After 30-odd years, you’d assume Los Straitjackets could be over their id disaster. However because it seems, they’ve identified who they’re all alongside. It’s the remainder of us who have to get previous the entire novelty factor. Mexican wrestling masks or no, few bands convey instrumental rock’s purist ethos with extra ardour, substance and magnificence than this enduring Nashville outfit, with influences that vary from Dick Dale and Hyperlink Wray to Booker T. & The MG’s and the Cramps.
Within the many years since band founders Danny Amis and Eddie Angel snatched authentic drummer Jimmy Lester from Webb Wilder’s band, the Straitjackets have made (by our rely) 16 studio albums. There’s additionally been a number of stay LPs and numerous collaborative initiatives, together with a latest fortuitous interval as Nick Lowe’s backup band. It’s that well-honed Straitjackets lineup that places its stamp on Somos Los Straitjackets (“we’re Los Straitjackets” for the language challenged). With Amis now combating a (profitable) battle in opposition to a number of myeloma, the present quartet options Angel and Greg Townson on guitars, longtime bassist Pete Curry and drummer Chris Sprague.
Somos Los Straitjackets was produced in Chicago by Alex Corridor at Dependable Recorders, additionally the location of some monitoring for Lowe’s 2024 Indoor Safari album. Right here’s extra from Los Straitjackets.
1) “Bumper Automotive”
Townson: “I used to be on tour and awoke one morning with this music utterly written. I simply grabbed a guitar and performed it. By comparability, Paul McCartney awoke with ‘Yesterday’ in his head. I’m certain he’ll want he wrote ‘Bumper Automotive’ as a substitute when he hears this report.”
2) “Polaris”
Angel: “I’d been noodling round with Greg on this. He added the cool guitar strategy. We wished to have a music as cool as ‘Telstar,’ one of many nice instrumentals of the rock ’n’ roll period.”
3) “Genesee River Rock”
Townson: “Los Straitjackets recorded a model of this remotely throughout lockdown. After we determined to re-record it, Nick Lowe instructed a barely totally different rhythm. I additionally thought we must always change the important thing from D to E, plus add a keyboard half for Alex Corridor to play.”
4) “Excessive Wire Act”
Townson: “That is a type of fortunate moments when a music simply writes itself … most likely after I was combating writing one other music. I put this on my solo report, Past The Horizon. I assumed if I modified the rhythm, it might make an excellent music for Los Straitjackets.”
5) “Numbskull”
Angel: “Because the title implies, I used to be attempting to put in writing a extremely dumb rock ’n’ roll music. I used to be channeling ‘Jungle Rock’ and ‘Wipeout.’ The very best rock ’n’ roll songs are sometimes the dumbest.”
6) “Two Steps Forward”
Townson: “That is extra of a crafted music. The verse part got here shortly, however the remaining took awhile. Once I cracked it, it was a type of uncommon moments of feeling like knowledgeable songwriter.”
7) “April Showers”
Angel: “Throughout lockdown, we handed concepts for this music forwards and backwards remotely. It appears to have existed earlier than within the universe, and we have been capable of magically entry it.”
8) “Cry For A Beatle”
Sprague: “A Beatles music that was by no means written by the Beatles. It’s the reply music to the Fab 4’s “Cry For A Shadow.”
9) “Catalina Farewell”
Angel: “This melody got here to me whereas we have been on one in all our first excursions. We have been within the Bay Space, and I used to be staying at my brother-in-law’s home. It’s had a couple of totally different iterations. This time, we tried an ‘exotica’ vibe—and I feel it really works the most effective. Love the vibes by Alex.”
10) “Copy Cat”
Townson: “This took much less time to put in writing than it does to hearken to the music. I had the title first, with the concept being that every of us might play off the identical riff. I assumed it will work nicely onstage. That’s the great factor about writing for Los Straitjackets—writing for the stage present.”
11) “Sentimental Idiot”
Townson: “That is one other one I heard in my head and went to the guitar and performed. Sadly, it turned out to be in A-flat—a troublesome key for a guitar band. We play it nicely, although—and Alex actually outdid himself with the engineering and blend.”
12) “Unhealthy Apple”
Townson: “After I wrote this, I assumed it sounded just like one thing Stax Data would’ve put out throughout its blue-label period. Sure, I write with report labels in thoughts. It got here out in a different way, in fact. It’s impressed by somebody in Rochester, N.Y., my hometown.”
13) “Wicker Park”
Angel: “We recorded this close to Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood. It was impressed by a few of the nice ‘60s Chicago soul music, particularly Curtis Mayfield. Greg’s rhythm guitar on this observe evokes ‘The Monkey Time’ by Main Lance, written by Mayfield.”
14) “Spinout”
Angel: “One other music with a previous. I initially recorded this with my band the Neanderthals. That is an upgraded model, with key adjustments and the genius of Tom Kenny doing the voiceovers.”
15) “Virgon”
Angel: “I got here up with this music jamming with my spouse Melanie on drums, so I wished the title to mirror that. She’s a Virgo and born within the 12 months Of The Dragon. The title ‘Virgon’ is a portmanteau of ‘Virgo’ and ‘dragon.’ On the refrain of the music, we have been channeling ‘Wild Factor’ by the Troggs.”
See Los Straitjackets stay.
