A new production company is in town, and they’ve got the basement all ready for you.
Firehydrant Records was founded last year by local music fan Sean Smock with help from The Big Spank singer/guitarist Mike Garcia.
Their goal is “to provide resources to money-starved musicians (and) to give opportunities to the amazing talent we have in our city.”
And all of this is done from Smock’s basement, where the recording studio is located.
The first two Firehydrant Records releases, which were released this summer, show an impressive degree of professionalism.
Punk-Hop-A-Delic by Bat Wings for Lab Rats and Put the Worries Down by Shot by the Breeze sport a major-label level of production values. The instrumentation, mixing, vocals and engineering are all top quality, showing that Smock is not just another wannabe with an eight-track in his basement.
Bat Wings for Labrat’s Punk-Hop-A-Delic’s title conjures dreams of Jimi Hendrix crossed with Rage Against the Machine.
The actual album, of course, does not quite live up to the high standard set by the name, but they put forth a solid effort on their first disc. Guitarist Rob Nakai and bassist Phillip Ortiz have perfected a sort of stoner-surf rhythmic drive that keeps the music rolling like Bay Area breakers lazily lapping the shore. Check out the intro to “Exist” for the strongest example of their intertwining grooves.
Singer Brandon Atencio’s drawled raps segue well into sung choruses, keeping the beach party moving at a pleasant pace. The lyrics work best when relying on vaguely psychedelic nonsense, but occasionally take some unfortunate detours into melodrama. On “Blood Song,” Atencio croons, “We fight for the air, and reach for the sun. We don’t let it go,” followed by a chant of “Bleed, bleed, bleed, bleed, bleed!”
Maybe Atencio isn’t being dramatic. It’s possible that playing at the Launchpad is in some ways analogous to drowning. In either case, Bat Wings for Lab Rats, with Punk-Hop-A-Delic gives us a strong intro into the Burque music scene. With a little refinement, Bat Wings for Lab Rats band could be counted among the best in the area.
It’s too bad Shot by the Breeze doesn’t fare so well.
The first mistake you notice is in the clothing: The back of the CD case shows four sun-glassed, high-fiving guys whose style puts them squarely in the “Dude Bro” category.
The band’s sound is best described as “Frat Rock,” which is to say it falls short in its attempt to be the next Sublime.
With lyrics like, “When I took that hit from the bong/Now I don’t know what is goin’ on,” singer/guitarist Tanner Pilette seems to be playing to a party-boy image that might be impressive to drunk 17-year-olds, but isn’t going to knock the hats off anyone who thinks there might be more to life than Bud Light and sticky-icky.
In the same song, after his bong hit, Pilette continues, “There were some words to this song/But I don’t know what is goin’ on,” which is a very believable explanation for what happened here.
This is not to say it is bad music.
The band can definitely play its instruments and organize a coherent song, which is a lot more than can be said for many local musicians. The album drifts along pleasantly, with a nice blend of ska, rock and even a little country. It’s not the kind of thing you would have to play through your best headphones in order to analyze every nuance, but it would make a good soundtrack to a couple rounds of beer pong.
The band’s name was inspired by a trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, which provides a good metaphor for its music. Cabo, a Club Med-ized tourist town, is nice enough, but it’s a long way from the real thing.
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There’s a tricky line that one must balance to make poetry out of partying, and Shot by the Breeze does not stay on the mark. Unless you’re the type that thinks song titles like “Balls Out, Balls In” suggest misunderstood, Kurt Cobain-style genius. Come to think of it, Cobain did write a song called “Moist Vagina,” so maybe these guys are on to something, after all.
The Firehydrant Records touch is obviously beneficial to both bands. The production values stay consistently high on both albums, proving once and for all that you can get a good sound out of a basement. If the talent can become just a little more talented, Firehydrant may someday be huge.
