With Just A Hint Of Mayhem

Music reviews, gig reviews, fun trivia and extra added random stuff!

Mayhem Virgins – The Bridge City Sinners January 8, 2024

Filed under: Mayhem Virgins — justwilliam1959 @ 4:33 pm
Tags: , , , , , , , ,

This is the 20th in the Mayhem Virgins series where we showcase artists that have never featured on these pages before. This time it is the turn of the Bridge City Sinners all the way from Portland Oregon, where they began a busking journey. They formed in 2016 and are purveyors of country, punk, folk, dark sounds and so much fun. If goth bands smiled and made bluegrass music they might sound like the Bridge City Sinners. I imagined them coming from a parallel universe where the Charlie Daniels Band joined forces with Gogol Bordello! The instrumentation feels properly organic and includes stand-up bass and banjo among other fine instruments. Their current album, ‘Unholy Hymns’, is a classic, and even with streaming, you will not want to skip any of the fabulous songs. This follows their self-titled release in 2016 and ‘Here’s To The Devil’ in 2019. All were released on the band’s own Flail Records label. The current album ‘Unholy Hymns’ made it to number 70 on the US Billboard charts in 2021.

Reading about them online suggests that they are an incendiary force of nature on stage and I really want to see them soon. Their own bio says that their live show is as punk as fuck, now that sounds perfect to me! If you are in the USA they are playing dates in Reno, Vegas, and LA at the end of March. Before that, they play a show in Vancouver on 16th March. Scott Michaud plays double bass as though it is connected to his nervous system. Lightin’ Luke adds some demonic fiddle and wonderful vocals. King Strang plays some superb guitar and Clyde McGee is a banjo god! Lead singer Libby Lux is a superstar in waiting, and probably won’t have to wait for too long! It is worth checking out some of the band members’ solo material too, Libby Lux’s “Two Dollar Bill” video is included below.

If you have enjoyed this article, feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on; Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, EMail. Are you interested in writing and reviewing for With Just A Hint Of Mayhem? If so then please get in touch.

 

‘Sinners’ EP – Gold Casio April 25, 2018

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 11:36 pm
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Following hot on the heels of their fine EP ‘Fever Dreams’ from last summer Gold Casio hit us with the next chapter in their world domination campaign, it is a six track EP entitled ‘Sinners’ on FreakOut Records and it is overflowing with class. Gold Casio are largely from Portland, Oregon although they have a Brooklyn contingent too. If you like sophisticated, soulful, electronic, dance and chill sounds then you will fall in love with this EP. Just when you think it is taking you back to the best 80s synth moments from the likes of the Human League the music rises up, grabs you by the throat to drag you back into the 21st Century.

Pic by Rob Woodcox

There are moments here when if you close your eyes you can picture this as a disco chill out album from the Scissor Sisters. The core membership of Gold Casio appears to be Ela Ra their sublime lead vocalist, Brock Vesuvius Cassian also a vocalist and skipper of synths, beats and keyboards, Julius Cassian (brother of Brock) provides vocals, more synths and keys along with guitar and bass and Saint Siris with even more vocals, more bass, more guitar and mucho more synths. They are aided and abetted by super drummers Benjamin Tyler and Connor Acott, ace percussionist Jeremiah Brunnhoelzl and finally Roberto Curtis who contributes electric wind instruments, saxophones and the flute. Their music is conceived written and produced by the band within a former church from the 19th Century.

“Street Magic” manages to stay funky in an electro disco anthem kind of way while wearing Steely Dan and Donna Summer influences with pride and passion. The vocal treatments and effects turn “Make You Mine” into something that is a sonic majestic masterpiece which evokes any number of dance acts that arose from the UK late 80s rave scene. The EP’s title track “Sinners” has Ela Ra putting on her finest Dolores O’Riordan vocals over a Kraftwerk-esque multilayered synth barrage. The most percussive track here is almost certainly “Dawn Awakening”, a song that will definitely make you move. “Lake Of Fire” has an incredibly sticky hook and is simply a gorgeous and delicious slice of superior pop music. Gold Casio play to the glitz and glamour of their sounds with a stunning visual look which takes Studio 54, Glam Rock, Sci Fi and the Rocky Horror show and makes something great out of it. I really, really want to see Gold Casio play live now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWtHfXHuLyg