Big Trouble - 20 Years And A Million Beers Ago: The Very Best Of Big Trouble

Big Trouble - 20 Years And A Million Beers Ago: The Very Best Of Big Trouble
2011, Retrospect Records

Popular music is often about being in the right place at the right time.  This lesson was not lost on James Schmitt, Mike Wilkes, Dan Call (The Villains) and Chuck Strawhand, who bands, Big Trouble, were the darlings of the heavy rock scene in Atlanta in the early 1990's.  Opening for bands such as Skid Row, Jackyl and Extreme, Big Trouble built a large following and looked to be on their way to the heights of the rock world.  Then a little song called "Smells Like Teen Spirit" took over the radio.  Grunge was here to stay, and hair metal was a thing of the past, soon relegated to retrospectives by a new generation of rock fans.  Two decades on, all four members of Big Trouble are making music in various capacities, but thought it would be neat to dust off the old masters and see what they had.  The result is 20 Years And A Million Beers Ago, a collection of eleven studio and three live tracks from the band's heyday, and one newly recorded track that looks back on it all with a decidedly different sound.  20 Years... is due out on May 10, 2011.

20 Years... opens with "No Stopping Now", featuring the big guitar sound and full frontal vocals characteristic of 1980's hair metal.  The band rocks out in grand fashion, although the vocals are a bit weak.  There's a fair amount of formulaic material here that fits well into the era but fails to stand out.  "Way Out" is an exception, sounding like a wayward cross of Poison and Van Halen.  Released five years earlier on a major label, this song would have been a huge hit for the band.  Big Trouble shows its chops on power ballads with "Accidental Angel", which would have been a favorite at junior high dances in the late 1980's.  "Lost In Your Love" takes another crack at the power ballad style, but with a bit less success.  Big Trouble revives such fan favorites as "You Might Get Lucky", "Now You See Me", "Hot Shot" and "Seeing Is Believing" along the way.  The band closes with a new track, "Popcorn, Whiskey and Beer".  This is a huge sonic departure, more of an alt-country number that reflects musical growth and change in the individual members over the last two decades.  It's an ode to glory days and the sustenance of the time.

Big Trouble includes, as a bonus, three live songs.  "Candyland" is a pleasant surprise, sounding radio ready for the day and perhaps even now.  "Life Rolls By" reflects the other end of the spectrum, with vocals that just don't sound up to par.  The band's cover of Van Halen's "Somebody Get Me A Doctor" is middle of the road, but buoyed by a wealth of enthusiasm.

Sometimes it's best to let the past stay buried; others it's hard to know which way to go.  Big Trouble fits into the latter category.  There's certainly some material here that stands the test of time, but without label backing and mired in 1980's technology, 20 Years... reflects a band good enough to open for some of the big boys of rock n roll on a local basis, but never quite accomplished enough to make it themselves.  20 Years... will be a great bit of nostalgia for folks who perhaps saw the band play in the early 1990's, but won't build a significant second life for a band whose members have all moved on.

Rating: 2.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Big Trouble at www.reverbnation.com/bigtrouble1990.  20 Years And A Million Beers Ago: The Very Best Of Big Trouble drops on May 10, 2011.  You can get the album now from Amazon.com as a Download.  Keep checking for availability on CD if that's your thing.

Modern Paranoia - I'm A Bird [EP]

Modern Paranoia - I'm A Bird [EP]
2010, Madison Records

Atlanta rockers Modern Paranoia bring their auspicious blend of punk, new wave and alternative rock n roll on the 5-track EP I'm A Bird.  Under the guiding hand of producer Dallas Austin, Modern Paranoia shines through their musical diversity, blending sounds and styles in subtle-yet-pervasive fashion.

I'm A Bird opens with the title track.  "I'm A Bird" is a catchy alt-rock number featuring the soulful vocals of Quinton "Q" Tolbert.  The energy here is incredible, pointing to the roof-raising potential of the band's live shows.  The lyrics aren't terribly well developed, but the music is danceable and the chorus will pick you up and carry you along.  "I Know" is formulaic alt-rock  with a big, catchy, guitar-driven chorus.  "Geno" is a solid album track that stands out for its vocal harmonies.  "Love" is a great high energy tune with a chorus that really rocks.    There's a 1970's classic rock feel to this number but with a modern twist.  The guitar work on this track is very reminiscent of Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme).  "Lake Song" is dark, melodic art-rock.  It's a bit convoluted and bloated musically, but represents a willingness to take creative risks.

Modern Paranoia is band still developing its sound and sense of style.  I'm A Bird shows a group of artists with distinctive talent, and a willingness to break down walls that get in the way.  The EP plays to the commercial aspects of the music business without giving over the musical motivations of the Modern Paranoia to the proverbial devil, but also explores the outer bounds of their creative limits searching for new avenues of expression.  It's a brave and intriguing effort that pays dividends in the moment, and may pay even more in the long run.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Modern Paranoia at www.modernparanoia.com or www.myspace.com/modernparanoia.  I'm A Bird is available from Amazon.com as a CD or Download.  The single is also available via iTunes.

Phil Ayoub - Arrivals And Departures

Phil Ayoub - Arrivals And Departures
2010, Phil Ayoub

Boston-based singer/songwriter Phil Ayoub created a lot of buzz with his last album, Schoolbus Window Paper Heart, earning airplay on over sixty radio stations across the US and playing live shows from coast to coast. With a mild musical manner but an intensely infectious joy in his craft, Ayoub tells unvarnished stories in often mellow but moving musical arrangements that get under your skin. Ayoub's latest album, Arrivals and Departures picks up with he left off. Filled with 14 songs of finely crafted singer/songwriter tunes that run the gamut from Americana to folk to rock n roll, Arrivals And Departures features several songs that could help Ayoub make the jump to the next level of name recognition. Arrivals And Departures was primarily written while traveling, often while waiting in airports for a flight. The album is produced by Tim Bradshaw (John Mayer, David Gray) and features drum work from Kevin Figueiredo (Extreme).

