By Henry Lipput
Jeremy Porter and the Tucos is one of the best rock and roll trios I’ve heard since Ben Folds Five released their debut album more than 20 years ago. In addition to Porter on guitars and lead vocals, The Tucos (a reference to the character played by Eli Wallach in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly) are Gabriel Doman on drums and Bob Moulton on bass and vocals.
Their latest album, Candy Coated Cannonball (Bandcamp), is full of songs that rock as well as pop. For example, the opening track, “Put You On Hold,” adds a Farfisa organ and Porter’s treated vocals to create a mix that will remind you of those garage-rock legends The 13th Floor Elevators and would certainly be in the running for a slot on the High Fidelity follow-up movie.
“Dead Ringer,” on the other hand, is one of the best pop tunes you’ll hear this year. It’s got a melody and lyrics to get your toes tapping and you’re smile working like a song from ‘70s AM radio (when tunes ruled). Just imagine the new girl at school or a new woman at work who looks like Debbie Harry, Patty Smyth, or Carlene Carter and your heart beats faster and your tongue gets tied every time you get near her.
“Upward Trend” has an excellent mix of both rock and pop and is about what happens when you get that girlfriend and the things that guys do to mess it up. “Zipper Merge” is a wonderful acoustic-based song that would have fit nicely on Fountains of Wayne’s Welcome Interstate Managers album. And Porter moves the timing of a Big Star song by a month on “October Girls” where the only warmth to be had is not from the sun but from a late-night pickup; the solo guitar also brings to mind “Thirteen.”
If you’re in Chicago or Iowa later this month, Porter will be playing some solo acoustic dates. Here’s where and when so you can check it out:
Next time: Destiny is now a four-way street
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