The Cheap Cassettes - Kiss The Ass Of My Heart EP

I hereby retract any prior proclamations I may have made about the song of the summer 2018. The Cheap Cassettes, whom I've championed fervently since the infancy of this blog, have unleashed a surefire international smash titled "Kiss The Ass Of My Heart" that's poised to own this summer and perhaps the next couple of seasons as well. Could any song live up to a title that astoundingly great? This one, I'm pleased to say, absolutely does. When popular demand requires The Cheap Cassettes to tour every watering hole and concert hall from Kahului to Khabarovsk, "Kiss The Ass of My Heart" will surely be the band's most requested song on a nightly basis. Even those who don't ordinarily go in for the Seattle foursome's brand of loud, hook-laden pop are bound to find themselves feeling this song. What could be more cathartic than telling off that certain person who brought misery and heartbreak into your life? This is a song you'll want to play at maximum volume while you imagine singing it to your ex. Or perhaps if you're feeling feisty, you can play it at maximum volume while you actually sing it to your ex. I was going to say that this song ought to be all over the radio. But does anyone really listen to the radio anymore? I suppose the true hit songs of today are the ones that make it onto TV ads for Mexican beer and Apple products. A song called "Kiss The Ass Of My Heart" sure sounds like marketing gold to me. That hook could sell everything from lipstick to monogrammed underwear!

"Kiss The Ass Of My Heart" and "Black Leather Angel" come from the same recording sessions that produced The Cheap Cassettes' 2017 debut single "Hieroglyphics In Lipstick". In a genius move, that single was released only on cassette. Now Rum Bar Records has issued all four songs on one stellar EP. This is actually the first vinyl release from The Cheap Cassettes, and it's a perfect representation of what this band is all about. These tracks were recorded at Egg Studios last summer with the legendary Kurt Bloch producing, and as expected they sound freaking amazing! This EP is proof that high quality production does not necessarily have to neuter a rock n' roll band's attack. This, to me, is what all power pop should aspire to be. These songs have melodies and choruses for days, but they don't skimp on big guitars and hard-hitting drums. Of course I had "Kiss The Ass of My Heart" pegged as a hit since I first heard a rough demo a couple years back. "Black Leather Angel" ain't too shabby either. This snappy rocker pretty much perfects the sound Charles and Kevin have been working towards for the last 15 years. It's timeless guitar pop born out of a love for '70s punk and great American rock n' roll. Once you let that chorus worm its way into your brain, good luck getting it out of there!

Having admired Charles Matthews's tremendous talent and consistently superb hair since 1996, I can genuinely say his songwriting has only gotten better with time. The same can be said of his singing voice. His creative partnership with Kevin Parkhurst has brought forth a band that is like the best parts of Material Issue, Cheap Trick, The Figgs, and Replacements all rolled into one. If The Cheap Cassettes are not my clear cut favorite band on Earth, it's only because I can't decide between them and The Connection (I swear Malibu Lou did not pay me to say that, although I will not refuse any shipments of New England IPA). And while I really like the band's full-length, I absolutely love this new EP! In edition to the vinyl release, "Kiss The Ass Of My Heart" is available on tape for all of you who prefer to listen to The Cheap Cassettes on cassette. You can order now from Bandcamp, and locals can pick up the new EP tomorrow night when the band plays a release show at Darrell's Tavern. The Tripwires and Yes Masters will be on the bill as well. Doors open at 8:00. It's gonna be yuge!



-L.R.

https://rumbarrecords.bandcamp.com/album/kiss-the-ass-of-my-heart 
https://cheapcassettes.bandcamp.com/ 
https://www.facebook.com/cheapcassettes/
https://www.facebook.com/RumBarRecords 

The Best of the Dimestore Haloes!