Ayoub kicks things off with "The Bearded Lady", comparing the draw of an unhealthy relationship with that of a circus act; a situation where you can't look but you can't look away. This is delivered in a very catchy Americana arrangement laced with the sort of pop hooks that capture music directors' imaginations. "Get Out (Live A Little, Love A Lot)" is all about living life to the fullest. Ayoub wraps this tune in an irresistible piece of music you can't help but love. It's easy to see how "Get Out" could become a fan/concert favorite; the song is ripe for treatment as a single and has potential licensing opportunities that seem limitless (particularly in the health lifestyle category). "Flowers At Work" shows Ayoub's romantic side; express as a penchant for kitschy little love songs that have a Paul McCartney flair. The song also shows Ayoub's ability to craft gently perfect arrangements that put the listener instantly at ease and draw you into whatever story he's telling.

Ayoub has a bit of fun with "Body Language", a catchy tune about methods of communication that (usually) need no common language. "Bad Habits" is a tongue-in-cheek rocker that engages in a bit of post-adolescent bravado in a message to all of the ladies listening. It's another tune that keeps a mellow mood but simultaneously delivers a catchy melody you can't quite escape. Things get a little darker on "Goodnight Romeo", a song about dealing with the loss of a loved one by sinking into one's darker, self-destructive tendencies. There's a desperate feel to this song that is palpable as Ayoub delivers this vignette on emotional pain in the mild, unflinching tones of the deeply depressed. At the same time it's a pretty melody, and the song is imbued with a lively energy that somehow avoids being at odds with the subject matter.

"Tara's Birthday" is a musical cat scan of sorts, looking at slices of one woman's life as seen through her own eyes on various birthdays. The song is incredibly charming with a sort of detached melancholy as it tells the story of an eternally single woman as she tries to come to terms with who she is. It's incredibly well written and ultimately tuneful. "Walk You Home" is a sweet, uncomplicated love song with a pretty melody and a low-key approach that sets the stage for the album's best track. "32 Memory Lane" might have Paul McCartney's lawyers checking his song list to make sure Ayoub didn't somehow lift this track from the archives. Catchy, quirky and sweet;”32 Memory Lane" is among Ayoub's best songwriting and is guaranteed to be rattling around inside your brain for weeks.

Phil Ayoub keeps impressing people. Whether fronting his former band Riverside Train or as a solo artist, Ayoub doesn't seem like the consummate front man. His easy going style would seem at odds with the dynamics of a rock n roll star, but Ayoub delivers each song with a quiet internal intensity that brings the moments, places and people he tells about to life before your eyes. Add to that a penchant for creating melodies and arrangements that captivate the mind and you have a distinctive recipe for success. Arrivals And Departures perhaps doesn't hit on every song, but the material that hits home is so well crafted and performed you won't want to put the album down. Arrivals And Departures is an essential album from an artist who is only getting better and better with time.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Phil Ayoub at http://www.philayoub.com/ or www.myspace.com/philayoub.  Arrivals And Departures is available as a CD or Download from Amazon.com.  The album is also available digitally from iTunes.

Serial Thrillers - F5

Serial Thrillers - F5
2010, Serial Thrillers

Boston is home to Serial Thrillers, a duo comprised of singer/songwriter Paul Ortolano and drummer Stephen Clements. The two have played together for years, sharing stages with acts such as Kings X, Godsmack, The Tubes, Warrant and Extreme. They also spent some time on tour with Dale Bozzio and Missing Persons. With both regional and national exposure, the Serial Thrillers have reached that point where the right song or album could catapult them fully into the national scene. Serial Thrillers may have found what they’re looking for in their latest EP, F5.

F5 opens with the catchy rock n roll of "Ordinary Days", complete with big chorus and a danceable rock beat. The pop sensibility and melodic sense of Serial Thrillers is top notch on this tune, and while "Ordinary Days" doesn't clearly fit the sort of fare commercial radio typically embraces, it's hard to imagine this song not getting some serious attention on that level. "The Floppy Swing" starts a bit slow, but by the time you get to the chorus you hear the same pop/rock sense that drove "Ordinary Days". Serial Thrillers get into a somewhat more jangly guitar sound on "You Can Say Anything" in an upbeat rocker that's infectiously catchy. Once again, Serial Thrillers are perhaps a bit off the beaten pop/rock path, but it's hard to imagine this song not getting serious attention from commercial radio. In fact, the band might be just different enough to catch on in a big way. "It Comes To You" is the obligatory power ballad, although it's actually quite a bit better than the usual fare. F5 winds down with "Yeah Okay"; an angular pop/rock tune that's light and easy fare but highly danceable and a lot of fun to listen to.

Serial Thrillers have a sound that's just waiting for the right audience. The band plays decidedly edgy rock music with real pop charm and a strong melodic sense. This whole music business is highly fickle, and it's impossible to predict success, but if the lords of musical judgment haven't lost their minds, Serial Thrillers are going to be huge one day. If rock n roll has a future in the post-genre world, then it rests firmly (and safely) in the hands of bands like Serial Thrillers.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Serial Thrillers at http://www.serial-thrillers.com/ or www.myspace.com/serialthrillers. F5 is available as either a CD or Download through the Serial Thrillers' web store.