Tag Archives: liquor and poker music

“We Must Obey” by Fu Manchu

Artist: Fu Manchu
Title: “We Must Obey”
Label: Liquor & Poker Music
Release Date: 2/20/2007
Genre: Stoner/Fuzz Rock
Rating: 4/5

When you are looking for a pure definition of Hard Rock with a wide variety of other influences then you need look no further than Orange County’s Fu-Manchu. They have been together over a dozen years and this album is their tenth, but the first on the Liquor & Poker Music imprint of Century Media Records. The groups lineup consists of Scott Hill (vocals/guitars), Bob Balch (guitars), Brad Davis (bass) and Scott Reeder (drums) and the minute you begin playing the CD you will not only hear but you will feel the strong riffing that is happening on every single track. It is a little bit Punk at times, but also has that Stoner and Doom feel crunch in the background and together forms the unique “Fuzz Rock” for which they are most known. The music is totally in gear with the kind of stuff that Monster Magnet and Corrosion of Conformity are doing and should appeal to their fan base as well. “We Must Obey” throttles the listener like a punk version of Motorhead while “Between The Lines” has a very intense, almost Metal vibe to it “Lesson” has that resonant Black Sabbath groove going on and this leads you to the oddly placed cover of The Cars “Moving In Stereo”. I thought this was a unique track for them to do, as the original is so strong on the keyboards while there is nothing of the sort in Fu-Manchu. Essentially, if you have ever wanted to hear a Stoner/Doom rendition of a Cars track then here is your chance. Do not laugh, its very good actually.
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“Girls Got Rhythm” by Various Artists

Artist: Various Artists
Title: “Girls Got Rhythm”
Label: Liquor & Poker Music
Release Date: 8/22/2006
Genre: Hard Rock
Rating: 3/5

In the three years since the “Rock & Roll” arm of Century Media Records was formed, the listening public has been able to enjoy some kick ass rockers such as Backyard Babies, The Black Halos and The Hellacopters. There’s a ton more and if getting down and dirty in a dark bar while a band pumps out the tunes then I advise you look more into the artist roster that they offer. To celebrate their third anniversary the label has taken the idea of presenting 13 tribute acts to some of the greatest Rock bands of all time. Yes, there is KISS, Cheap Trick, Iron Maiden, ACDC and Black Sabbath and a few more – to mix it up a little bit they made sure that each of the cover bands were comprised entirely of women. Part of you might be saying, WHAT, an Iron Maiden tribute made up of women, well yes my Friend and The Iron Maidens are one of the standout presentations on the recording with their version of “Run to the Hills”. Thundherstruck (ACDC) does a great job on their track, but the lead singer sounds like she belonged in a Heart tribute since her vocal is so dead on. Hell’s Belle’s really do justice to their song “Back In Black” while Mistress Of Reality and The Little Dolls deliver solid Sabbath and Ozzy as their contributions.
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Hellacopters @ Bowery Ballroom (3/10/2006)

Logo - Hellacopters

Artist: The Hellacopters
Venue: Bowery Ballroom (New York, NY)
Opener: Nebula
Date: 3/10/2006
Label: Liquor & Poker Music

This was going to be a weird show for me because while I am very open to all sorts of music, I was going into this one on the blind side. Only recently had I even heard the name of the “Hellacopters” and it was from first reading it on the guitar wielded by Dregen of Backyard Babies. He had apparently been one of the key members at one point in his career. I was able to hear their latest release entitled “Rock & Roll Is Dead”, and while this group hails from a land more known for their Metal nowadays let me tell you this; as long as the Hellacopters exist Rock & Roll is very far from dead. The brief US Tour would be the first in a number of years for the guys so as one could expect we were going to hit a completely sold out room. This is never a bad thing and The Bowery Ballroom has a nice setup for a gig like this. They have a good sized stage and a very roomy floor where the dancing was going on full-throttle.
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“Rock N‘ Roll Is Dead” by Hellacopters

Artist: Hellacopters
Title: “Rock N‘ Roll Is Dead”
Label: Liquor and Poker
Release Date: 1/24/2006
Genre: Hard Rock
Rating: 8/10

The Hellacopters, another band from Sweden that proves quite contrary to their latest album that “Rock N’ Roll Is Dead” but yet it is very much alive and well. This band was formed in 1994 by frontman Nicke Andersson (founding member of Swedish death metal band, Entombed) and though the band has gone through some line up changes, the sound remains the same. Retro rock n’ roll, bringing out all the things that makes rock… roll. Nicke Andersson (guitar, vocals), Robert Eriksson (drums), Robert Dahlqvist (guitar), Kenny Hankinson (bass), and Anders Lindstrom (keyboards & guitar), give us this album that you can detect influences such as the Stones, the Stooges and the Hives.
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“Live Live In Paris” by Backyard Babies

Artist: Backyard Babies
Title: “Live Live In Paris”
Label: Liquor And Poker Music
Release Date: 2/21/2006
Genre: Rock Punk
Rating: 8/10

Stockholm Sweden’s Backyard Babies have been hard at work after their support of Social Distortion. The group was performing to capacity crowds and delivering some of the most rock solid punk-edged music that was seen here in awhile and resultant of this tour bring you “Live Live In Paris”. The album finds the Backyard Babies energetic and electric as they perform 15 of their best numbers before a sold-out audience. It is very easy to get into their music even at a first listen and with limited knowledge of the band. Like many in the US, I was new to them and had only delved deeper at the suggestion of another writer who gave them a high recommendation. As a fan of The Ramones, Sex Pistols and The Clash, it was great to see a band taking example from these Founders and giving you a boot stomping, beer raising good time with their songs. The four member band of Nicke (vocals), Dregen (guitars), Johan (Bass) and Peder (drums) don’t overdo anything except the attitude and drive the point straight home with this CD that ends up being a perfect introduction to their sound. The CD is made up of 10 songs from last years “Tinnitus” (the only album available domestically which is made up of tracks from their other releases). Once you absorb “Tinnitus” at full volume you will totally enjoy the vibe of the live release. It is indeed a nice companion piece to this album. My personal favorites in the bands song roster fall to “Look At You”, “The Clash”, “Brand New Hate” and “Minus Celsius”. Each of these tracks is a memorable rocker.
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