Album Notes

Lord Baltimore: Fulfilling their mission statement that every song should be as balls-out ferocious and as catchy as Blur's "Song 2", St. Louis trio Lord Baltimore's shows share something in common with that song's video, as well. Fun, frenetic, and loud as hell, with debris flying everywhere. Take a newby friend to his/her first LB show and inevitably, after, "Holy shit! Loud!" they'll shout into your ear, "Where're they from?" Not from here, they're thinking, We don't make 'em like that. Always dressed to impress in suits and vests (shit, spats, even), on a stage strewn with flower arrangements you'd sooner see at a Mob Bat Mitzvah, the band blows up their hilarious, intentionally offensive, but always catchy tunes with a vital ingredient missing in most St. Louis bands: stage presence. When frontman and guitarist Dave AlanS' (formerly of Social Blunder and the Dave AlanS Band (duh)) ragged voice bleeds through a P.A. system, you have no choice but to stop and take notice. Backed by a raucous chainsaw of a rhythm section, drummer Wesley Nile and bassist Trey Guzman (Cowboy-hat-wearing scoundrel, alter-ego of the very respectable Todd Smith, a long-time member of local faves Languid), AlanS' all-systems-go rock songs explode forward with so much vigorous energy, sometimes the songs feel as if they're playing the musicians, and not the other way around. And as each song screeches to a stop, you involuntarily devil-horn. You can't help yourself. The rare band that debuted fully formed, Lord Baltimore had T-shirts and a new CD available before ever stepping foot on a stage. And when they did finally get on stage, last year at Off Broadway, it was to headline their own show, in front of a packed house. These guys have been around the block, each bringing along fanbases built by their previous bands, and those longtime fans continue to stick around. The boys in the band promise to bring the rock'n'roll whupass, if only you'll provide the "Whooo-hoo"!