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Zanotti Mrasz Weber – Drunken Monkey
Limeygit
We here at Indie Monkey pride our journalistic integrity above everything
else. So the fact that this CD arrived accompanied with a six-pack of beer
for moi, and a bunch of bananas for Gordon, has nothing to do with the fact
this CD went from arrival to review in record time. It is just a coincidence.
Nice beer by the way.
Anyway I am glad I got to this CD so fast. I have said before that the term
'bar band' can often have bad connotations, but to me a really good 'bar
band' is something very special, a band that can accompany the act of drinking
rather than distract from it are worth their weight in gold, and that is
exactly what Zanotti Mrasz Weber do.
 The band consists of two Zanottis, a Mrasz, and a Weber, and hail from Pittsburgh
and have been together since the late ‘70s. They produce accomplished original
tunes blending blues, rock, and occasional a touch of country or folk. The
result is as smooth and satisfying as a properly poured Guinness, or maybe
a dram of well-aged Scotch. Look if you send me alcohol, what other kind
of metaphors am I going to pull out of the air!
Opener 'Turn it Over', is a classically simple rock tune. Chorus and verse,
drums and guitar, there is a reason this stuff works. The album was recorded
in their own sixteen-track studio, and it has a homely, warm, under-produced
sound that is so much more appealing than the glossy quality so many bands
pay a huge amount of money to obtain.
Track three is another example of why less is more when it comes to production.
"I'm going to drink my blues away. Going drink 'till the break of day" is
one line from 'Jay’s Blues'. 'Keep It Simple Stupid' is a catchphrase in
the computer world these days, it seems also to be the motto of ZMW.
The songs continue in this vein. Sometimes picking up the pace, other times
going for a mellower groove. 'Try Another Time' has a touch of country, 'Funked
Up' has, well you guess what musical genre rears its head, while 'Ballade
of Crazy Sara' brings elements of the old-world to the party.
Each track stands on its own, and the whole result is, well a very good time.
Nothing here is going to give any just out of college record executive a
hard-on but as soon as I open the 'Indie Monkey All-Star Swingers Lounge'
ZMW are invited to play at the opening night. Hell I may even comp them their
drinks.
Oh and if anyone wants to lend me the money to open the 'Indie Monkey All-Star
Swingers Lounge', make sure you send the money accompanied by a six-pack
of beer and a bunch of bananas...
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