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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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The Action
Bullet\r\n(Holy Moly Records)
By Ken Shimamoto
I had a moment of confusion the first time I saw The Action’s name on the marquee at the Aardvark, mistaking ’em as I momentarily did for the late-’60s mob of Mod Britpop fops of the same name who later (d)evolved into Ace of “How Long Has This Been Going On” fame. Au contraire, these boys are stalwart Foat Wuth denizens. Then again, that Brit connection wasn’t wholly spurious, although these days British pop means Oasis and Blur rather than the ’oo and the Small Faces. When you hear The Action, think old-school Union Jack-tion.
Of course, The Action is the band fronted by Joe Rose, a nominee for male vocalist of the year in this year’s Fort Worth Weekly Music Awards. When he’s making his way around the scene in his everyday attire, Rose is the most unassuming of individuals. I mean, the cat wears sweaters. But put him behind a mic and he becomes that crazy, uninhibited rock frontman dude.
His vocals on this e.p. are noteworthy in that he doesn’t sound like a) someone who just lost his dog or b) someone who just signed a pact with Satan. He’s got range, rasp, and even a serviceable falsetto. Behind him, Jace Bersin and Danny Weaver provide the guitar rifferama, while bassist John Goetz (who moonlights with the Southpaw Preachers) and drummer Mike DeRammelaere furnish the rumble and thump.
Of the selections here, the balls-out rockers are the opening “You See This” and closing “She’s So Fake” (with a guitar hook reminiscent of the one on the Toadies’ “Backslider”), while “24” (which has nothing to do with the Kiefer Sutherland tv series, I’m sure) and “Stare” are radio-ready mid-tempo items.
Recorded in March with producer Casey Diiorio, Bullet is proof positive that it doesn’t have to take forever for a local band to get product from the studio to your living room. Yaaay, responsibility!
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