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HEY KIDS! Do you like that rock
& roll music? Like that southern rock? A little light runnin'
blues? Like that slide guitar? A little boogie? Well? If so,
Houston's The Guzzlers have got you covered. Their new CD, "All
Alone In Texas", is all the above and the proverbial bag
o' chips.
The Guzzlers, Wildeman on lead vocals and "Baroque yodeling",
Buddy Costello on bass and vocals, Sgt. Rock on drums and vocals,
and Wally Gator on guitar and vocals, have put together an album
of varied tunes that is actually fun to listen to, and that's
kind of a rarity these days. These guys are having a ball and
it comes through on the recording. They've been blessed with
that special gift of not taking yourself too seriously. On "Everybody's
Band", Wildeman sings:
"We got no sponsorship. People say we're hip. Playin'
one night stands, we're everybody's house band."
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I first heard of The Guzzlers when I began receiving crank
e-mail message from Wildeman. He eventually shared with me the
fact that The Guzzlers' greatest ambition in life was to have
the first rock & roll album to be reviewed by Rockzilla.
Well boys. Congratulations.
When I found the disc in the Rockzillaworld mailbox, I really
didn't know what to expect. I was immediately disappointed when
I saw that, like many misguided bands, The Guzzlers had failed
to put a high quality photograph on their CD cover.
The disc opens with the sound of a beer being opened and then
Wildeman says, "OK, boys. Let's light 'em up." That's
followed by three solid rockers and then they slow it down a
little with the bluesy "Walk All Over You", which features
"Oohs...by The World Renowned 500 Pounds of Harmony".
A couple more solid rockers, then they slow it down again with
a really cool sounding love song, "When I Hold You".
Then there's "Key Lime Boogie" followed by, surprise,
a drinkin' tune, "Let's Slug One Down". This is a pretty
damned good band! Wildeman's got a cool sounding semi-growl voice
and the rhythm section, Sgt. Rock and Buddy Costello are very
solid. Wally Gator is a fine guitar player, especially when he
slips that slide onto his finger.
The last tune is my favorite. "Papa Gayo's Jukebox Record"
starts with the sound of a needle being dragged across a record.
It's a blues tune with Wildeman on vocals and Wally playing some
very cool acoustic slide guitar. The hiss of a phonograph record
is heard throughout the song, giving it the feel of listening
to an old 78. The song ends with the needle scratch again. Very
cool.
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There's not a "punch out" tune on the disc. You
know. One of those tunes that when you hear it on the radio,
you instinctively reach for that button, and move on down the
dial.
They didn't set out to cure cancer or to push any political
crap on you. The guzzlers have just put together an album of
ten tunes that'll have you feeling better by the time you get
to that bonus track - the first stereophonic beer can crushing
ever recorded, or at least the first one I've ever heard.
Wildeman had invited me to come down for the October 13th
CD release party at The Firehouse, but my work schedule kept
me from making the trip. I'm sure I t missed a hell of a party.
The Guzzlers bill themselves as a "party band', and I'll
bet you they can throw down.
Be sure to check out their web site at:
www.guzzlers.net
You can contact Rockzilla at:
rockzilla-at-rockzilla.net
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