WhatzUp

Keep Off The Grass
Basement What?
by Jason Hoffman

The heavily touring Basement What? have been busting themselves to get their name out. In addition to playing in five states they’ve also had songs on past Essentials albums and compilations by Rolling Stone and Billboard. With the release of their third album, Keep Off The Grass, they are positioned to expose even more states to their Midwestern college rock sound.

The eight songs on Keep Off The Grass are led off by “Anything Good,” a solid rocker that spotlights the clean vocals of Dave George as he sings lyrics such as “She reads magazines like Seventeen / Even though she’s thirty-five.” A sweet round bass, compliments of Pete Jacobs, and intense sounding distorted guitars from Nick Young round out this enjoyable indie song. “Spit Me Out” continues the impressive guitar sounds (half flange, half Brian May) and incredibly rich songwriting. In addition to impressive drumming by Lou Grant, this song has a bit of a Dave Matthews Band feel, albeit with a slightly more aggressive touch. “Stay ‘Til Tuesday” is a mid-tempo middle-of-the-road number with nice backing vocals, smoldering with passion in the vein of 3 Doors Down.

The band throws a twist with “Hold Your Breath” by adding a jangly rhythm and unconventional double vocals on the bridge, making for a seriously playful song. The band adds harmonica to “I Don’t Know,” a wailing song with a swaggering beat, a sizzling guitar solo and such pontificatious lyrics as “Sometimes in your life / You get a little surprise / Like some extra change / Or a punch in your eye.” The album ends appropriately with “At Home” that, while just under five minutes, tends to achieve a kind of epic feel with labored tempo, passionate vocals and buzzing guitars that soar overhead, being both inspiring and melancholy.

While Keep Off The Grass lacks the instant college appeal of songs like “My Beer,” there are plenty of quality songs to draw fans of modern heartland rock. By focusing on a smaller number of songs Basement What? and Neal Parnin of the late Ozone Studios have been able to fully develop the potential of each song, giving them the breath and life they deserve. For more information and sound samples check out www.basementwhat.com.