The Only Surf/Punk Electric Kazoo Band That Matters!

by Phil Rainone from Jersey Beat/Pop Vulture
http://popvulturephil.blogspot.com/2008/03/only-surfpunk-electric-kazoo-band-that.html

Not that there are that many Surf/Punk Electric Kazoo bands out there (I think El Muchacho has that genre pretty well covered, but feel free to start your own kazoo- based group), but the band certainly lives up to that title! And speaking of "Kazoo Bands," here's my idea. It's been scoffed at by the Jersey Beat crew, and even "pish-poshed" by Reel Big Fish. How about we put together an all-kazoo band, dress up like Punk Rock Pirates, head out with the Warped Tour and we play songs by the other bands on the Tour. C'mon now, how cool would that be!? Hey, if Me First & The Gimmie Gimmies can play covers, why not us? Just think how big we would be when The Warped Tour hits Japan later this year (I think we'd be "Big in Japan" as the saying goes) Alright, I got that outta my system, but dude, think about it!

I think El Muchacho would also fit well on the Warped Tour. Listening to their
music, they're the type of band that legends (actually cults), are made of. On their self-titled album, of about half covers and half originals, this disc is maximum surf/punk!!

But I digress, let's start with the cover art which is very cool! It's a sort of space ship with a souped up dragster engine for power, driven by a five-eyed, umm... ghoul, for a better word, orbiting around in outer space. It was created by Tom "Big Toe" Laura (www.bigtoeart.com), that gives a big nod to those 60's & 70's "Rat Fink" designs by Ed "Big Daddy" Roth. Nice to see "Big Daddy's' work is still influential these days! As for the music, 13 damn righteous surf/punk instro-mentals that will just... BLOW YOUR MIND!!

Opening with the brutishly heavy "It's a Gas," which is just so, Blue Cheer-worthy, Mikey Muchacho- bass, Jim "El Palo" Muchacho- drums/electric kazoo, and Mike Muchacho pound out a neanderthal-like cadence that grabs your attention right from the get-go.

A little about the electric kazoo, before we get too far. It's this, big-ass metal kazoo plugged into an amp (I first saw El Muchacho at one of Mike Grau's Christmas Dogs of War shows (he also helped out with this album), and Jim had this thing fastened to a harp holder, around his neck, while he played the drums. It was amazing and fun!

Covers like The Ramones' "Suzy is a Headbanger," "Third Star to the Left" by The Nocturnes, or "Incense & Peppermints" by The Strawberry Alarm Clock (I still have my original copy of The Alarm Clock's cool, psychedelic pop 45) are given a fresh coat of breathless electricity, yet they don't stray too far from the originals, as they're easy enough to recognize and sing along to, even though these are all instrumentals. And speaking of singing along, El Muchacho concocts a snarling, prehistoric version of Black Sabbath's "The Wizard" that will send you into headbanging nirvana!

On originals like "Trash Rider," "Speed Demon," or "Astronut," El Muchacho are not trying to recreate 60's surf rock ( although these tunes are Dick Dale/ Link Wray-worthy), or pre-psychedelia, but they do put a lot of thought and effort into fully capturing that era's mojo, and high spirits, bringing it to another level. Nobody else rocks quite like El Muchacho!

Ok, so you want further proof that this little ol' record rocks like hell? Take it to the beach this Summer (after all, this is surf/punk music), put out your beach chair, cooler, and your checker board beach towel (it comes with checkers). Then, pop this disc into your portable CD player and crank this puppy! The honey's should be hangin' with you but the time you get to the second song! - Phil Rainone