Here's a real mind-blower: the Dimestore Haloes' first album Thrill City Crime Control is now as old as the debut LPs by the Clash and Sex Pistols were the year Thrill City came out. Even the final Haloes recordings pre-dated YouTube, Coke Zero, selfies, and the entire Real Housewives franchise. Ladies and gentlemen, the Haloes are officially classic rock! And given that all of the original records are way, way out of print, this seems like the perfect time for a Haloes best-of compilation to come into existence. Its arrival is great news for longtime fans who no longer own all of the old records as well as those who have more recently discovered the Haloes by way of Charles and Kevin's current band The Cheap Cassettes. And while the Haloes' entire recorded has been available digitally for a couple of years, Crash & Burn or Fly is the band's first retrospective to be released in a tangible format. Thanks to state of the art 1990s technology, you can now get your mitts on a compact disc containing 15 of the Haloes' finest studio cuts covering the years 1997 to 2004!

I appreciate that the contents of Crash & Burn or Fly were determined not by a corporate suit or focus group but rather by Charles Matthews himself. I must admit I was going to throw a royal tantrum if "Death Is a Star" had not been included on this disc. But otherwise, I vowed not to complain in any way about the track selection. With these best-of collections, there's always the question of who should get to decide which songs were really the "best". Well, I think the guy who wrote all of the songs is probably as qualified as anyone! And there's no denying that this compilation is a very good representation of who the Dimestore Haloes were and why they were my favorite band of my illustrious youth. Each of the band's first three albums is represented with three tracks, with an additional four songs taken from 2004's Ghosts of Saturday Night and another two culled from compilations. The comp cuts ("Saturday's Heroes" and "Crazy") bookend the collection, but otherwise it flows chronologically. You get to hear the band's evolution from its raw, rootsy origins to the glammy punk rock n' roll of its glory years to those later, more pop-influenced songs that laid the path for The Cheap Cassettes. And while I tend to romanticize Thrill City above all of the band's other full-lengths, my time spent with this comp has led me to concede that the Haloes got progressively better with each album they released.

Priced at just $8, Crash & Burn or Fly is a swell deal for anyone who desires a hard copy of the Dimestore Haloes' music. Considering that all of these recordings were originally released in small runs on DIY labels, it's tremendously encouraging that so many people still fondly remember them. And while I cringe at the pomposity of the prose I used to concoct in acclaim of the Haloes, the sentiment behind it has not changed. I still love this music, and I think it stands up quite well to the test of time. With a Beat Angels best-of still available on Onus Records, a movement to preserve '90s glam-punk seems to be taking shape. Let's hope the Trash Brats are up next!



-L.R.

https://thedimestorehaloes.bandcamp.com/album/crash-burn-or-fly-the-best-of-the-dimestore-haloes-1997-2004
https://www.facebook.com/dimestorehaloes/ 

Meet The Cheap Cassettes (again)!

Many of us remain in a state of disbelief following the unforeseen event that dominated our conversations in the closing months of 2016. Can this really be happening? How did one of my favorite bands, The Cheap Cassettes, end up on Rum Bar Records, my favorite record label? Were aliens or Russians involved? I'd like to think I may have had a tiny hand in this development. But let us speak no more about the size of my hands.

Out now on Rum Bar Records is a shiny CD reissue of All Anxious, All The Time - the brilliant debut album from The Cheap Cassettes. It is a rare occurrence for me to review the same album twice. When it has happened in the past, it has usually involved me either retracting bad reviews (first High Tension Wires album) or editing down 3,000-word diatribes that no one actually read the whole way through (Exploding Hearts' Guitar Romantic). Yet here I am, for the second time, reviewing a Rum Bar Records reissue that I extensively touted upon its original release. I can neither confirm nor deny that Malibu Lou has bought this coverage by promising me first dibs on the beer cooler at Rum Bar Pancake Social 2018. But in all seriousness, All Anxious... has become one of the three or four albums of this decade that I've listened to the most. In my top ten albums of 2014 list, it inexplicably only came in at #7. Needless to say, it would probably rise to #1 if I re-wrote the list today. It holds up so well as an example of great pop married to gutsy rock n' roll. Drawing not just from the obvious genre standard-bearers but also from first wave punks (Jam, Buzzcocks) and unsung titans of the underground (Replacements, Material Issue), The Cheap Cassettes set forth a broad vision for what powerful pop ought to be. And while the quick sales pitch is that this is former Dimestore Haloes doing power pop, let us remember that the Haloes were already headed in this direction when they called it a day.

