The Do-Somethings - The Do Somethings
The music scene is always in a state of flux, most especially in the barren artistic wasteland of Phoenix. Stray upstart bands pop up outta nowhere and immediately begin the usual squabble for attention and start adjusting themselves to the ever-changing sound and vision of whatever happens to be popular at the time. With that in mind, it's refreshing to see a young group that is obviously not attempting to follow a particular scene or style, but is simply making the music they want to make. The Do-Somethings are Andrew Goard (guitar and vocals), Erin Garcia (upright bass and vocals), and Vai Peterson (drums and illegal substances) and they don't need people around them, stifling them. So if you don't like it, there's the door!
The instrumental opener "Intro" hangs out in safe territory combining Danzig riffs with Psychobilly guitar. This would have done well had it been expanded into a full song rather than keeping it short and predictable. "Hawthorne's Dream" gets a little more elemental with Erin's cool feminine croon and Andrew's low-register vocals blending well. The upright bass keeps the ship afloat amongst the torrents of guitar distortion. "Too Drunk" merges seamlessly, becoming the sonic sequel of the previous track. Lyrically, this song could have used a bit of buffing, but it's swing is suitable for the content. The true saving grace is the light touch of guitar and the backing vocals rounding things out. It turns all your bad feelings into good feelings! It's a nightmare!
"Goodnight Darlin" is clunky blues-a-billy with the main focus being abrupt tempo / chord changes. "The Reverend" kicks out the jams for a brief rock instrumental, only to lead us right back where we'd came from. Right when we were just beginning to shake! "The Strangest Place" is yet another slowish ballad with out-of-nowhere tempo changes, this time with improved clarity and a nimble guitar introduction. Andrew's mom should be proud her son learned to play guitar so well... even without a sense of smell! "Who Are You?" is along similar lines with a boozy campfire guitar strum pattern and walking bass, until the ass falls out of the tune and everything gets weird! For a brief moment, guitars become wildly over-driven and things threaten to fall apart at the seams.
It's tempting to draw comparisons to dark-tinged country acts such as Slim Cessna's Auto Club, The Coffinshakers and 16 Horsepower, with the leanings toward a gloomy, galloping sound almost as if Marty Robbins went off on a suicidal bender. With a bit more polish and finesse, this band is certain to make their mark on our wilting music scene. It's a long hard walk, and there's no doubt these guys can walk... HARD.
http://www.myspace.com/thedosomethings