Drunk Stuntmen – Trailer Life

“They” say that country music is the only kind of music that can marry the Saturday night exuberance with the sanctity of Sunday morning.  (Wow first line into the review and I’ve already used two big words that I would otherwise never use, I think I have a headache)  They say that in country music, you can have one song about having a drink and the very next song can be about going to church the next morning to ask for forgiveness for the previous nights transgressions.  (Ouch, there’s another one)  Well, “they” have never listened to the Drunk Stuntmen, who managed to put the idea of looking for a drink together with the idea of being in church into the same rock and roll song.  Hmm, looking for a drink while in church, they must be Catholic.  And make no doubt about it, this is definitely not a country CD, it’s definitely rock and roll from the start to the end.  Their web site calls their music “Honest music for honest folk, geared toward the life of working-class America.”  I just call it good.  Now, don’t get me wrong, just because this CD rocks, doesn’t mean that they’ve cut back on the lyrics or don’t tell good stories.  Far from it, this CD is full of tales about the evils of Clear Channel to the previously mentioned “church social” to leaving town.  There are also references in this CD to Pabst Blue Ribbon beer and geeks in love and there’s even a slide whistle in one of the songs.  How can you not love that? 

Hold on to your speakers when you put this CD in because the first cong is Clear Channel and it comes out hard and fast.  And it makes fun of the big boys that control many of the radio airwaves.

You think you’re choosing what you swallow

But you’ll take anything they tell you to

Another song about sticking it to “the man” is Mystery.  (I wonder if “the man” is related to “they.”  I’m thinking they’re second cousins, you know, kissin’ cousins.  And no, I know nothing about that) I love the tune in this song; it’s got a real cool bass beat that keeps the song going.

You gotta handle pushes

And you gotta learn shove

When you’re trying to make a living

Doing something that you love

I’m wishing I was reading the mystery I’m living

Instead of living the mystery I’m in

The cool thing about this CD is that all songs are a little different than any other songs.  Sometimes you get a CD and each song sounds like the last and by the time you get to the end you’re like finally, something different.  (The silence at the end would be what’s different)  But that’s not the case here, each song has it’s own identity, with the only common denominator being that they are all good.  The CD is so good that the last song doesn’t want to end.  Just when you think they’re done, they go on another lick, it clocks in at 7 minutes and 7 seconds.  Not a bad thing, except the last song came on right as So NoTorious came on.  I thought I would finish listening to the CD and then catch the show, but the song lasted right into the first commercial break.  I had the TV on but the sound was turned down and I still don’t know why Tori, Nanny and Kiki were at the Baptist church in Crenshaw.  I think it had something to do with Mother’s day and I did get to catch Tori leading the congregation in a rousing rendition of  “Jeremiah was a Bullfrog.”

So what have we learned today, Drunk Stuntmen rock, I make it look easy using words like exuberance or transgressions or kissin’ cousins, you might say it’s a case of sprezzatura, (whoa, I think I ruptured my spleen on that one) and I can begin and end a music review talking about church, one Catholic, one Baptist.

This is from their web site:

Drunk Stuntmen encourage taping of their live shows for personal and noncommercial sharing and blaring purposes. Some venues may put restriction or prohibit taping. Please don't go to see us at those venues, anymore.
We love you.