The DVD is an awesome. Whether playing on the street or cramped into the very front of a stage because Asia's equipment can't be moved, Cooler By The Lake knows how to engage audiences through its beat-up muscle car style, classic rock dynamics, and singer, Rory Lake, who has no fear of embarrassment, even when the staged antics lack smooth implementation.

Musically, Cooler By The Lake can be a bit much for those not enthralled by cheeze, but, for not fitting a current sound, there are still songs that stand out in quality and rawk appeal. "So Many Times", which is structurally similar to "Paradise by the Dashboard Light", has the excellent inclusion of a coach's whistle. Billy Squier would not be ashamed of Rory Lake's cover of "My Kinda Lover" either. It's pretty true, without being identical, to the original, although it has a little vocal gibberish a la Anthony Kiedis at the end.

Cooler By The Lake has a definite chance of achieving cult status. I can't be certain it's over the top; I can be certain I'd like to see them live. I also can be certain that consumers who seek creations outside the margin will clamor to spread the word once Cooler By The Lake appears in a few radio station free bins. If you know someone with an odd sense of art and humor, skip the possibility of fate, and make this a Christmas present that will have the inner circle wondering how they so luckily left the beaten path.