Occasionally every writer, critic or not, finds himself on some sort of literary mission. You know how it is. You feel you have to answer some challenge put before you, whether or not that challenge has actually been voiced. That is how I felt as I set about the task of reviewing the Groobees latest musical offering, "Buy One Get Eleven Free."

So, what is the challenge you may ask? To put it simply, the challenge is how one band, so obviously gifted, so absolutely entertaining, has failed to get regular airplay in a radio market that touts it's love for all things Americana. As I listened, over and over, to this new Groobees disc, I found myself coming to the realization that not only does this band fit in perfectly with the Americana format, but that they in fact span the entire spectrum of what is often labeled "Americana." There is a hint of blues here, a little flavor of rock there, a pinch of folk on this one, all blended in a tasty country based dish. And once you have partaken of this particular treat, I promise that you will not be able to resist going back for more.

The Groobees first came into existence in the unlikely music mecca of Amarillo in the early 1990's. At this time they were just another college alternative band, honing their chops playing whatever bookings they could land, ranging from venues featuring modern rock to those featuring classic rock. Originally the band consisted of Scott Melott on keyboards and supplying the vocals; Gary Thomason on guitar; Todd Hall on drums; and current band manager Michael Devers on bass. Bobby Shaffer soon replaced Devers, and the band set out to record it's first CD, which was never to see the light of day. By 1996, Susan Gibson, who had played duo gigs with Melott in the Amarillo area, joined up with the band, and the rest, as they say, is musical history.

Together this new configuration laid down the tracks that was soon to be the band's first CD, the independently released "Wayside". What followed as a result couldn't have been scripted any better. (Proof that real life is sometimes stranger than fiction). You see, "Wayside" was produced by none other than Lloyd(I have my finger in every pie)Maines and engineered by Fred(I live in Lloyd's shadow)Remmert. Lloyd has this daughter Natalie who sings in a band of her own, and he hipped her to one of the songs off of "Wayside", a little ditty entitled 'Wide Open Spaces'. The younger Maines recorded the song, penned by Gibson, on the her band's debut CD, also entitled "Wide Open Spaces". Well, you know the rest of the story, almost as well as you know the song. As a result of this fortuitous set of circumstances, the Groobees were all able to quit their day jobs and become full time musicians.

Here I feel it is important that I point out one thing about the Groobees I believe everyone ought to know, which is that this quintet is truly a band. Not just a band in the musical sense of the phrase, but a band in the sense of the word when used in the phrase "tight as a band of thieves." Consider this fact, while Gibson wrote the song 'Wide Open Spaces' before hooking up with the Groobees, everyone in the band shares in the profits the song reaps via their group owned song publishing company. And none of them would have it any other way, for as Gibson observes, being in a band with friends and enjoying what everyone brings to it is "part of the paycheck, that's for sure." As I have mentioned once before, this bunch are their own biggest proponents, and it is easy for anyone sitting in the audience at a Groobee show to not only sense this mind-set, but to become infected with it as well.

"Buy One Get Eleven Free" once again sees Maines and Remmert teamed up to do the production and engineering, and was recorded at Austin's Cedar Creek Studios, the scene of the legendary Wayside sessions five years earlier. However, contained within the digital confines of this particular CD is a musical treasure trove that Gibson confessed to me is, in her opinion, their best offering yet. I am inclined to agree.

The album opens with 'Let's Go Out Tonight', a catchy tune that touches on a topic that affects every life at one time or another, taking a relationship for granted. I identified with this song the first time I heard it, because, a) I am not a dancer, and b) there was period of our relationship where my wife and I knew that we were falling in a rut, and that we had to do something to kickstart our romance. Therefore, it is not unusual these days for me to look at her and mutter these exact words, "I've got some money, let's go out tonight."

'Cloud Nine' is exactly what the title implies, a feel good song about a new relationship. Gibson shares that she, "usually waits until the end of a relationship to begin writing about itbut this time I actually got in on the good part."

A conversation between Mellot, Gibson, and Thomason about marriage led to the rocking, tongue in cheek 'Down in Flames'. When asked how he knew he was ready to take the big plunge, Thomason responded with "sometimes you find what you're not looking for," and that line formed the nexus of the song.

This is just one small example of how the Groobees feed off of each other. Not only do they have to look no further than their own lot to find the material to weave their songs from, but they also depend upon each other's musical diversity to help breathe life into each of the tracks.