From the opening notes of the Motown-flavored shaker of a title track, All Anxious... reaffirms my longtime fondness for the formidable talents of Chaz Matthews and Kevin Parkhurst. The album was recorded over a number of years with the two bandmates collaborating long-distance. While that explains some of the unevenness in fidelity (I'm pretty sure the vocals for "My Little Twin" were recorded on the toilet with a hair brush for a microphone), it's also what gives the record much of its charm. There's a rawness here that is too often missing in today's power pop, and at the same time the songwriting is the best I've ever heard from these two. "Wreckless", which could be considered the band's own "Bastards of Young", would not have sounded out of place on the Haloes' swan song Ghosts of Saturday Night. The same thing could be said of "Good and Shitty"- a glorious shot of pop trash recalling Johnny Thunders or early 'Mats. It's really hard to pick a "hit" here since the songs are pretty much choice cuts all the way through. But there are a few I keep going back to. The aforementioned "My Little Twin" is easily one of the best songs Chaz has ever put his name on, and "Big Dumb Town" is absolutely the epitome of awesomely loud pop (good lord, that guitar solo!!!). I rarely dare to make a comparison like this, but I could totally imagine the late Jim Ellison singing "Girlfriend". And how fun is "Black Vinyl!"?!

The most surprising thing about The Cheap Cassettes' move to Rum Bar is that I don't think Chaz has ever been on a label where he didn't have the coolest hair on the roster (the whole earth bows to Kurt Baker's wavy locks). But truly I cannot imagine a more ideal fit - given the band's Boston roots and a musical style that slots perfectly between The Connection's hook-laden garage/rock n' roll and the earnest blue collar punk of Nato Coles. With the original issue of All Anxious... falling a little under the radar, now is the time for the world at large to fall in love with The Cheap Cassettes. Malibu Lou (probably wearing sunglasses and holding a stiff drink in his hand at the time) even worked his music mogul magic and persuaded the band to fortify this reissue with a previously unreleased track - a magnificent rootsy jangler called "Disappear With You". You can also look forward to a secret bonus track. Is it a Krokus cover? An instrumental played entirely on kazoo? Perhaps a musical ode to Glenn Danzig demanding French onion soup on a concert rider? You will have to find out for yourself!



-L.R.

https://rumbarrecords.bandcamp.com/album/all-anxious-all-the-time
https://www.facebook.com/cheapcassettes/
https://cheapcassettes.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/RumBarRecords/

Song premiere: The Cheap Cassettes - "Disappear With You"!

These song premieres always remind me of staying up late on New Year's 1983-84 to watch MTV debut the video for Van Halen's "Jump". That was a top ten moment of my childhood. Today I've got something on a similar level of cool: the first new song from The Cheap Cassettes in two years! The (now) Seattle-based outfit featuring ex Dimestore Haloes Charles and Kevin has just joined the Rum Bar Records family. Talk about a perfect fit! The label will be reissuing the band's 2014 full-length debut All Anxious, All The Time on CD in early 2017. The new release will include all of the tracks from the original album plus a previously unreleased gem called "Disappear With You". The song is pretty much the definition of great power pop - marrying rootsy rock n' roll to a whole lot of guitar jangle and a divinely Beatlesque melody. And what a strong vocal! Sometimes "bonus" material like this can be suspect, but this is one of The Cheap Cassettes' best songs yet! And there's no need to take my word for it! Give it a listen below, and be sure to look for the CD out on Rum Bar in February. Pre-orders are open over at the label's Bandcamp with two tracks already streaming. Ten bucks? That's a deal and a steal!



-L.R.

https://www.facebook.com/cheapcassettes/
https://rumbarrecords.bandcamp.com/album/all-anxious-all-the-time
https://www.facebook.com/RumBarRecords/ 

Michael Kane & The Morning Afters: the debut EP!

