L'Assassins - S/T 7"

Another piece of vinyl beauty I got in the mail and before the official release date no less.   A reward for that 200 yard walk down my driveway to my mailbox.  Here' what they have to say...

All-girl 60s, surf, punk rock'n'roll!!! These gals have been playing around Minneapolis for the last year catching the attention of garage fans locally, including your's truly. So I was beyond excited when they approached me about putting out a record. It really was about time they released an injection of their Joan Chuck Berry Jett meets The Rollingstones laced jams on a hot slab of 7" wax for the rest of you. Spring/Summer Midwest tour in the works and a new video soon!

Web Link to L'Assassins Tunes/Bio: www.bigactionrecords.net/LAssassins.html

Line up:

Tea Ann Simpson - Vocals

Monet Wong - Guitar/Vocals

Ariel Dornbush - Bass Vocals

Angela Clark - Drums/Vocals

For fans of:The God Damn Do Whop Band, Joan Jett, Surf, Rock'n'RollFormat : 7" 45 Release date: 4/1/12

Contact: Zabby

www.bigactionrecords.net

915 Scheffer Ave

Saint Paul, MN

55102 USA

(651) 334-1980

From the get go L'Assassins kick ass.  All three songs shred on this puppy and as happens sometimes with the shortness of the 7" format, you are left wanting more.  They're pretty much as described, surf with that punk snottiness standing on a rockabilly foundation.  If I was Zabby, handling their stuff, I'd send a copy to Quentin Tarrantino, as any one of these tunes could easily be in a soundtrack to one of his flicks.  The fat guitar sound makes me wish I had better speakers on my computer, but when I spun it on the turntable using the my stereo's speakers I was impressed by that and the nice bass sound (maybe I have the bass turned up to high though).  I like the vocalist, a little edge in her voice.  On the tune I've included the singer sounds a lot like Wendy O. Williams of the Plasmatics, and as such really lends itself to the punk sound.  You can listen to all three tunes at their website above, but I like to have a little something here as well...my favorite of the three, makes you want to dance the "jerk"...

7pm

...a vid from their first ever show, great stuff... [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlxdnCOZt0w&w=640&h=360]

Matt Ebert

Got quite the package in the mail the other day, 3 CDs and an LP from a guy named Matt Ebert, we had messaged back and forth a little bit via email. Here's what he had to say... "Hello Mustard Relics.  My name is Matt Ebert. I'm an independent musician outta ATL.  I was checkin out your site and thought you might enjoy my music.  Its kind of a fusion of all kinda music..jazz, blues, punk, funk..ect.  Anyways I saw that you dug all kinda music and thought you'd enjoy my new record.  Its a vinyl release(cd included) and I was wondering if i could send it to ya. Got some of the new tracks up on FB, Mattebertmusic. I was readin the mustard relic for an hour or so when i thought "I bet this guy'd like my stuff". No, I don't play everything but i write it all.  I know some bad ass musicians so i manipulate them for a better sound. I'll send ya my latest deal and my last couple of cds.  They're all fucked up little jazz fusion/funk/bluesy whatever kinda records.  You'll dig 1 er 2 of em....maybe." So I already like the guy, just because he took the time to hang around my place for a while, even though in these impersonal interent times, he could be a serial killer. Serial killer or not, this guy is as serious as a knife to the eyeball as far as creating good music. If you don't believe me, go check out Hanging Sounds and Ripple Music (this review makes for a REALLY good read and if I was a bastard, which I am, I would just cut and paste his words here), they know what's up. So if you read that, what am I going to say? When I listened to Matt's stuff before reading anything or getting the music in the mail, the first thing I thought of was Mr. Zappa. Like Frank, Matt is a very talented musician, writter and arranger, but on top of that, again like Frank, he has the sense of mind to surround himself with some top notch musicians (or is that in Atlanta these high caliber musicians are a dime a dozen, I don't know). Matt pretty much describes his music perfectly as "jazz, blues, punk, funk..ect". In my burnt out mind I will oversimplify it and say that it's just plain old fun, easy on the ears, groovy. Matt's vocals have some serious feeling, so maybe it's not cool to call them fun, maybe deep is a better word. There's quite a few musicians that play on these three records, but one thing they do is nail the groove. The quality of the production is incredible especially when you consider that these are all DIY, self released projects. I'm surprised he isn't sign to at least a minor label. I went ahead and ripped/labeled some of my favorite tunes, all three records are equally good, but as with most musicians, the earlier you go the rawer you get...

"Hard Work" (2011)  One of the reasons I prefer to get "hard copies" of the music I review (other than the fact that I am a music hoarder), is the artwork (this is my favorite artwork-wise of the three releases).  In the age of digital only releases, there's something missing when you can't physically hold the whole thing in your hand or slap the vinyl on the turntable.  Obviously Matt's newest release, and probably the most polished.  This first tune reminds me of the Beastie Boys when they have their groove on and are playing live instruments...

Ain't Never

...and a Sabbath cover?  Yes and captures the soul of the original but done in an Ebert-esque way...

Hand of Doom

"Snakes & Tornadoes" (2009) The horns really stand out on this album more than the others, not sure why.  This first tune starts art very Tom Waits-y (not just the gruff vocals) and then takes on a whole other flavor...

Time (Don't Waste Mine)

...hardcore vibe with horns and even a noodly quick guitar solo...

I'm Hip

...new territory as far as being digable for me, this one is probably the most pop/hip hop tune of all...

Do It

...maybe my favorite of the lot, distorted blue grass, country, slide guitar, kin to a band I've posted around here called Los Duggans...

House Carpenter

"R&Bewilderment" (2007)  The earliest of the three, this one could be thought of as the roots of the Ebert experience. Fuzzy funky with the Mowtown backup singers

Sweet Nothing

Can you say catchy as fuck ("Bang Bang"), Hendrix guitar and real heavy on the bass...

The Top of Gainsville (Bang Bang)

...this one is just cool, acapella, air guitar, beat box...

Raymond

...and on the CD it breaks right into this Zepplin cover on heroin...

Communication Breakdown

The website is obviously under construction, but my source says a guy who is not a lazy stoner is on it now, so it may blow up soon, check it...

www.ebertmusic.com

Wilhelmina W. Witchiepoo

Stay tuned (always wanted to say that) for reviews of some pretty killer submissions from the likes of L'Assassins, Nonagon and Matt Ebert. For now, I had to get this off my chest... I mentioned Witchiepoo in the last post...anyone else watch H. R. Pufnstuf back in the 70s (channel 5, KTLA in Los Angeles or was it channel 13, KCOP)?  Some pretty nutty stuff, that could only have come out of the 70's (only 1969-70 to be exact), Barney has nothing compared to that, in fact nobody has nothing on that show (except, of course other Sid and Marty Kroft creations).  Sid and Marty Kroft were "visionaries", as my buddy Phil put it.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBFYYRyDPBs&w=420&h=315]

A cover of that tune believe it or not... [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aq55JTd4A8&w=790&h=593]

Got that tune from the "Saturday Morning Cartoons Greatest Hits" featuring some pretty killer bands doing covers of a lot of stuff that is almost subliminal to me. I got it from here. Trip on the Buttholes doing the ever incredible Underdog theme song... [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDVLiuto5Ec&w=790&h=527]