| THE SZUTERS- American Pop from the Last
Band Standing
Four lads from the Midwest making a splash in
America is not unusual in the annals of rock history.
From Cheap Trick to Redd Kross, the Midwest has
been bringing its’ brand of pop-rock to ravenous
audiences hungry for its catchy and heavy hooks for
more than 30 years. However, with the success of
young grunge and alternative bands from cities like
Seattle, North Carolina, Chicago and Athens,
alternative rock has taken a solidly trendy slant
leaving the old-school pop-rock movement baffled by
the lack of enthusiasm for their music in popular
culture today. Well, the times they are a changin’.
Don’t expect another flashy band with trendy hair and
little substance, a closer listen to American
modern-rock and album-oriented rock stations shows
that the U.S. is currently being pleasantly surprised
by four lads from Ohio. The band is The Szuters. The
album is Last Band Standing. Precise Rick
Nielsen-esq guitar shards guided by moving bass
lines and tight rhythmic drumming, Last Band
Standing is cleanly produced leaving room for lead
singer Mike Szuter’s scruffy vocals to breathe. The
result is a compelling album capturing the live
performance energy of Szuter and crew with six
grinding, emotion-filled tracks. Formed nearly two
years ago by singer-songwriter-guitarist Mike Szuter
along with brother-singer-guitarist C.J. Szuter,
bassist Craig Martini, and drummer John Fedevich,
The Szuters signed with indie Decompression
Records in late 1997. After witnessing a string of live
dates at such famous venues as The Cleveland
Agora, Peabody’s Down Under, The Odeon, and
Ludlow’s, the label felt that The Szuters would find an
enthusiastic audience out west. Armed with their first
self-titled release, The Szuters, the label moved the
group to sunny Las Vegas. “On the East Coast , no
one really knew who we were,” explains Szuter.
“People came to our shows, but we weren’t exactly
gracing the pages of SPIN and Rolling Stone every
month.” “Steve, the owner of Decompression, saw
the band, shared the same vision we had, and let us
make a record the way we wanted to make it,”
continues Mike, “the result is Last Band Standing.”
With the Spring release of the first single “Cigarette,”
to U.S. college and modern-rock radio stations, The
Szuters have been lighting up request lines
coast-to-coast. “I was working in a record store in
Ohio,” says drummer Fedevich, “when we heard we
were getting requests on the radio all over the place.
We were completely taken by surprise.” Due to the
strong support being developed on the West Coast,
The Szuters jumped a plane and headed to L.A. to
perform their debut show at the Troubadour. “I was
nervous, the club was packed with all these people
who liked our band,” says C.J., “and we wanted
everything to go perfect but it just didn’t. The sound
system went out four times during the show.” “The
amazing thing was that everyone stayed while the
club fixed the system,” continues Szuter, “and the
show turned out great after all.” “The next day I had
to fly back to Las Vegas to get back to work,” adds
Martini, “one day I’m performing in L.A. and the next
day I am back at work in the music store. I guess
that’s what they mean by `paying your dues’.” With
the success of “Cigarette”, The Szuters won’t be
worrying about day jobs much longer. Produced by
veteran studio producer Bill Korecky, Last Band
Standing captures the raw vitality and energy
associated with American “teen-angst” alterna-rock,
while staying true to the band’s pop-rock roots. The
combination is explosive,creating a feel on record
that is true to the band’s live energy. Szuter, who
wrote all twelve cuts, often conveys a number of
different ideas lyrically in the same song. Behind a
cryptic veil of ambiguity, his subjects are indeed
personal and revealing. “Our songs take on a
different meaning on different days. Listeners can
glean their own meaning,” he explains. “Being real is
what’s most important. I’m definitely no storyteller.”
Employing penetrating hooks and energetic licks,
Last Band Standing grabs the listener by the ears
and refuses to let go. “Farther Falling Star,” the
relentlessly catchy opener that sarcastically declares
general disenchantment and was recorded in just
one take, jump starts the album with Szuter’s urgent
vocal “I’m not smart enough to quit...Sure I’ll never be
missed.” Szuter approaches several topics
throughout Last Band Standing with songs like
“EX-OK“, Different Today”, and “Hey Loser” all
guaranteed to hit a nerve. Spotlighting Szuter’s
talent’s in its pristine production, “Luna” is a track
with haunting keyboards and a chilling vocal line
chronicling the art of losing oneself after a
relationship gone bad. In an age where music and
youth culture are too often co-opted by the
establishment, packaged and spit out to the public as
the next big thing, The Szuters provide a breath of
fresh air, musical depth and integrity with an unusual
lack of ego. “It’s the music that’s important,” says
Szuter. And Last Band Standing is the first listen at
what promises to be an important band. A band
called The Szuters. |
