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The
Martha's Vineyard Times is a weekly publication.
May 5 - May 11, 2005 Edition
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Music New sounds from two directions May 5, 2005 By Julian Wise A pair of Island bands will celebrate the completion of their latest recording projects with CD release parties this weekend. The Mercy Beat, led by prolific singer/songwriter “Rock and Roll” Rick Padilla, throws down the gauntlet with their latest disc, “Thank God You Don't Suck,” defiantly challenging listeners to say otherwise. The disc is primarily a collection of demos captured in a raw, unvarnished style that traverse the musical landscape from full-throated rockers to haunting guitar-driven ballads. On the opening track, “The Moment,” shimmering guitars chime over an anthemic melody as Mr. Padilla sings, “No moment is fixed in time, nobody dies tonight.” “The Scorpion” blends clean verses and fuzzed-out choruses as the lyrics describe that venerable staple of rock songs, the Wicked Woman. The live track “Surfslut” suggests Dick Dale on acid as Mr. Padilla and the band (Alain Lucas on bass, Mike Allen on guitar, J.B. Lamont on drums) attack the song with full-throated vigor. “Waitress of Love (Live)” proves that the band can do melodic, hook-filled rock as they craft a Pixies-meets-U2 sound, while the trippy “Space Cat” suggests an amalgam of The Stray Cats and Wall of Voodoo. “Lucy,” perhaps the best track on the disc, fuses lonely, echoing guitar tones with plaintive vocals that evoke Texas nights. With the melodic choruses and a vocal delivery that suggests a fusion of Bryan Ferry and Chris Isaak, the song hits its stride with the lyrics, “Every time I look at you, every time, everything comes crashing down.” With “Thank God You Don't Suck,” The Mercy Beat continue to prove themselves rock and roll sluggers who stay in the musical ring with tenacity. High bluegrass Judd Fuller and the Refill's “Grocery Store Roses” is a formidable stab at the bluegrass High Lonesome sound, a genre replete with Appalachian twang, banjo picking, and mandolin strumming. The 12 tracks on the disc cover the roadmap of heartbreak, lost love, and stiff drinking, guided along by Mr. Fuller's easy voice and fine array of accompanying musicians (Dick Neal, Liam Bailey, Jimmy Ryan, Tauras Biskis, Mike Benjamin, Larry Deming). If you want to sooth your ears from blues and rock without sacrificing the spirit and vitality of lively music, “Grocery Store Roses” will fit the bill. The disc begins with “Wicked Side Of Love,” a song whose twangy vocals and mix of guitar, banjo, and mandolin give it a straight-from-the-hollows feel. Mr. Fuller sets the tone for the album with the lyrics, “I thought you were an angel, sent from above, but you burned me with the wicked side of love.” “Striker's Song,” a pensive ballad about a swordfisherman in the twilight of the harpoon era, creates an intriguing fusion of Americana and maritime music. Mr. Fuller does an apt rendition of Peter Wolf's “Some Things You Don't Want To Know,” crafting it as a mandolin-flavored waltz as he sings, “there's some things we never should say, it ain't worth the price that we pay.” Mr. Fuller and his musicians nail the High Lonesome bluegrass sound on “Howlin' For You,” which features an impressive bit of fleet-fingered banjo picking. The whimsically titled “When Elves Attack” is a toe-kicking, heel-kicking, melodic instrumental, while “Grocery Store Roses” is a soulful duet between Mr. Fuller and Dana Radford that confirms Ms. Radford as a heavyweight vocal talent across multiple genres. “P.O.P.D” (“The Power Of Positive Drinking”) is a genuine floor stomper that stirs up a tenacious fiddle-and-bass groove. The tongue-in-cheek ode to distilled spirits features the lyrics “Well some say this drinking is a real bad thing, and my poor aching head sure knows it's true/but when you start tugging at my memory strings, the devil says do anything to forget you.” Judd Fuller has built a reputation as a versatile musician who can do justice to numerous styles of music. With “Grocery Store Roses,” he can add bluegrass and country to the genres his talents have left their mark on. Judd Fuller and the Refills perform at Offshore Ale on May 6 and Mercy Beat performs at the Ritz on May 7. Both in Oak Bluffs. Julian Wise is a frequent contributor to The Times, specializing in music, film, and the performing arts. |
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