-Mark Lush, MWB 8/22/03
For many, seeing the name Jackass conjures
up images of guys running around doing the stupidest stunts in
the world; inflicting pain on each other, wreaking havoc, and
barely avoiding arrest. Love them or hate them, you hear the name,
and you can’t help thinking about it.
Well, that is about to change for a lot of music fans in the Midwest!
There’s a new Jackass in town! And this Jackass is gonna
rock you, Donkey Style!
Before you carry the thought too far, I should tell you that Donkey
Style is the name of the CD that has just been released by the
Cincinnati, Ohio band Jackass. With this release, the boys in
the band are out to change your perception of the word Jackass!
You’ll still associate the name with stupid stunts, pain,
havoc, and avoiding cops, but the faces will be totally different!
There isn’t anything real fancy about this band; they play
straight up rock and roll. And from all that I’ve been able
to read or see, they play it loud! The band features Scotty Wood
(guitar/vocals), Jason Knarr (bass/vocals), Dave Cahill (drums),
and Mike Schottelkotte (steel guitar/vocals). It’s really
a simple line-up, except for the steel guitar, which creates a
very unique sound! On “Uniball”, the steel guitar
is used to create a very whiny, high sound that plays off the
rhythm guitar sound very well! On the hidden track, it’s
used to create a dissonant sound that once again accents the rhythm
work. It’s not an overdone effect at all; in fact, it took
me a bit to realize that the sound that I was hearing was a steel
guitar! I just knew that the band was creating a distinct and
very creative guitar sound!
In my reviews, I typically tell you about the songs on the CD
that I really enjoyed; I really try not to get in a rut with my
recommendations, because I don’t want the readers to be
bored to tears! With regard to this album, I will just say this:
“Again”, is the first track on the CD; in all there
are 12 songs (interspersed with 3 small answering machine interludes),
including a hidden track. The band starts the CD at 90 miles an
hour, and charges full speed ahead through the entire album, never
slowing down, never turning down! It’s pure adrenaline-pumping,
throw-your-hands-in-the-air, shake your ass rock and roll that
lasts for nearly 40 minutes! If Jackass were driving a race car,
it’d be a top-fuel dragster, gunning off the line at top
speed, and only slowing down when the race was over. Does that
give you any indication of the type of band we’re looking
at here? This is a ROCK band!
In particular, I’m very fond of the first three songs on
the CD. “Again”, “Saran Wrap”, and “Screamin’
Inseams” are all played back-to-back, and totally define
the Jackass sound. With subsequent listens, I become more fond
of the slide steel guitar, and the effect that it has on making
the music of this band distinctive!
I think I also like the fact that the songs on this CD are short,
sweet, and to the point! It helps to reinforce my drag racing
metaphor in the paragraph above. That seem to be this bands approach
to the music! Play it hard, play it fast, and get to the finish
line a winner! In the world of so much alternative/nu-metal music,
hearing a good, old-fashioned rock band is a special treat!
I hope that you get a chance to listen to Donkey Style very soon!
I’m interested in knowing if others react to this CD the
same way that I have! If you are anything like me, the more you
hear this CD, the more you’ll appreciate the unique sound
that they have! And, the more you hear it, the more you’ll
want to listen again and again!
Here’s hoping that the next time you see Jackass on MTV,
it’ll be a new video just released by Cincinnati’s
hardest rocking band!
---Mark Lush, MWB 8/22/03 *Listen to Jackass on MWB RADIO!
http://www.midwestbands.com/review_page.php?id=77
Previous
Page
