CD Review: The Crazy Squeeze

The 13 songs on The Crazy Squeeze self-titled debut CD (Vinyl Dog) are pure and rowdy rock ‘n’ roll  This L.A. band blasts its way through  a blend of glam and punk, alternatively drawing inspiration from Eddie and the Hot Rods, the New York Dolls, Mott the Hoople and the Boys.

Boozy rockers like Little Girl, All Lies and Outta My Head are on tap here from start to finish. Younger Girl and C’mon and Dance bring to mind the buoyant pop sounds of ‘60s AM radio hits. Every song on this CD is a winner, right down to covers of the Boys' Terminal Love and Cock Sparrer’s I Need a Witness For great glampunk songs with swagger & personality, check out The Crazy Squeeze.

The lineup: Johnny Witmer (Stitches, guitars/vocals), Frankie Delmane (ex-Teenage Frames, guitar/vocals) Johnny Sleeper (ex-Superbees, drums/vocals)  Bass on the album provided by Chris B – the current live band features Dat Ngo on bass.

The Crazy Squeeze is also available on vinyl from Wanda Records (Germany) and Vinyl Dog (U.S.)

Order CD here

EP Review: Adam Bones: Feel for Tomorrow

Adam Bones’ EP Feel for Tomorrow packs all the promise of his energetic stage shows into five tunes that will keep you shakin’ to the beat. Bones, a Chicago native who is currently based in Hollywood, infuses his songs a harder, grungier sound than many so-called “power-pop” artists. His guitar takes center stage, turning each song into a finely-crafted mix of pop hooks and memorable riffs. Feel for Tomorrow begins on a tender, melodic note and then soars into guitar-heavy rock anthem territory. I Had You packs killer guitar riffs and gritty, baritone vocals make into 3 minutes and 55 seconds of pure musical energy. The song has such an upbeat, Romantics circa 1980 feel, I just wanted it to keep going…and going and going, sort of like the Energizer bunny.

Feel for Tomorrow is authentic rock ‘n’ roll that everyone can love; it’s good solid, foot-stomping fun. Some of the songs remind me a bit of fellow Chicagoans Urge Overkill, but then there’s the bluesy, hard rock approach of How Hard I Needed You.  If we still lived in the good ‘ole rock radio days, DJs would say that Bones’ music has crossover potential. He’s playing a Tuesday night residency at the Redwood Bar in downtown L.A. this month, and he’s played gigs with Sylvain Sylvain, Ari Shine, the Wellingtons and Chris Shiflett of the Foo Fighters.

You can download Feel for Tomorrow at Bandcamp