Dead Hot Workshop - 1001
http://deadhotworkshop.bandcamp.com/album/1001
You know Gin Blossoms, and The Refreshments, and i hope you know Meat Puppets, and you probably even know their younger depressed brother Jimmy Eat World, but i doubt you know the real hometown heroes of Tempe, AZ (unless you're like me and look up bands other bands say nice things about).
Rock is a generational form of popular music, and it's almost always paired with the other predominant genre of an area. In other words, whatever the 20-somethings are angry about blends with whatever they've been forced to listen to on the radio and produces the cocktail called "rock." The 60s were all about LA, the 70s were NY and Detroit, the 80s were LA and NY, the early 90s were Seattle, and the late 90s were Arizona. Yes, Arizona with it's incredibly distinctive country tinged alternative rock. Amazingly enough, the really famous bands all looked up to one group of guys.
You know about Gin Blossoms because they drove their van all over the country for three years, until the major labels couldn't ignore the popularity they were generating and started buying up any AZ band they could find. Who did Gin Blossoms sell that van to? Who did the Refreshments name check on their big (and awesome) album? Who's singer did the East Valley Tribune call "the poet laureate of Mill Ave.?
Dead Hot Workshop.
Their major label debut, 1001, is exactly what you expect it will sound like, but history wants to annoyingly pretend that they were overshadowed by Gin Blossoms. The trouble is, as great as Gin Blossoms are (and yes they are great), they were merely the commercial, marketable face of this particular scene. The Refreshments were closer to the real thing because they were sarcastic and a little rough, but Dead Hot Workshop is the real rock band of the group.
Keep in mind we are talking about alternative rock. The love songs are sad, the drugs do not make you happy, everyone thinks you are a loser because you're out in the dirt and rain working for a living instead of sitting in an office trying to sell people useless junk. Alternative rock says "reality bites" because it does.
Dead Hot Workshop sounds like you worked all day, have dirt in your teeth, and plan to wash it out with a beer or 3. They sound like if Gin Blossoms didn't care about radio hits. They sound like they are just trying to get their point of view out into the world, and it's fantastic. The real reason they didn't get super famous like their peers is because they aren't a sentimental or nostalgic sounding band. Brent Babb writes amazing songs but they aren't generic enough to appeal to everyone. You have to want to hear what he has to say.
If (like me) you have a real fondness for those few years when alternative rock WAS mainstream, then i implore you to go check out Dead Hot Workshop. It's a very familiar sound, but it still sounds fresh and genuine, and most importantly gritty.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lG3o_gV8-ldUwSeEEpYve-P-r0H-YFALE
Next
You know Gin Blossoms, and The Refreshments, and i hope you know Meat Puppets, and you probably even know their younger depressed brother Jimmy Eat World, but i doubt you know the real hometown heroes of Tempe, AZ (unless you're like me and look up bands other bands say nice things about).
Rock is a generational form of popular music, and it's almost always paired with the other predominant genre of an area. In other words, whatever the 20-somethings are angry about blends with whatever they've been forced to listen to on the radio and produces the cocktail called "rock." The 60s were all about LA, the 70s were NY and Detroit, the 80s were LA and NY, the early 90s were Seattle, and the late 90s were Arizona. Yes, Arizona with it's incredibly distinctive country tinged alternative rock. Amazingly enough, the really famous bands all looked up to one group of guys.
You know about Gin Blossoms because they drove their van all over the country for three years, until the major labels couldn't ignore the popularity they were generating and started buying up any AZ band they could find. Who did Gin Blossoms sell that van to? Who did the Refreshments name check on their big (and awesome) album? Who's singer did the East Valley Tribune call "the poet laureate of Mill Ave.?
Dead Hot Workshop.
Their major label debut, 1001, is exactly what you expect it will sound like, but history wants to annoyingly pretend that they were overshadowed by Gin Blossoms. The trouble is, as great as Gin Blossoms are (and yes they are great), they were merely the commercial, marketable face of this particular scene. The Refreshments were closer to the real thing because they were sarcastic and a little rough, but Dead Hot Workshop is the real rock band of the group.
Keep in mind we are talking about alternative rock. The love songs are sad, the drugs do not make you happy, everyone thinks you are a loser because you're out in the dirt and rain working for a living instead of sitting in an office trying to sell people useless junk. Alternative rock says "reality bites" because it does.
Dead Hot Workshop sounds like you worked all day, have dirt in your teeth, and plan to wash it out with a beer or 3. They sound like if Gin Blossoms didn't care about radio hits. They sound like they are just trying to get their point of view out into the world, and it's fantastic. The real reason they didn't get super famous like their peers is because they aren't a sentimental or nostalgic sounding band. Brent Babb writes amazing songs but they aren't generic enough to appeal to everyone. You have to want to hear what he has to say.
If (like me) you have a real fondness for those few years when alternative rock WAS mainstream, then i implore you to go check out Dead Hot Workshop. It's a very familiar sound, but it still sounds fresh and genuine, and most importantly gritty.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lG3o_gV8-ldUwSeEEpYve-P-r0H-YFALE
Next
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