"All You Bitches Just Went To Toledo"

So says Swank.
Soledad Brothers; Heartless Bastards, Beat The Devil
@Mercury Lounge
New York, NY – April 8, 2006

Finally, I see the Soledad Brothers. I was supposed to see them the Friday following the 2004 election but I had too much of a case of the blues. Little did I know that the Soledad Brothers are the cure for what ails ya. Guitarist and lead singer Johnny Walker, drummer Ben Swank, guitarist/vocalist/saxophonist Oliver Henry, and now along with organist and Frenchman Dechman, comprise one of the best rockin’ outfits tearing it up today. Whether it “I-75 Boogie”, “The Gospel According to Johnny”, “Cage That Tiger”, or “Going Back to Memphis” (which may arguably be the best live blues jam song written in generations), the boys from Toledo offer rock n roll at its finest.



(Photos by Roxxan H)

Heartless Bastards are another Ohio rock ensemble, from Cincinnati. A lot more downchord than the Soledads, the Bastards begin their songs with riffs reminiscent of the Pixies but their able-voiced lead female singer/guitar player, Erica Wennerstrom, takes the band on a pop journey, including sparks of early 60’s melodies. It’s a neat mixture of dark and light but it’s a little underwhelming. The first act we caught of the night, Beat The Devil, is an art-house spoken word cabaret act that gets a little metal. It also gets a little dull.