Reviews
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The Kerouacs’ Dm Wilson and Brian Lippman keep everyone happy.
Battalion f ile photo
The Kerouacs
Dru Wilson, guitar, vocals;
Brian Lippman, bass; Jeff
Zwolinski, drums.
Brazos Landing, Thursday,
Sept. 1
★★★★
They had some delays getting
started, but once they hit the
stage, the Kerouacs
disappointed no one as they
rocked at Brazos Landing
Thursday night.
The band played a mixture
of original music and covered
artists ranging from bluesman
Robert Johnson to Warren
Zevon. Guitarist/vocalist Dru
Wilson and drummer Jeff
Zwolinski (both former
members of 4 Hams on Rye)
and bassist Brian Lippman
served up two and a half hours
of blazing, no-frills rock V roll.
The group opened with the
original “Fraction of Your
Time,” which perhaps best
summarizes the Kerouacs’
method: a big sound, heavy on
guitar, coupled with a sincere
reverence for the roots of rock
’n’ roll. “Fraction of Your
Time” was followed instantly
by “Bum This Place to the
Ground,” a rockabilly original
from the 4 Hams songbook.
Although 4 Hams on Rye
and the Kerouacs may be
similar in some ways, there are
differences as well. The
Kerouacs boast a bigger, fuller
sound. Wilson, by the use of
different guitar effects,
produces a wider range of
sounds than in the past. Plus,
the band avoids the excesses of
many groups. There are no
marathon guitar or drum solos
to be found here.
A Kerouacs show also places
more emphasis on original
material. A good thing too,
because these guys have plenty
of it. The band took rock ’n’ roll
down to the Caribbean with
“When I Look in Your Eyes. ”
With his thumb slapping the
strings of his bass guitar,
Lippman beat out some funky
bass lines on this song,
accompanied by Zwolinski’s
reggae beat on the drums and
Wilson’s guitar riffs.
Other highlights included the
cool blues of the instrumental
“Dorothy” and the band’s
smoking hot versions of Jimi
Hendrix’s “Fire” and the
Smithereens’ “Behind the Wall
of Sleep. ”
In fact, the energy of the
show was hot enough to cause
one of the band’s amplifiers to
overheat, resulting in a short
break. But it was not long
before they returned for
another set.
“Welcome to the Kerouacs’
comedy of errors,” Wilson told
the crowd as they launched
into a set that included the
ballads “Slave to the Night”
and “Another Day Older, A
Little Less Sane. ”
The music, originals and
covers alike, elicited
enthusiastic cheers from the
audience, who packed the floor
to dance. The floor swelled
with dancing couples during
the band’s version of the
Rolling Stones’ “Honky Tonk
Woman. ”
Danceable music, good
material, and a lot of fun. It’s
what the Kerouacs are all
about.
Review by Shane Hall
"Sun Tunnels"
The Texas Instruments
Rabid Cat Records
■k-k-k-k
Take the garage rock grunge
of the 1960s, combine it
with the progressive styles of
the 1980s, add a touch of
southern country twang,
and you have the Texas
Instruments. With their
second album, “Sun
Tunnels, ” this rowdy Texas
trio has topped even their
self-titled debut.
The Texas Instruments’
music packs a powerful
punch. Drummer Steve
Chapman pounds the skins
at a relentless pace
accompanied by the
booming lines of bass
guitarist Ron Marks.
Guitarist David Woody
rounds out this trio with
leads that go from distortion
laden psychedelia to neo-
60s folk rock.
Songs such as “The
Thing in Apartment B” show
the band’s ability to use
good old-fashioned raw
energy. Powered by
Woody’s guitar leads and
backed by the furious beat
of Marks and Chapman,
“The Thing” is one of the
album’s best tracks.
Other cuts such as
“Watch’n It All Go Down”
and the instrumental title
track take more of a
progressive turn and should
find favor with fans of
today’s new southern rock
bands.
Along with this Texas-size
helping of southern
progressive sounds, “Sun
Tunnels” boasts some
enjoyable diversions.
Michael Chester and Spot,
the album’s producer, join
with the band (on banjo and
viola, respectively) for some
backwoods swamp sounds
on the eccentric “You Ain’t
Going Nowhere. ”
These and other tracks
make “Sun Tunnels” a real
treat and a great addition to
anyone’s progressive rock
collection.
Review by Shane Hall
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Page 4/At Ease/Thursday, Sept. 8,1988