'My Best Feature' is the by-product of another failed relationship. However, this time Gibson takes a more humorous approach as she tries to figure out how anybody could pass on such an obviously good catch.

You know I can't cook, clean or sew,
I can't treat you like a woman could.
But I can make a pair of cutoff shorts,
Or make your Ramen noodles taste real good.

This is typical of that Groobee sensibility that makes them such crowd pleasers. They have the ability to face adversity and come out of it with a smile. None of the band members seem the lease bit afraid to laugh at themselves, or at each other. Case in point would be the next track, 'Ballad of an Opening Band'. This song plays on the cumulative experiences of life on the road, and does it with style and humor.

'Ballad' is one of those been there, done that, created the t-shirt stories. It tells of the rough life that many musicians face, last minute calls for gigs that are 400 miles away where a band will be on stage for 30 minutes to an hour in an effort to gain a little exposure, all the while knowing that the headliner is the real reason the audience is there. The Groobees may be able to laugh this off now, having paid their dues, but it is obvious that they have learned well from these experiences. I noticed at the Poor David's show that not only did they not rush their lead on act off the stage, but they also treated her with respect, announcing onstage that she in fact had a CD available as opposed to merely hawking their own merchandise.

'Two Hometowns' is Gibson's personal reflection on her youth, where her family migrated with the seasons from one home to the other.

Once again drawing on the road experience, 'Perfect World' takes the approach that no matter how long the hours, how tough the crowd, how low the pay, or how high the taxes, they are truly fortunate, as Gibson puts it, "to be making a living in the circus." This song is not only upbeat in spirit, but in tempo as well, and features excellent performances by Melott on accordion and Thomason on guitar. In short, it is one of those "how can you help but like it" numbers.

Returning to the road once more as the source for inspiration, 'Cheap Trucker Speed' pays homage to the over the counter drug, ephedrine. It tells the true story of how band manager Mike Devers managed to put in long hours behind the wheel of his suburban driving the band across country to gigs. This song is pure country, no ifs, ands or buts, and when I first listened to it I couldn't help but think how perfectly it would provide a little humor to one local disc jockey's infamous "trucking montages."

'The Last Word' and 'Sorry, Jack' are some more of Gibson's insights into relationships. The latter of the two is a story from the "strong woman" point of view, and features some really strong performances by not only the band, but by guests Guy Forsyth on harmonica and Jeff Plankenhorn of Ray Wylie Hubbard's band on dobro. I was taken both lyrically and musically by this track from the get go, and was I pressed for a favorite track from this CD, this one would certainly be in the running. It captures the energy of a live Groobees performance, and proves how strong the band is as musicians and vocalists.

'Walls Come Down' is a collaborative effort with Melott writing the music while Gibson penned the lyrics. This, and 'You Came Along' are two very pretty melodies, and once again demonstrate the depth of this band.

'Old Boyfriend's Things' is another "relationship" song, which features some excellent slide guitar work by Thomason.

'George and Lucille', Melott says, is the true story of his grandparents. He tells us that it was written in about eight minutes on a new guitar, which I find amazing, since I have spent many hours of my life trying to write a song that is so stark in its simplicity and so impressive in its telling. It also features some stunning fiddle work by Richard Bowden. What a great ending to an even greater collection of songs!

"Buy One Get Eleven Free" could have very easily been a live recording, as the essence of a Groobees show is contained within its tracks. Herein you can hear the talent of each musician, experience the superb blending of vocals, and witness the wide diversity of musical styles and influences that has led drummer Hall to observe; "Our music is a lot like the weather in Amarillo. If you don't like the song that you are hearing, just wait another two or three songs and you'll probably hear something that you like." There isn't a single weak track on this album, so for me, the weather is great!

The Groobees scored a top ten standing on the Gavin Americana chart with their last release without the benefit of any radio airplay in one of the biggest Americana markets, DFW. This serves as testament to the talent of this band, or to the short sightedness of radio programmers in this area, or both. If "Buy One Get Eleven Free" is, as Gibson has testified, the Groobees strongest offering to date, maybe it will just be the release that gets them the much sought after airplay, which will most certainly win them a new legion of fans and garner accolades for the program director of the station who has the vision to play it.

You can contact Scott Snidow at: scott@rockzilla.net

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