... - Entertainment - Columnists - Ricky Flake

Thursday, Nov. 05, 2009

Catching up with Stereohype, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Status Quo and The Velvet Underground

‘More Than Motion,’ Stereohype (Independently released, HHHH)

The members of Bay St. Louis’ Stereohype (Chase Thoms/lead vocals and guitar, Scott Plauche/bass and vocals, Nicholas Rohde/trumpet, guitar and vocals, Talmadge Allen/trumpet and vocals, Mondo Belmonte/trombone and vocals, and hard-hitting rhythm maniac Stephen Thoms/drums) have been on a roll the last few years that deserves to keep going (Belmonte has been replaced by AJ Neyrey/saxophone). They had just finished a triumphant gig at the Hard Rock when Rohde’s motorcycle was creamed by a car. This caused him to miss some shows, but this album, recorded at Mark Black’s studio in Moselle, was released May 2009.

Highlights include the tightness of the band as a whole, the blistering title song, the nifty horn section work, the tempo-shifting “Blackout” and “Seconds Count,” and the comparatively relaxed “No Heroes.”

This is the recording to pick up if you want a Mississippi band that sounds like no other; catch them at Nate’s later this month for a live dose.

‘Pictures Live At Montreux 2009,’ Status Quo (Eagle Rock Entertainment, HHHHH)

This Oct. 27 DVD is a perfect companion/follow-up to the excellent Quo album reviewed 9/18/09, “In Search of the Fourth Chord,” which was released 2007 in the UK.

Headed by the twin Telecasters/vocals of Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt fronting the band (Andrew Bown: keyboard, guitars, harmonica & vocals, Rhino Edwards: bass & vocals, Matthew Letley: drums & percussion) this excellent set contains a few of that album’s songs and lots more from Status Quo’s forty-year career as one of Britain’s most influential and cherished bands.

Highlights include the one-two opening punch of “Caroline” and “The Wanderer,” the chugging “Beginning of the End,” the “Proposing Medley” and the psychedelic twofer of their only U.S. hit, “Pictures of Matchstick Men” and “Ice in the Sun.”

We’re not sure why Quo didn’t remain popular in our country, but this DVD is an excellent way for Americans to catch up with them.

‘Lost at Sea,’ Squirrel Nut Zippers (Southern Broadcasting/MRI, HHHH)

This Oct. 27 CD is Squirrel Nut Zippers’ first new recording in nine years and their first live album ever. Recorded at an SRO Brooklyn, NY, show, the Zippers performed many of their strongest songs with most of their original line up intact: Katherine Whalen (vocals/banjo/ukulele), Jimbo Mathus (vocals/guitar), Chris Phillips (drums/percussion), Stuart Cole (bass) and J. Widenhouse (trumpet). The title of this release relates to the Disney cruise ship where they were performing hitting a massive trash island, rendering it unseaworthy. After a stay on a deserted island, they returned to the road in 2007. The band was always slightly different than other bands in the 1990s swing revival due to Mathus’ eclectic playing, Whalen’s other-worldly vocals and the subject matter of their songs.