Michael Kane, a Boston based songwriter, is a guy I can really relate to. He grew up on classic rock, had his life changed by punk music, and has continued to broaden his musical interests as an adult. That's a story very similar to mine. And although I'm no musician, I just love how the songs he writes today bring together most of the music he's ever loved. Formerly a member of Punching Judy and now sometimes a rhythm guitarist in the mighty Cheap Cassettes, Kane is about to release a solo EP on Cassettes on Record Records called Adding Insult To Industry. His backup band The Morning Afters consists of Ryan Kane on bass and Kevin Parkhurst (The Cheap Cassettes, Dimestore Haloes) on drums. The cover arts pays tribute to a myriad of influences from Tom Petty & Bruce Springsteen to The Clash & Ramones to The Replacements to Johnny Cash - and that really gives you a good feel for what Michael Kane is all about. His music is a really nice mix of gutsy punk, blue collar rock n' roll, and reflective alt country. Adding Insult To Industry has the ideal ratio of rockers to ballads - offering two of each. Both of the punkier tunes are top-notch. "Back On The 9", with its unaffected blend of melody and grit, takes me back to the late '90s heyday of bands like the Swingin' Utters, Beltones, and One Man Army. Man, those are some nifty bass lines! Equal parts power pop and rugged rock n' roll, "The Likes of You" is probably the "hit" of the EP. It's a damn fine song - and not at all far removed from The Cheap Cassettes or Dimestore Haloes. Meanwhile, I appreciate that the ballads are not throwaways. They're quite good, and in particular "I'd Propose, But a Song Ain't A Ring" is a standout track on this EP. It's such a wistfully beautiful song that I can't help imagining it playing in some dimly lit bar just before last call as lonely souls reflect on battles lost and heartaches never healed. I'm sometimes lukewarm on ballads, but I find this one to be genuinely moving and simply a gorgeous piece of songwriting. If "The Likes Of You" is the track here likely to catch your attention most quickly, "I'd Propose..." is the one that identifies Michael Kane as a distinctive and exceptionally talented songwriter. I'm definitely left wanting more. Let's hope that this is just the first of many solo releases!

Adding Insult To Industry releases this coming Friday. Locals can buy copies at a CD release show Saturday night at the Hotel Vernon in Worcester. For further info, check out Kane's Facebook page!



-L.R.

https://michaelkane.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/MichaelKaneLive/
https://www.facebook.com/cassettesonrecordrecords/

Ladies and gentlemen, The Sweet Things!

When it comes to sleazy rock n' roll inspired by the Rolling Stones & Johnny Thunders, I can never get enough. I wish there were more bands doing that sort of thing these days. The Sweet Things are a new band out of New York City who totally nail that style. Over the years, I have raved about guitarist Lorne Behrman's previous bands the Dimestore Haloes and The Dead Tricks. Without a doubt, he's one of my favorite lead guitarists. Recently he teamed up with vocalist/guitarist Dave Tierney (Sharp Lads) to form The Sweet Things. Veteran NYC players Sam Hariss (Stiletto, The Kee Kartel, and The Bowery Boys) and Darren Fried (Mazard, Tongue) round out a formidable lineup on bass and drums. Bridging the gap between the classic rock (Faces/Black Crowes/Izzy Stradlin) and trashy punk (Joneses/New York Dolls) sides of Keith Richards worship, The Sweet Things are a real treat for anyone who loves guitar-centric rock n' roll with a whiff of booze. Tierney and Behrman lead the way with their raunchy riffs and hot licks. And with songs running in the neighborhood of 4-5 minutes, these two have ample opportunity to rock out good and proper! Beyond that, these guys definitely know how to write a good rock n' roll song. And I love that Tierney's voice sounds like the product of too many years of drinking, smoking, and generally unclean living. The Sweet Things have been taking their recordings directly to their fans via YouTube. They've posted three songs so far, and it's all great stuff. The brand new "Cocaine Asslicker Blues" is their best song yet. It's got a little bit of a harder edge to it, which I totally dig. And Tierney delivers a great snarling vocal. You'll wanna crank up the volume and blast this bad boy until the walls shake! If AC/DC had made a baby with The Heartbreakers, it would have sounded a lot like this. 

You can check out The Sweet Things' songs below. If you enjoy what you hear, like these guys on Facebook to stay up to date with the newest sensations in NYC rock n' roll!  



