Lunch of Champions

Open up a can!!!

I listen to Spank’s “Fresh out of the Can” EP when I am pissed at my girlfriend. Or sometimes when I need to jump out of a window. Or even sometimes when I’m cooking. This is an all-purpose EP. It rocks, yet it is sensual. It can provide the foundation for a relationship with a special person, or it can destroy years of toil building communication between partners and such.

Lead guitarist, Nate Cryns, brings his ax out in mad style on “Little Frankie” and “Get Those Things”, while playing nice on “I Can Make It”. His guitar playing is a mix of James Hetfield’s thrash on old Metallica’s Ride the Lightning album and Eddie Van Halen on “Jump!”.

Spank - Little Frankie - Ball of Fire
Meanwhile, lead singer and bass player, Noah Cryns, provides the growl of a bear in the vocal department while belting out accusations of thievery on “Little Frankie”. On “Ball of Fire” he proclaims, “I’m a great big ball of fire!”, which actually summarizes his vocal style quite nicely.
Drummer Bradley Thomas performs stunningly. I can’t say enough about his workmanship on this record. He ranks amongst the best drummers of the last decade, and consistently performs at a high level.

Summary: Don’t kill your girlfriend - just listen to Spank.

What an attick sounds like

“Speak easy Heroes, as you pillage the earth! Speak easy, Heroes, while you rain salt upon me! Speak easy, Heroes! Speak easy, Heroes!!”

So began a recent show by Chicago-based rock band, the Speakeasy Heroes.

Speakeasy Heroes - People on the Run - Collegiate Man
This band’s attick-recorded, live LP is a must listen for anyone who appreciates the sort of raw recording techniques reminiscent of old-school punk bands. Recorded over two weeks in an attick of an old farmhouse in Illinois, the Speakeasy Heroes’ LP provides a lesson in band ergonomics for those who find it difficult to rock in a 100-degree attick for hours on end.

The powerful vocal lines sung by Toby Cryns provide chilling accounts of government meltdown on “People on the Run” and of college dating conquests on “Collegiate Man”. Meanwhile, bassist extraordinaire, Bob Serrano puts down an irresistible set of roving basslines, all set up by the explosive drumming of Los Angeles drum-smacker, Bradley Thomas.

The album is held together by the fact that the songs were all recorded live with the same microphone set-up, which provides a stunning cohesiveness amongst the tracks on the album.

Summary: This band ROCKS!!!