Feature Artist JIMMIE'S CHICKEN SHACK

By John Horstman

Artist:	JIMMIE'S CHICKEN SHACK
Title:	"PUSHING THE SALMANILLA ENVELOPE"
Label:	Rocket
Rating:	Plus!

Originating in Maryland, "Jimmie's Chicken Shack" released three Indie records, and sold over 20,000 units in their home market, before signing with Rocket Records (Elton John's Label) for their national debut, "Pushing The Salmanilla Envelope." "Jimmie's Chicken Shack" has been compared to some of hard music's finest bands, including "Black Sabbath," "Soundgarden," "Red Hot Chili Peppers" and "Fishbone." As big a fan as I am of the aforementioned bands, I have to give JCS a lot of credit for having their own flavor. Sure, you can hear influences of different bands, but they definitely do it their way. The band calls it "mutt rock," and after you hear the first two or three tracks, you understand why. JCS is into a meld of styles that hasn't been done before. Eclectic, hard, crunchy, groovin', movin', makes you want to shake, funky as funk gets, REAL LEAD GUITARS, lyrics that entice your mind and your funny bone - are you catching on yet? The album's opener, "Dropping Anchor," sets the mood for the coolest musical ride I've taken in years. It starts off kinda mellow with psychedelic guitars, then takes off into a hard groove. Lead vocalist Jimi Haha's voice kicks in with an immediate familiarity few singers possess - at least not until their songs get played to death. His voice sounds friendly to the ears, yet commands respect when he goes balls-out to get his message across. In a world where so many singers sound alike, this is quite refreshing. Twisted lyrics abound on this release, courtesy of Haha, and if they were any less twisted, they simply wouldn't fit. The video hit, "High," is where I was first turned on to JCS. Curiosity took over when I picked up the record back in December. "High" addresses the question of whether or not to get high, and lets the listener come up with their own answer. Hard hitting, and now four years old, "High" is holding up nicely. The next track, "Spiderweb," goes into the realm of "Rage Against The Machine," yet you might think someone in the Zappa family had a hand in the songwriting. When the groove goes into the Rage-rap thing, it's totally unexpected! Fucking sick! Speaking of sick, "Blood" is about the stupid life and death risks that people take when having unprotected sex - "I'll do anything fulfill myself/ I know every time I kill myself." This Is Not Hell" goes where no song has gone since "They're Coming To Take Me Away Ha-Ha." If you can imagine that song in 1998, with more comical, yet very real, lyrics, you get the gist. "Milk" contains some of the strongest lyrics written about the state of things and people in today's world. "Who do we think we are/ And what's left to save/ Well it's time that we will give her back what she gave/ I'm not talking to myself/ I'm just the only one who's listening . . . Mine doesn't matter/ Think of all that we could do/ If we could just join together/ One of these days we're gonna break through/ Wise never looked so strange/ Life is something that will soon fade away/ And if anything is right today/ It's that we're hypnotized, man." What a statement! Everyone should hear these words and heed the message. Amazing! Music with a message that sounds so good you remember the words and the words give you something to think about. "Who Do We Think We Are?"! Every song on this CD has merit, and "Hole" is no exception. "Hole" explores the deep recesses of depression and pulling yourself up from the hole you dig yourself into - very positive. "School Bus" is another humorous song about - guess what? - riding on the bus when you're a kid. Guitar jams are all over this record, and Jimi Haha and Dave Dowling deliver on all counts. I can't remember the last time I heard an album that didn't leave the tape deck in my van for so long that I had to get another copy for the house. Ska-funk and reggae inspire "Another Day," and they take it to another level when it gets all crunchy. Reggae never sounded like this before! The album's closer, "When You Die, You're Dead," is another Zappa-esque track. A very intricate song, with possibly stronger lyrics than "Milk," about life at the end of the millennium. Maybe that would've been a more appropriate title for the album. "Songs for the Changing World at the End of the Millennium" - just a suggestion! All in all, "Jimmie's Chicken Shack" stands up to any band in the hard music genre and shines in such a way that I feel very fortunate to have been exposed to them. I hope you are, too. Music in the nineties has finally reached it's finest hour, and their name is "Jimmie's Chicken Shack!" Buy and enjoy!

