny

And We'll Abandin All Hope

Sorry it's been a few days since my last post guys. It was a hard weekend. But never mind that now. I'm posting today to talk about a sick ska-punk/pop-punk band out of Canada.
Coming from Fort McMurray, Alberta, Abandin All Hope are a ska-punk four-piece with a hardcore sound and melodies that will make your ears bleed happiness. Comprising members Tyler Goudreau (vocals and guitar), Joey Delusong (guitar and vocals), Darren Ehler (bass and vocals), and Steve Crowe (drums), Abandin All Hope's album Victims of a Mockery was released at the beginning of last year, but is so amazing still, chock-full of ska beats and pop-punk melodies that blend hardcore and ska-punk influences seemlessly, that I had to write about it.
The first song I listen to from the album is "Lasso," a fast-paced track that begins with a hardcore guitar riff shared by Goudreau and Delusong. Soon Goudreau's voice is heard in a fierce sneer above the guitar track, and Ehler's bass lines crash in at the same time that Crowe starts to own the drums. The guitar in this song is brilliant. Every note works, planned perfectly. The drumming, also, is one of the highlights here. Crowe's chops are right where they need to be, with the intensity of a metal-head, but the precision of a progressive rocker. The song ends on Goudreau's roar mixing with his smoother vocals. Very different. Very original.
Then it's on to "Liars and Deceivers." This track is much more ska-influenced than the first, and it works brilliantly. Ehler's bass here can be heard in a very Nirvana-like fashion while Goudreau's vocals scream (pardon the pun) Less Than Jake, and Delusong's guitar clearly bleeds Sublime influences. Crowe's drumming here reminds me of LP's from Yellowcard. All around a great track that you just have to hear to understand.
"Pack All Your Shit" begins with an interesting guitar riff that seems metal-influenced to me, but soon we move away from metal and right to a pop-punk, Sum 41 sound with Goudreau's vocals fitting perfectly, while Crowe and Ehler are tightly locked and at the top of their game. Delusong, here, occupies himself with keeping the song moving with clean riffs and well spaced palm-mutes. Not a long song, or one with any sort of deep meaning. But still a great, fist-pumping song to get your blood moving.
The last track I treat myself to is "The One." Right from the beginning, Goudreau's vocals are melodic and strong. The other guys provide a great back for this. Next to Goudreau's guitar, Delusong lays down another pop-punk-influenced progression, while Ehler's bass is hard-notched in the background, and Crowe is going Keith Moon all over the drums. I like how the song slows down a little towards the middle, then picks up, and just shoots you right to the end. A great track that would be the perfect ending song for any set-list.

Sounds Like: Sublime, Less Than Jake, Sum 41, Amber Pacific

Key Tracks from Victims of a Mockery: "Lasso," "Liars and Deceivers," "The One," "Pack All Your Shit"

Check out Abandin All Hope more at: http://www.myspace.com/abandinallhope and http://www.unsigned.com/abandinallhope

All Night Long with Sunny Got Money

I've already done two posts today, but I guess it's just one of those goldmine days. I seriously needed to relax after having my ass chewed out by my college applications, and I needed some music that would put my mind at ease. These guys were recommended to me last night by a new friend, and an avid reader of my blog, and when I checked them out just a little while ago, I was shocked. I thought something this chilled out had to have a catch; either you have to listen to it a number of times for it to sound good, or you have to be high to really get it. Not with these guys. From the very first listen, I was hooked, and I'm not high at all.
Out of Miami, Florida, U.S.A., I give you Sunny Got Money, a smooth new reggae-rock group. This trio know their sound, and have fun experimenting with it, because they don't sound like anyone else in the genre. Now many people would shout Sublime once they heard them, and although I am a Sublime fan, these guys have their own unique take on the ska-punk/reggae-rock sound. Comprising Dave Sterling (guitar and vocals), Steven "Steve-O" Allen (bass and vocals), and Becca Sterling (drums and vocals), Sunny Got Money will spin you upsidedown-insideout (sorry Ricky Martin) with their slick new sound.
Beginning with the title track of their debut album All Night Long, I listen to a few songs, and I gotta say, I was hooked from track one. The track starts with a nice guitar riff intro by Dave, but quickly picks up into a chilled-out beat with Becca's smooth drum roll in. Steve-O keeps a nice motion with rhythmic notes on his bass. Something particularly great about this track is Becca's and Dave's co-mingling vocals. It's like a Sublime-esque sound with a vocal from each gender. And then later on in the song you can hear Steve-O lending his voice after a great interlude which rides on Dave's guitar riffing and Steve-O's bass lines.
Track two on my set-list is "Venemous," also clearly a drug-oriented song, but seemingly better for it lol. I personally love Dave's pick-slide in in the beginning of the song, and Becca's stop-start rhythm on the drums drives me nuts. But if I were to pick out something that just drives me into the stratosphere, it would have to be Dave's clearly metal-inspired guitar solo, building on the foundation set for him by Steve-O's pumping bass, and Becca's perfectly timed drums. Also, on this one as well, I love the male-female co-lead vocals.
Then it's on to "Sexy Games," also from the All Night Long. Here, I particularly love the way Dave's guitar melds with Becca's drumming. It seems minimalist in nature, almost Meg White-like, but the fact that she's not killing them like Keith Moon or John Bonham would just serves to further the chillaxed sound of the song. Definitely a song I'd love te hear by the pool on a hot summer day. It grooves, it relaxes, and I love it.
Now, although I'd love to sit here and spew about every track from the album that I listened to, like "Tonight" and "Pressure to Be Beautiful," I feel like it would serve you guys better to talk about a couple new tracks they've put up on their site. So the last track I'll review here is "Pakalolo," an as-of-yet unreleased track, but certainly one which will play a major role on their next album. Starting with a short recording about "menaces," SGM quickly move to a soft reggae sound, with Dave getting creative on his fret-work, and Steve-O keeping a good beat as Becca goes to town on the toms. Love the guitar solo in this one. Just something sweet you can sink your teethe into. Fantastic.

Sounds Like: Sublime, Less Than Jake, Mustard Plug, Bob Marley

Key Tracks from All Night Long and currently unreleased (respectively): "All Night Long," "Venemous," "Sexy Games," "Pakalolo"

Check out Sunny Got Money more at: http://www.myspace.com/sunnygotmoney