Situations, Situations...

Dave Getzoff, America’s most beloved punk rock D.J., is three-quarters of Tricky Situations. He plays guitar and bass. He sings lead. Legend has it he even bought himself a cowbell in preparation for an epic cover of “Gimme Danger”. Much like other virtuoso multi-instrumentalists such as Prince and Greg Mongroll (who, it turns out, are 12^th cousins twice removed as evidenced by matching purple pinky rings), Dave has begun preparations to have himself cloned in order to facilitate live performances. For now, it will have to suffice to enjoy Tricky Situations as a “studio project”. Recorded this summer with drummer Graham Diguiseppi and producer Cedric Crouch (a veritable legend in southeastern Pennsylvanian punk circles), TS’s six tracks are predictably forged in the old school punk style (You didn’t expect party rap music from Dave, did you?). Sounding quite a bit like the early Dimestore Haloes, Tricky Situations take inspiration from everyone from Johnny Thunders to The Ramones to Slaughter and the Dogs (I’ll give you a donut if you can tell me where they got their band name from!). Simple, no-frills punk tunes like “On My Mind” and “Under the El” ought to find favor with long-running readers of mine or anyone else who enjoyed the ‘90s renaissance of ’77 punk. Although the songs are quite raw, this “digital EP” of sorts is great fun and delightfully devoid of any “modern” influences whatsoever. All in all, damn cool! For sure: you can still do a lot with three chords and some tasty guitar hooks!

- L.R.

http://www.reverbnation.com/trickysituations
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shout-Above-the-Noise-Radio-Show/108655459152792