LIVE IN CONCERT! Everclear, Jimmie's Chicken Shack, Feeder Showplace Theater Buffalo, N.Y. 3/13/98

The Showplace Theater in Buffalo is a new venue for me, and without having a clue what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised at what a perfect concert venue this converted theater has become. Most of the seats in the front have been removed to open up a sizable floor space in front of the stage. There are no obstructions so there isn't a bad view from anywhere in the house. There's a bar on one side of the room (with Guiness and Sam Adams on tap) and a merchandising booth in the lobby for t-shirts (way overpriced) and other band stuff. Let me go off about the overpriced t-shirts for a minute and then I'll tell you about the show. I happen to work in an industry where I am the buyer for t-shirts, etc. for promotions. Even when I have to have a shirt design customized and produced locally, the cost is pretty reasonable (under $6.00 per shirt). I just can't understand why the cost of shirts at concerts is around $25.00. This is ridiculous! Regional bands still sell their shirts (same quality) for around $10.00. I'm not picking on the bands at this particular show, it just seems that when bands get signed to major labels, the price of their merchandise goes sky-high. I, for one, am not buying overpriced wearables anymore. Nobody should have to pay $25.00 for a t-shirt unless it's gold-plated. Enough. On to the show. When we arrived at the Showplace Theater, everyone working at the venue was very courteous. One of the security guys escorted me to the front for photos and the bouncers at the stage were also very accommodating.

"Feeder" was on stage when we settled in. and they seemed to be getting a good crowd response. Sorry to say, I was not familiar with "Feeder" before this night, but based on the crowd, they could be around for a long time. They had an edge similar to some of today's harder alternative acts and are unique enough to last.

Unique is the key word for "Jimmie's Chicken Shack's" performance. From their newest single, "Dropping Anchor," to their current hit, "High," JCS delivered a powerful and fluid show. They performed pretty much their entire album, "Pushing The Salmanilla Envelope." The crowd was on their feet immediately, and the moshers were going at it whole hog. When a band grooves as solid and hard as JCS, it's not hard to imagine everybody in the place moving to the beat!

A few songs into the show, lead singer Jimi Haha asked if there were any "Deadheads" in the crowd. Although there wasn't much of a response, the band played their rendition of the "Grateful Dead's" "Turn On Your Love Light" to a satisfied audience that probably didn't know what they were playing. Towards the end of the song they crunched it up nicely - Jerry would've been proud!

"This Is Not Hell," a quirky melodic song, was a sure crowd-pleaser. Their hit single, "High," was also well-received. Guitarist Dave Dowling turned in some really tasty licks as did Haha. Drummer Jimmy Chaney and the extraordinary bassist Che' Colovita Lemon held the funkiest, most solid backbone I've heard since "Fishbone." I don't think I've ever seen a new band grab a crowd and hold 'em like this one.

"Jimmie's Chicken Shack" is right where a million other bands would like to be with one difference - quality. Tight as tight can be, they turned in one of the finest performances I've ever been lucky enough to see. I always like to pay attention to the crowd to get a feel for the show, and this crowd never stopped movin' until the band was done.

"Everclear" came out very strong, but within about twenty minutes or so the crowd was stagnant. This is a pro-band all the way and I couldn't understand why they lost the crowd. Maybe they didn't actually lose the crowd, but rather the crowd was worn-out from two hard-hitting opening bands.

At one point, the frontman stopped the band and just kind of fucked around waiting for the crowd to make some noise. While his bandmates were off to the sides laughing, he said things like "Maybe we weren't meant to play Buffalo," and "I'd really like to play my songs." The singer didn't get what he was after, and the band played on. Arrogance on stage is not what rock 'n' roll is all about, but maybe nowadays it's something the alterna-bands do to add to their mystique. What Ever! We stuck around for about another twenty minutes and I had enough. I would highly recommend seeing any of these bands at a live show, but "Jimmie's Chicken Shack" were the shining stars on this bill. Buy their record, "Pushing The Salmanilla Envelope." It's the best damn thing since fried chicken. Cluck, Cluck!

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