After two years the whimsical power trio
known as Definitely Gary finally follow up their
smash-hit debut album (No. 2 in two out of every
five Alpine villages) with The New Deal.
There are approximately 10 songs that stretch the
boundaries of what can be achieved with wood,
wires and alternating current, casting great
amounts of fear upon all who attempt to share
their stage and continuing the fine tradition set
years ago by Jackie Fly.
The Garys waste no time in getting down to
bidness with Well, Alright, an instrumental of
a repeating guitar motif that is punctuated by
machine-gun drums and culminates in a party that
tumbles over into Its Going Down, a driving,
funky, off-center rocker that takes off its hat
to early Van Halen and replaces it with an
oversized fedora. Weatherman is classic Gary
with a nearly comatose, chemically induced first
verse and lyrics like I can tell that you combed
your mustache today. Then big guitars and big
drums bash in to serve as the wake-up call to a
rousing funk-fest of slapped bass that ebbs and
flows into a frenzied finale. Twisted Sister
meets Greenday in the feisty Dr. Doctor, Ph.D.,
a fun punker that sports a very nice instrumental
passage in stereo! After this song
presumably ends there is the first of many
mini-songs, this one a 40-second repeating riff
of a completely different character.
The influence of Zappa and Primus are heard in
Filthy Dirty, a ditty filled with an amazing
bass line and buzzing guitars – all of which
stop abruptly two minutes in to make way for a
50s sock hop hosted by Johnny Rotten. As if you
doubted that bassist Casey Stansifer was a
monster on the low end DÈjý Vu will put those
to rest. This song turns things up to at least 12
in terms of energy, cramming more notes into this
single song than some people put on an entire
album. Zach Smiths mammoth guitars force the
rabid bass into submission in the chorus, but
only with the help of percussion master Jon Ross,
a man who is a member of more local bands than he
isnt (Ill wait while you read that again).
The band channels The Squirrel Nut Zippers in
By The Wayside, a very silly song about
revenge-seeking, neglected rodeo clowns that will
give you a sugar rush while it lifts your wallet.
Scheidler Family Practice mixes Talking Heads
with early Adrian Belew for near disco euphoria,
spinning you around before beating you into
submission with Radio, a manically aggressive
song that includes everything it can to ensure it
never gets airplay: unorthodox poly-rhythms;
copious musical changes in a variety of styles;
some light wah guitar; an actual guitar solo;
and, eventually, a nice raucous jam session.
With their silly album cover poses, afro-laden
guitarist, upright rubbery bass, twisting
melodies and pliable rhythms, it seems that
Definitely Gary are intent on following their own
path, bravely forging genre-defying music in a
Midwest full of safe cover bands. The New
Deal is more than just a good bargain, its
chock full of musical goodness that will stick in
your head as much as it sticks in your teeth.