-L.R.

https://www.facebook.com/thesweetthingsnyc

The Cheap Cassettes make an album!

When it comes to the iconic musical twosomes, the likes of The Captain & Tennille, Hall & Oates, and Sonny & Cher surely come to mind. The only things separating The Cheap Cassettes from an honored place in history alongside such titanic pairings are some epic facial hair and perhaps a juicy guest spot on The Love Boat. Poised to dress sharper than Wham and rock harder than Right Said Fred, these handsome fellas are bringing duos back to prominence. Air Supply will be sending out a thank you note! Given the many years we diehard fans have eagerly awaited its release and the countless tabloid shenanigans associated with the group's tantrum-prone vocalist, The Cheap Cassettes' debut album could rightfully be hailed as the Chinese Democracy of power pop. The major difference is that it would actually make sense if Tommy Stinson joined this band. Too bad he's kinda busy at the moment.

If you've been living under a rock the last few years (or more likely, have the good sense to never read this blog), you may not know that The Cheap Cassettes are ex Dimestore Haloes Chaz Matthews and Kevin Parkhurst (an original third member, the German expat Max Schitter, is currently serving 25 years to life for wearing white after labor day). While living thousands of miles apart all this time, Chaz and Kevin have nonetheless found a way to collaborate in the writing, recording, and producing of All Anxious, All The Time - one of the finest power pop albums of recent memory. This should come as no surprise if you consider that the Haloes made their best record after Kevin joined the band. And while this particular project seems largely inspired by the Chilton/Twilley/Westerberg strain of rock n' roll songwriting, you could argue that the Haloes were already hinting at such a direction by the time they called it quits. So The Cheap Cassettes are less of a reinvention and more of a logical next step for this talented twosome. Chaz Matthews has been one of my favorite singers and songwriters since the late '90s, and he hasn't officially released music since 2005. I'd maintain that his absence from the punk/rock n' roll scene in recent years has created a huge void. Now he and Kevin are back - and in prime form! In a year full of amazing albums, they've given us one of the very best. It's out now on the band's own label, Cassettes On Record Records.

Credit Chaz and Kevin for using modern technology in the best of ways. This album actually began as just a few songs posted on-line back in the prehistoric days of 2011 (these guys were on Bandcamp before Bandcamp was cool!). More songs were gradually added as they were finished, and by this summer The Cheap Cassettes had amassed enough tunes to fill a full LP. Better yet, they remixed/remastered those songs and pressed them onto shiny compact disc. So All Anxious, All The Time is an actual tangible product you can purchase and own! You can carry it with you to the bathroom and flick it at your enemies like a ninja star! With one foot in scruffy Stones/Replacements rock n' roll and the other in classic power pop, The Cheap Cassettes demonstrate that massive hooks and well-crafted choruses don't necessarily make a band "slick". This record has a nice "rough around the edges" feel to it - a quality these guys wear well. Musically and lyrically, I'd put the likes of "My Little Twin" and the soul-inspired title track up there with the best songs Chaz has ever written. And "Wreckless" is a bona fide rock n' roll anthem - like a "Bastards Of Young" for my generation ("We didn't die young/And we didn't grow up/Parents and friends they died on us/We kept going somehow"). Whether you're talking about heartfelt ballads ("Girlfriend"), gloriously sloppy rock n' roll (Kevin's brilliant "Good And Shitty"), or hooky arena rock ("Seconds Of Pleasure"), the band's pop sensibilities absolutely shine. And as always, Chaz has written some amazing lyrics. Belying its upbeat feel, the title track is a powerful statement about the crippling nature of anxiety. And with humor and insight, songs like "Sig Heil (Means I Love You)" and "Get Low" remind us that being in love can be the greatest thing in the world and just about the worst as well.

