 Eastern Conference Champions - Ameritown Review
by Patrick Muldowney
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I was just visiting my brother, and spent some time driving through Bucks County (Pennsylvania). It did not ignite my creative fire, but somehow this birthplace of Eastern Conference Champions (now in Cali) and Illinois has become a muse for cerebral Rock. Ameritown, for all intents and purposes, is a debut for a 3-piece of not-so-green musicians, featuring former members of Laguardia and CKY. The band and their label (Suretone) make no efforts to play up these former affiliations, and draw attention though. Most likely because one listen to Ameritown is much more effective than any marketing ploy. Eastern Conference Champions has assembled an array of possible hits with a release calling to the "thunder"ers, chanters, thinkers, bi-polars, fighters, and truth seekers.
Ameritown spends many moments showing a genuine understanding of the great elements of Bar/Arena Rock. This style is about ego (or lack thereof), getting loose (drinks, smokes, etc.), and the subsequent self-destruction that is as much invigorating as damaging to the average American. The snotty, nasally, and whiney delivery of Josh Ostrander perfectly fits this unclean life because on songs like "Noah" he is creepy and exciting. Like the driving rhythm and the crunch, there is a gravitational pull to this character stating, "I'm no modern playboy set for sail." Guys identify with such lyrics because the majority of us are faulty creeps. Girls identify because, for most, the poster boy is neither possible nor intriguing, so an honest dirtball might be the best possibility for tomorrow morning's regrets (or maybe even a lifetime). "Single Sedative" is another rock anthem, equipped with a "Hey Yeah" chant in which the vocals are perfectly matched in energy by the drums and guitars. "Yuppy Hipster F---", the next track, continues a little bit with the chanting, even though it's more of the happy drunken Irish chant than the previous angered Drunken Monkey chant.
When not feeding off adrenaline, Ameritown teeters between sad and uplifting. "The Box", quite possibly the best song, captures this conflict between dark and light. The chorus, featuring images like "I got one foot at the gate of hell/You've got two hands hailing taxis down", is accompanied by symphonic keyboards that provide both brilliant and realistic irony. "Stutter", with its recital-style piano, is emotionally draining until the moment it ends due to "lack of oxygen". Songs like these show that Eastern Conference Champions is multi-layered, rather than a band playing for the glory of one moment (or hit). Similarly, many writers are currently trying to replicate Paul Westerberg, and even though I doubt Josh Ostrander is making the slightest attempt, it is difficult to listen to the bare, brutal honesty in his voice without thinking of longstanding artists of such quality.
If America decides they like Ameritown, Eastern Conference Champions could spend a few years touring on this effort. At least a handful of the songs have radio potential, which has been an issue with their radio play. Depending on the station, a variety of tracks are being featured at this point. Those quandaries are for Suretone to figure out; until then, we can selfishly love Ameritown for all its beauty and wonder whether our secret town will grow into a nation.
Tracks added to iPod: The Box, Some Sorta Light, Noah, Stutter, Single Sedative, Yuppy Hipster F---, Pitch A Fit, *Monster (*-great song on single)Also be sure to check out Patrick's interview with the band! Get that right here
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Eastern Conference Champions - Ameritown
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