Band of the Week: The Mooney Suzuki

[May 11 - 17]

The Mooney Suzuki
Sounds Like: Garage Rock / Old School
Drinking Buddies: Albert Hammond Jr., Tokyo Sex Destruction, The Rolling Stones

Synopsis: Old school stylings with new school feelings.

Makes You Want To...: Chant; Wild out; Drink.
[Myspace]

One week, one band. You know the drill.
This week, the featured artist is The Mooney Suzuki.


Anyone can blither on all day about modern music like it's the melodic saviour descended upon high from the mighty rock n' roll guitar gods in the form of "the artistic use of distortion," complex song structure, and unique instrumentation. Anyone can, and some do it better than others, but that's not the point. The real shining beacon here can be seen in the last post on Voilà!, about The Soft Pack. These guys play simple rock, all of that high fructose pop-rock bled out of their sound, leaving them with a gritty, raw, and absolutely delicious style. The Soft Pack's style is almost dated it's so simple, and that's what makes them so good. Because as many of us know, real rock n' roll has been absent for some time now.

There are millions of folks out there who have long ago resigned to not pay attention to modern music, for it is, as they would say, a paled excuse for music from the former self of rock music. A world where most of the bands are far older than us. Classic rock: The Rolling Stones, The Doors, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Jimi Hendrix; the list goes on. But its all these folks who are ostensibly the reason why rock music is the way it is in its contemporary form. These folks ardent pursuit of loud, raucous rock, flailing guitar solos, and general ridiculousness has spawned an uncontrollable, unstoppable movement known as modern rock, and we owe them a bit of gratitude.

And if wealth could be measured in tribute and gratuity, the The Mooney Suzuki would be musical millionaires, which judging by their sound and songs, you'd be hard pressed to doubt their potential. The Mooney Suzuki hails from New York, New York, unless the truth was that they somehow slipped through a time warp from back in the 70s (it's entirely possible?). These guys play a sound that... well, it sounds like it's classic rock, but they're way to modern to be considered as such. With a wonderfully blended style of The doors, The Rolling Stones, as well as the progression of music since such great musical artists were actually around and kicking, The Mooney Suzuki results in a sound unprecedentedly old school. And that's an extremely huge compliment.

These guys aren't afraid to represent the music they love, probably because they do it so darn well. It has everything you would expect in good classic rock: simple chord structures, fast pace, the obligatory (yet still always somehow random sounding) piano, high energy, and of course, guitar solo after guitar solo. Sex, drugs, and women - the rock clichés - are quite pervasive in The Mooney Suzuki's lyrics, and are happily touted along the way. And their energy... the energy these boys exude - especially in their live performances - is off the Richter scale. When the solo guitarist runs out into the guitar blaring his guitar licks while pushing through drunk onlookers, only to run back to the stage and scale a huge speaker for his final solo of the night... well, I think you might get the idea.

The music is where these guys truly shine, and sadly, the best way I can explain their style is to send you speeding to them to catch a listen for yourself! The Mooney Suzuki has four studio albums, People Get Ready, Electric Sweat, Alive & Amplified, and Have Mercy, all of which I'm willing to bet can be found at your local music retailer and on iTunes. Words have been scarce out of Camp Mooney Suzuki lately, but I'm willing to bet they've been feverishly endeavouring toward a new album. But maybe that's me just starting a rumour...

One thing is for certain, and that is you need to listen to The Mooney Suzuki while you have the chance, before they grow old too. Maybe you'd like to visit The Mooney Suzuki on YouTube. That's fair. But they also have a really sleek, sexy looking website which would be nice to witness. And if Myspace is more your style, you can find The Mooney Suzuki's Myspace right here. Get a'listenin' to their old school stylings, reader, and have a very nice week.