If you didn't know that one guy was tracking these songs in Hawaii while the other was doing the same in Boston, Chicago, Michigan, and Wisconsin (the Where In The World Is Charles Matthews? video game will be out next spring), you'd have no reason to believe the two weren't together in the studio the whole time - obsessing over every last chord and stopping periodically to admire their haircuts in the mirror. Kevin handled most of the production end of this project and did a bang-up job. This album, while a few years in the making, was 100% worth the wait. Top to bottom, the songs are truly outstanding. And these two understand that a true power pop band should know how to freaking rock! With a sound that's uniquely their own yet crafted in the Who/Cheap Trick/Material Issue lineage of loud guitar pop, The Cheap Cassettes are a tremendous addition to a thriving power pop scene. Chaz and Kevin have made an album that will delight longtime fans - and surely win over tons of new ones as well. Hit up the duo's Bandcamp for a couple of free samples and two bonus cover tunes!



-L.R.

http://cassettesonrecordrecords.bigcartel.com/product/the-cheap-cassettes-all-anxious-all-the-time
http://cheapcassettes.bandcamp.com/album/all-anxious-all-the-time
https://www.facebook.com/cheapcassettes
https://www.facebook.com/cassettesonrecordrecords

Dimestore Haloes go digital!

There are things I really hate about this futuristic modern world of ours, but there are also things I totally love. If you wanted to hear a certain band back in the day, you had to buy their record. And once it was sold out, you were shit out of luck. Once I nearly broke another man's finger in a spirited scuffle over a rare Nipple Erectors single. Nowadays, you can hear those songs on YouTube for free. Such technology would have blown my mind in 1997. And how awesome is it that every album from my #1 favorite band of the '90s is now available for download on Bandcamp?! Who needs flying cars? The future has hooked us up!

Yes, that's right! The almighty Dimestore Haloes are no longer lost to the obscurity of long out of print vinyl and CDs. Chaz Matthews, now of the amazing Cheap Cassettes, has endeavored to digitalize the complete recordings of his late, great Boston band. So if you no longer own the releases or are too young to have been around during the band's time, you can now download all four of the band's albums plus some extremely hard to find 7" tracks. It's all here: the debut (and my personal favorite) Thrill City Crime Control, Revolt Into Style, Long Ride To Nowhere, the band's masterpiece finale Ghosts of Saturday Night, and Chaz's superb solo demos collection Amazing Graceless. The prices are super low - ranging from $5 to $7 per release, which sure beats what you'd pay on iTunes or Amazon. Having spent all of the late '90s and early 2000s raving about this band, I'm so pleased by how well its music has held up over the years. And now you can hear all (or at least most) of it for yourself! There are even songs here that I've never heard before - like "Crazy"!

One really cool aspect of this digital collection is that it allows you to trace the evolution of the Haloes. The early stuff is like The Clash meets Johnny Thunders meets Chuck Berry, whereas subsequent releases move in a glammier direction and gradually embrace the hard pop tendencies now explored by Cheap Cassettes. I loved this band in the beginning because it reminded me of so many classic bands I loved. But ultimately, the Haloes also influenced my tastes in music instead of merely reflecting them (It was Chaz who made me my first Replacements and Hanoi Rocks compilation tapes). And while so much of what was written about the Haloes over the years referenced fashion and style, what ultimately defined the band was genuine talent. If you, like me, are a fan, you won't dispute my contention that Chaz was (and still is) one of the finest songwriters of his time. And it's likely that the Haloes had some influence on the newer generations of glam-punk - which still thrives all over the world. So listen and enjoy - and buy something if the music moves you!

-L.R. 

http://thedimestorehaloes.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Dimestore-Haloes/138848529536778

Wreckless!

It's been close to two years since we last heard from The Cheap Cassettes. You may remember Chaz and Kevin from the late, great Dimestore Haloes - and the two continue to collaborate in spite of the 5,000 or so miles separating Chicago and Hawaii. This sort of long-distance musical relationship is not easy to maintain. Band feuds have to be conducted via Skype. Hotel rooms have to be trashed individually. Both men fly futuristic space craft to a secret practice pad in the sky (and somehow, upon his disembarking at the space port, Chaz's hair always remains perfect). It's been a slow go as The Cheap Cassettes build their album one track at a time, but now they're up to five songs. That's half way to a full LP - with two more songs coming soon! And when you're forced to take your time like this, you can pretty much guarantee that only the A-grade material is going to make the cut. The brand new track "Wreckless" is no exception. If you assumed an immediate Naked Raygun influence given Chaz's recent relocation to Chicago, Material Issue would be a far better guess. 

