Johnny Jetson - Make Your Move

Johnny Jetson is a glam rock lifer whose musical career has spanned several decades and taken him from New York City to L.A. to Minneapolis. He was in Space Age Playboys back in the '90s, Tattooed Millionaires in the 2000s, and now plays in the Speed City Vipers. He's released a terrific new solo record called Make Your Move - which is available now in digital form from Minnie-Apple Records. What I love about this record is that it captures the essence of Johnny Jetson. It's an over-the-top and fully unapologetic glam rock and roll record - rooted in a great love for everyone from the New York Dolls to T. Rex to Alice Cooper to KISS to Cheap Trick to the bad boys of the Sunset Strip. As '90s/2000s mainstream rock moved away from the hooky tunes and dumb fun of the rock and roll of yore, Johnny Jetson remained a true believer in the old ways. And he's still at it today! The man's on a mission, and it's no accident that the phrases "rock" and "rock and roll" are invoked on several of these song titles. Johnny Jetson is still keeping the faith for real rock and roll like you used to hear on the radio in the '70s and '80s. "Love Me For My Car" rides a timeless Marc Bolan groove straight into that head space where only the catchiest tunes latch onto you. "Hang Around With You" has the bluster of sleaze rock and the heart of pure pop. I heard the opening riffs to "Miss Devious" and half-expected Joan Jett to start singing. "I Believe In Rock And Roll" is a full-on mission statement. If it comes off corny, I would say that's an entirely good thing. Sometimes rock and roll is the only thing we have to believe in, and it never lets us down.

Johnny Jetson is no way inclined to "adapt" for modern times. He's gonna play his kind of music until the day he dies, and he's gonna do it with style and unceasing enthusiasm. From the quintessential hard rock trash of "Knocked Out" to the bubblegum glam of the title track, Make Your Move is all about big guitars, big hooks, and lyrics that unflinchingly embrace the silly cliches and tongue-in-cheek sleaziness that once made rock so great. It seems to me that a song called "Mouth Made For Rock N Roll" is precisely what the world needs at the moment. But while the attitude is commendable, Jetson's talent for writing catchy, hard-rocking tunes of considerable quality should not be overlooked. This album makes me wanna grow out my hair, stay up past my bedtime, and play my records so loud that the neighbors want to fight me. What am I waiting for?!

  
-L.R.

https://minnieapplerecords.bandcamp.com/album/make-your-move-2 
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https://www.facebook.com/speedcityvipers/