Never Got Caught: Creepshow CD Review (ex-members of Clutch and Tree)

Boston's Never Got Caught self-released their second full-length, Creepshow, last year but the disc is now getting some well deserved attention after the band opened for Clutch earlier this summer.

Never Got Caught is led by brothers Bryan "Uzi" Hinkley (guitar/vocals) and Bill Hinkley (drummer) who were part of the post-hardcore Boston outfit Tree. Never Got Caught's sound combines the bluesy groove of bands like Clutch and Alice in Chains with a solid funk influence which touches on bands like Rage Against the Machine and Lucy Brown. Clutch is an obvious touch point for the band as Bryan Hinkley has been working with Clutch for the past couple years as guitar tech / touring guitarist and he also co-wrote a couple songs on From Beale Street To Oblivion. Further adding to the interconnectivity between the two bands, Neil Fallon add vocals to the track "Slipping Out".



There is a quote in the band's bio where Hinkley says "We really [tried] to develop different song progressions and melodies from track to track. Recording Creepshow with Andrew Schneider (Pelican, Unsane), he was really helpful in changing tones and even different drum sounds from song to song." and this describes the album to a tee. The disc switches up between funk-metal ("Slipping Out") to brooding alt-metal ("Anyway") to Alice In Chains style acoustic rock ("Parasite"). The only cut that doesn't work for me is the somewhat overly long and bombastic "Charlotte I" with its spoken word vocals.

All-in-all, Creepshow is a solid outing which should strike a positive chord with both Clutch fans and fans of 90's style metal. A strong follow-up disc should easily catapult the band into a headlining role on a national tour.

Links:
Never Got Caught

Scott “Wino” Weinrich Will Be Debuting "The Wino Band" at the 9:30 Club on Feb. 7th (Obsessed, Saint Vitus)

Wino will be playing his first live show with his new band on Saturday night (Feb. 7th) at the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC. Wino just released his first solo disc, Punctuated Equilibrium, on Southern Lord to strong reviews.

In addition to Wino, the other members of the band are Jon Blank (Rezin) on bass and Jean Paul Gaster (Clutch) on drums. Also on the bill are King Giant and Salome.

Tickets are $13.00 and doors are at 6PM.

Links:
Wino's MySpace Page

Wino - Punctuated Equilibrium CD Review (Southern Lord)

After spending the past 25 years playing music, it seems hard to believe that Scott "Wino" Weinrich is just now releasing his first solo CD.

The new disc, Punctuated Equilibrium, will be released next Tuesday on the Southern Lord label. Like most Southern Lord releases, there will be a limited edition vinyl pressing. The vinyl pressing comes with a bonus 10" that contains four exclusive tracks:

- Chest Fever
- Der Gift (The Poison)
- On The (Sacrificial) Lam
- The Comet And The Moon

Wino has been busy since disbanding The Hidden Hand in 2007. He recorded both a solo CD and joined a new project, Shrinebuilder, with members of The Melvins, Neurosis, and Om. On Punctured Equilibrium, Wino is joined by Jon Black (of Rezin) and Jean-Paul Gaster (of Clutch). The disc was produced by J. Robbins (x-Jawbox, Government Issue) and comes with original artwork from David D'Andrea. There are also extensive liner notes from Wino that describe the origin of each track.

Here is how Wino sums up the disc: "This is the culmination of a very old dream, one that has come true in many different ways. One of the main things I have learned is how I understand "success". To me, it's not all riches and glory so much as the impact on others lives. My main philosophy that guides me is that I was given a gift, a Musical gift which I use to bring happiness to others. It is also important not to overlook your own needs, but putting yourself in the other person's shoes is to me most important! Punctuated Equilibrium is how my personality has been described, as told in the lyrics."

Wino keeps the sound varied on on Punctured Equilibrium as the tracks range from a mix of stoner psychedelia (check out "Punctuated Equilibrium" or "Wild Blue Yonder", which has some Hendrix style riffs) to Clutch-style blues-based grooves ("Smilin Road", which is streaming on Wino's MySpace page and "Release Me"). There are also a couple tracks with a solid middle-eastern feel along with the (obligatory) Sabbath style downtuned "doom" tracks.

For any fans of Wino's past work, along with fans of the doom/stoner rock genre, Punctuated Equilibrium is a great addition to your music library.

Wino is currently in Los Angeles recording with Shrinebuilder and that disc will come out sometime this year on Neurot Recordings.

Links:
Wino's MySpace Profile

Viking Skull - Doom, Gloom, Heartache and Whiskey (Candlelight Records)

It doesn't often happen where the title of a CD tells you everything that you need to know about the band. In the case of Viking Skull, Doom, Gloom, Heartace and Whiskey is a very accurate description of this disc.

This is a solid slab of stoner metal where the band combines downtuned guitars with a chugging bass line. Vocalist Roddy Stone has a Lemmy-style gargling with razor blades voice but the overall sound of the disc is closer to Southern metal than Motorhead. Easy points of comparison are bands like C.O.C. and Clutch.

Like all great stoner-rock bands, this disc cops some solid Sabbath-like riffs which are most evident on songs like "In Hell". Viking Skull mixes up the sound across the disc so it isn't one big pot of sludge: there is an acoustic country music intro to "Shot Down" and "19 Swords" includes some Dave Murray/Adrian Smith style guitar work. The last cut, "Drink", is the perfect closer for a disc of songs about drinking, gambling, women and more drinking. "Drink" is a piano-driven bar stomper about the joys of drink with the chorus "We have to drink, drink 'til we sh*t our pants". This isn't a deep and meaningful record (let Bono or Bob Geldof save the world) but a lot of fun.

Viking Skull have had yet another lineup change with this disc and Doom, Gloom, Heartache and Whiskey is the first album to feature the band's two new guitarists: Dom Wallace of the band Deadeye and Rich Vose of the band Gnarlkill.

The band is currently touring with Clutch and then are playing a couple of headlining shows in Cleveland, Maryland and Pennsylvania. (It still perplexes me why all these metal bands skip NYC). Viking Skull are doing a video shoot at their Jan. 4th show and have posted "we will be performing an all ages show at the Note in West Chester, Pennsylvania and also be filming a video for 'Hair Of The Dog' with Joe Frantz and Bam Margera. It's going to be kick-fucking-ass. If you want to partake in that debauchery buy a ticket at www.thenotewc.com."

Upcoming Tour Dates:
Dec 28 2008 7:00PM, Webster Theater w/Clutch, Hartford, Connecticut
Dec 29 2008 7:00PM, 930 Club w/Clutch, Washington DC
Dec 30 2008 7:00PM, Newport Music Hall w/Clutch, Columbus, Ohio
Dec 31 2008 7:00PM, Orbit Room w/Clutch, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Jan 2 2009 7:00PM, Spitfire Saloon w/Backwards Payback, Cleveland, Ohio
Jan 3 2009 8:00PM Krug’s w/Backwards Payback, Frederick, Maryland
Jan 4 2009 6:00PM, The Note (video shoot/gig) with Backwards Payback, West Chester, Pennsylvania

Links:
Viking Skull's MySpace Profile

Kittie & Clutch - Legal Music Download

Here are a couple interesting tracks...

Kittie performed the title track from their new CD Funeral for Yesterday acoustic on WAMX, Huntington, WVA radio. I haven't heard the studio version but this track grew on me after a couple plays. (link)



Clutch are always a fun band. They just posted a cover of Pink Floyd's Money on their MySpace page which is available for download. The track is tagged as being a demo from 2003.