The Big Wheel Stunt Show – Wonderful Life

I love a band that just gets better and better.  It shows that their hearts are in it.  It shows they care about what they are doing.  And good Lord, this CD should be proof to anyone and everyone that The Big Wheel Stunt Show are in it to win it, as the kids say.

This is a remarkable step up and forward for these guys.  First I have to say that addition of the keys as a permanent part of the band is a genius move.  The keys are so well integrated into these songs that you would think they’ve been a part all along, when in fact they are a very new addition.  The second comment I have is that the production by Kurt Bloch of Fastbacks fame is perfect.  This is a band that is in their element on stage, and previous recordings have not quite captured that.  On “Wonderful Life”, you get a sense of that immediacy that live performance brings you.  I especially love the way all the vocals, lead and backing, are placed in the recording.  They are warm and up front and you can hear the various harmony lines.  Truly great recording and engineering.

“Wonderful Life” is the story of, well, a life.  All of it flows together as a story so the lyrics are definitely worth a listen.  The songs also stand apart and alone as well as individual songs, something not easily done.  Many bands try this idea but do it in such a ham fisted way that even the overall flow of the album does not work.

The playing and songwriting on this album are just superb.  There are many moments when your jaw will hit the floor, thinking “did they just pull off what I think I heard?”  Evan Nagle’s voice is in fine, soulful form, his guitar playing is on fire.  Justin Gimse’s drums are always right where they need to be, adding to each song and not detracting in any way.   Jake Melius on bass is like a love child of Cliff Burton and John Entwistle, if men could have babies.  And Andy Basinger on keys, the new guy, plays all the right stuff in all the right places.

Personal favorites on the album?  How about track 2, “Bad Thing” a straight up raging rocker that gets right to the point.  And then I’ll take “Situations”, a song that is seemingly ever changing in the way it is performed, and this recorded version captures the full essence of the talents and abilities of this band as they stretch it out and jam a little.  And because I’m a sucker for a well written slow song, “To Believe In” just knocks me out.
But the entire album is stellar from start to finish.  Sometimes I listen to an album and I think, “why the hell is THAT on here”, or something like that, and you know what I mean.  There are none of those moments on this release.  Do me a favor, no, do yourself a favor.  If you are a fan of solid rock and roll, great jams that sound like they came from the 70’s, get your hands on this album.  You will thank me.

- ODIN

The Big Wheel Stunt Show – Cheetah Milque

Ah, Big Wheel Stunt Show, how do I love thee?  Let me count the ways.

Listening to your music makes me remember days as a wee lad, sitting with my dad and listening to music together, because we listened to stuff like Grand Funk, Rare Earth, Creedence, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, and all of those mashed up together sound like a Big Wheel jam.  How many of you remember the days when the family had the big stereo system in the living room, and you had a turntable and new releases were on vinyl?  Yeah, those are the days you make me remember.

I love going to a BWSS show, because each one is unique.  Little disclaimer here, these guys are from my current home town of Tacoma, Washington, so I’ve seen them play like literally 40 times.  And yeah, I know them, and yeah they’re good guys, and god damn do they put on a show.  They could play the same setlist every night and it would be different.  Each show is treated as something special and unique, and a song is never played exactly the same way twice.  That’s what real musicians do, they make music.  Like BWSS.
And I love you because you release a gem like “Cheetah Milque”.  In this day of bloated releases that have so many songs on them you wanna turn the damn thing off before you get halfway through, you have the common sense to put out an album with 8 tracks.  Nice, concise, wham, bam, thank you ma’am. 

What a set of songs it is, too.  The title track opens things up with a nice, retro groove, gets your feet stomping and your hands clapping, and most importantly, your ass shaking.  Unless your ass looks like mine, no one really wants to see that in motion.  Then we get “Puget Blues”.  The first time I heard this I thought they were covering some long lost Hendrix classic, just a nice bluesy riff and a catchy vocal line that gets your head bobbing.

They follow these up with “The Web”, “Red List Blue List”, and my personal fave on the album, “Another Shove”.  Really dig this song, just an irresistible poppy number that should be playing on radio stations around the world and getting the due it deserves.

The album wraps up with three really incredible numbers, “Life Has Me”, “Fools Times Now”, and an ode to our volcanic neighbors all around us in the Northwest, “When The Mountain Blows”.   These 3 tracks stretch out a little bit and show the jammier side of the band, and if you really want to hear what these songs are all about you gotta see them live.  These recorded versions are amazing, but the things that happen when these songs get rolled out on stage will leave you standing there with your jaw on the floor.

I love this band a lot and I see that they are starting to get some recognition in the music press, which makes me very happy.  Do yourself a favor, if you ever see that these guys are coming to your town, and they tour a lot, make it a point to check ‘em out live.  And buy this damn CD already!!  Tell them Odin sent you.

- ODIN

http://thebigwheelstuntshow.com/album/cheetah-milque