"Wreckless" is up there with the best handful of songs Chaz Matthews has ever written. And that's saying something! In the words of the artist, it's more of the "tear jerkin' power pop/rock'n'roll goodness" we've come to expect from this cat. With a pre-chorus evoking The Replacements ("Parents and friends they died on us/We kept going somehow") and a chorus that brings to mind Candy ("Here we are, all the wreckless/Ain't nobody gonna break us"), the whole thing comes off like later Dimestore Haloes spending the night with Big Star and The Scruffs. Stylistically, it's perfectly executed hard pop. But at its essence, this is really soul music. In that respect, I'd put Chaz in the same category of songwriters as Greg Cartwright, "King" Louie Bankston, and "Gentleman" Jesse Smith. And you certainly can't overlook the contributions of Kevin Mess, who's a one-man rhythm section and a true connoisseur of obscure power pop. Obviously I've been a huge Chaz fan for 16 years plus, but there's something about him and Kevin together that really clicks (a la Paul Westerberg/Tommy Stinson). Circumstances might prevent them from being prolific right now, but everything they've churned out has been total gold. And I will always take quality over quantity. Plus there's something really cool about the new material being released one song at a time. It really makes you appreciate each track as a singular piece of work. Check out the whole album if you haven't yet. It's pretty fantastic. And if you're already a fan, it goes without saying that "Wreckless" is a must-hear. The Cheap Cassettes look to have album of the year 2016 in the bag! 


-L.R.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Cheap-Cassettes/242603972438399
http://cheapcassettes.bandcamp.com/

The F & L Hall of Fame: Dimestore Haloes

In the "glory days" (ha ha!) of my writing career, the Dimestore Haloes were without question my favorite band. I loved the Haloes, and I wasn't shy about proclaiming it. When I die, I will surely be remembered for three things: my rugged good looks, my astounding capacity to consume massive ice cream sundaes, and my fervent championing of an underdog punk rock n' roll band from Boston in the late '90s. It pleases me, all these years later, to know that I wasn't totally full of shit. This band was great! And its music, all these years later, passes the test of time. 66 Facebook fans cannot be wrong!

In the beginning, it was probably the idea of the Dimestore Haloes that made me an instant fan. In every way that mattered, they were just really freaking cool. They were The Clash, Johnny Thunders, Chuck Berry, and the Stones all rolled into one, with a beat poet lyrical angle and a look that was equal parts greaser and glam. Their revivalist punk sound owed as much to 1957 as it did to 1977. All their cited influences were bands I already loved or bands I desperately wanted to hear. Yet none of that would have mattered a lick if they'd been a crap band. Long after any band's "gimmick" wears off, you're left with just the music. And the Haloes, in their all-too-brief lifetime, left us with a hell of a lot of fantastic music. To this day, I will maintain that they were one of the greatest bands of their time. 

I first heard the Haloes sometime in 1996. And for sure, I dug 'em! But my appreciation for the band reached a new level entirely when they released their debut album Thrill City Crime Control in the summer of 1997. I've already discussed this record at length over at Dirty Sheets, so there's no point in repeating myself. Suffice it to say that as soon as I heard said album, the Haloes became my favorite band. When I think vintage Dimestore Haloes, I think Thrill City Crime Control. For one thing, it's the only Haloes album that features the band’s "classic" lineup (Chaz Matthews on guitar/vocals, Lorne Behrman on guitar, Marcus Arvan on bass, and the late Jimmy Reject on drums). More importantly, it forever altered the musical direction I'd take as a record reviewer. It inspired me to celebrate a new breed of old punk. If I'm making the ultimate '90s punk mixed tape, "Twentysomething Bad" has got to be on it!

Now if I had to name the best Haloes album, I'd go with their final release Ghosts of Saturday Night. One thing I always admired about Chaz and the Haloes is that they were always striving to take their music to the next level. When you hear Ghosts of Saturday Night, you hear the album Chaz had probably been trying to make for quite a few years. The songwriting, the production, the musicianship - this is where it all comes together like it never had before. Infusing pop hooks and a '70s Stones swagger into the band's signature '77 punk sound, it rates as one of the best punk albums of the 2000s in my (admittedly biased) opinion. By the time it saw the light of day, the band was broken up. So there were no whirlwind concert tours or glossy zine photo shoots. But hey, they did end up on the same record label as The Joneses!

The Haloes were such a huge part of Now Wave Magazine (Chaz and Jimmy, in fact, became regular contributors). It's hard to believe it's been close to a decade since the band officially disbanded. Some of the people who peruse this blog might not even know of the Haloes! I guess that's why I wrote this piece. Give these clips a listen, kids! I think you'll like what you hear!




-L.R. 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Dimestore-Haloes/138848529536778
http://www.myspace.com/thedimestorehaloes

Hey Hey, They're The Cheap Cassettes!

If you've been wondering what Charles Matthews Morrissey has been up to since the Dimestore Haloes broke up, well it's been a long, strange trip. He bought a shrimp boat like Forrest Gump. He started a one-man John Denver tribute band called Country Roads that was banned from several live venues due to excessive drunkenness. He did something so unmentionably perverse for a Klondike Bar that I cannot in good conscience share specific details. He bought a Shake Weight but never uses it. Lord knows we've missed his presence in our little slice of the music world. I know I'm biased because he's a friend of mine, but I think he's one of the best songwriters to come out of the punk rock underground since I've been following it. The world is a better place with his music in it. If you're a Haloes fan, you've got to be stoked about The Cheap Cassettes - a new collaboration between Chaz and his old bandmate Kevin "Mess" Parkhurst.

Separated by the 5,000 or so miles between Boston and Hawaii, Chaz and Kevin aren't exactly rehearsing five nights a week. But through the magic of modern recording technology and occasional teleportation, they've managed to record one-third of their debut album and share it with the world on their Band Camp page. While some might say that The Cheap Cassettes sound like the Haloes, that's kind of like saying that Tony Montana reminds you of Michael Corleone. There are some obvious similarities, yes, but this is a new band entirely. Spiritually and stylistically, The Cheap Cassettes are all about the power pop. Citing unassailable influences such as the Plimsouls, Cheap Trick, Material Issue, Elvis Costello, and The Paul Collins Beat and operating under the mantra of "big guitars and big hooks", this duo is more than worthy of being named after a Figgs song. And a no-frills, relatively lo-fi recording aesthetic gives their music a rough-around-the-edges charm that's too often missing from "power" pop. These two may have pop in their hearts, but they've got rock n' roll in their blood. Dwight Twilley would approve. Alex Chilton would have, too!

So how's the album sounding so far? Pretty great! Hands down, the "hit" is "My Little Twin". It's just so fucking catchy, and it's got this rambunctious energy to it that kinda sorta brings to mind early Replacements covering Big Star. Love it! "Get Low" ain't bad either. It's got a nice down-tempo beat and a sing-along chorus you won't be able to get out of your head without extensive professional help. Do you like handclaps? Awesome guitar solos? Yeah, me too! No one's gonna mistake Chaz for Kyle Vincent vocally, but I really think that works for The Cheap Cassettes. It gives their songs grit. Chaz will always sound like Chaz, which makes him somewhat unique in a scene full of wannabe Stivs and imitation David Jos. If you're a fan of his solo release Amazing Graceless or the last Haloes album Ghosts of Saturday Night, it's a money-back guarantee you'll like The Cheap Cassettes just as much. It's probably not a co-incidence that the Haloes made their best recordings after Kevin joined the band. He's a talented dude, and from what I hear he's completely obsessed with obscure power pop recordings from the '70s and '80s. He and Chaz flat-out click as a duo, and with The Cheap Cassettes the two are fully indulging their mutual love for power pop. I highly approve! And what's not to love about a free digital album that keeps growing and growing? Today it's four songs. Maybe tomorrow it'll be five. You don't have to wait two years until the album is "complete". They finish a new song, and you get a new song. Instant gratification, folks! It's the way of the future! Far out!

- L.R.

http://cheapcassettes.bandcamp.com/album/all-anxious-all-the-time