(based on 2 reviews)

  guest wrote:
Southside Boogie “Flying Blind”
Posted on April 1, 2011 by Phil

While Southside Boogie is New York-based, you may never notice that while listening to Flying Blind. This blues rock band sounds like it’s more likely to hail from the dirty South, and laying claim to influences like The Allman Brothers, Marshall Tucker, and Santana. Perhaps the group looks up to Carlos Santana because he’s a guitar hero, as Flying Blind is chockfull of electric guitar playing. The album is also made up of boogie music. Just take a listen to “Headin On Down the Highway.” In addition to its familiar Southern rock sound, this track concerns one of the genre’s favorite subjects: traveling. Southern rockers love truckers about as much as truckers dig Southern rock, and this song is driving music at its best.

Maybe it’s just a Southern thing, or a Southern-inspired thing, but folks down that way are constantly sinning, and then being repentant about it. The group takes the example of one that regretted his high living lifestyle in the Bible for “Prodigal Son.” “I’ve been the best, I’ve been the worst/I’ve been blessed, I’ve been cursed/I’ve come full circle,” they sing. That’s a common life story. It’s just hard to live only one way, all the time, this lyric suggests. People swing from being their best, to being their worst, all the time.

On the lighter side, this band sure loves to rev it up and boogie. Yet even boogie rockers have quieter moments. One of this CD’s best softer moments comes along with “If I Could See Her Again.” It begins with mournful piano, before thoughtful electric guitar comes in. The intro is long, yet it sets the scene for a song about romantic regret. However, after a brief pause mid-song, it starts up again with a more upbeat Latin feel. If you’re wondering, this is where the Santana influence kicks in. Drumming steps up in the mix, while piano becomes more rhythmic. The vocal doesn’t even come in until half way through the track. It’s a really nice, melodic song. Lyrically, it’s not too deep. It’s all about believing that if this guy can just see a particular girl again, he’s sure he’ll make everything right.

“Fishermen Blues” is one of many on the album that starts off with acoustic piano, and draws upon Santana’s guitar style again for its ax work, as well as a touch of Dire Straits’ Mark Knopfler thrown into the mix. Like “If I Could See Her Again,” this is also not what anybody would call a boogie rock song. Instead, it’s a track where the Steve McCowan stretches out with long stretches of electric guitar exploration. It’s as though he’s playing in hopes that the sound of his instrument will reveal truths to him, and also to the audience. If you enjoy guitar playing with plenty of melodic notes, yet not a lot of show off-y, speedy riffing, this track, and much of the music on this album, will appeal to you. If, however, you just want boogie rock, look no further than “Texas.” The song actually bad talks the South. Both Texas and Tennessee are put down, while Broadway in New York is lifted up. The guitars chug along with some butt-shaking rock & roll.

Although this band spends much of “Texas” dissing the South, the music throughout tells an entirely different story. Southside Boogie truly digs its Southern rock. Better still, they also know how to play it well.

Review by Dan MacIntosh
Rating: 3 Stars (out of 5)

  guest wrote:
Southside Boogie “Flying Blind”
Posted on April 1, 2011 by Phil

Rolling out of southside Brooklyn NY, Southside Boogie doesn’t just have blues, rock and country on the map. They have made a whole new place for it. With guitar work that may leave Santana asking for tips, along with an incredibly clear sound and high energy music, this band has it all. You know you’ve got a good band when the drummer sings lead on one song, the keyboardist sings lead on another, and everyone takes turns showing off their amazing talents. Southside Boogie is one of the most well-rounded and talented bands we’ve been graced with in recent history. The album Flying Blind brings to the table some of the best musicianship since Blind Faith, Santana and Van Halen.

Guitarists Steve McGowan and Stan Manel really out-do themselves on this album and vocalists Eric Gonzalez and Danny Lugo are simply amazing. Their combined talent is just one of many attributes that make Southside Boogie such a force to be reckoned with. Drummer Spencer Strand takes lead vocals on the song “If I Could See Her Again” while keyboardist John Wydra sings “Prodigal Son” and “When You’re In Love.” When you can combine and trade out multiple vocalists in one band and have musicians of such high caliber playing together, you know you’ve got something good going on.

Southside Boogie’s album Flying Blind carries a blues rock rhythm as its base, but there are traces of country, southern rock, rockabilly, gospel and even some jazz and Big Band. The instrumentation on Flying Blind is fantastically well done, most particularly on the opening track “Check Yo’ Shoes” and “Fisherman’s Blues,” both instrumentals. The guitar work on “If I Could See Her Again” is gracefully beautiful and the keyboarding on this piece is spectacular as well. “She’s Had Her Way” is sung by Eric Gonzales and Danny Lugo, and there is a Van Halen essence about this track that will endear it to listeners. As with many of the songs on Flying Blind, this piece has an energy to it that can’t be denied. Listening to the studio recordings of Southside Boogie, the listener can barely get a grasp of how great it would be to see this band perform live, and the sheer energy that would abound, both from the band and the crowd.

Delving into some country, “Southern Town” has a guitar riff that positively. Without missing a beat, Southside Boogie then rolls right into some blues rock on “Come On Over.” The flow of this album is fantastic and it keeps listeners engaged and attentive throughout. Excellent song placement simply enhances the fact that this talented band is offering some of the best blues/country rock to be found on the continental U.S. Showing their more southern rock side are the songs “Plain Brown Wrapper” and “Let It Ride.” The former has tones of Steve Winwood, specifically the Blind Faith era, and the latter is a good ole down home biker song. Bad Ass, is what we’d call it. But within that “Bad Assery,” there is a melodic rhythm and a haunting vibe that pulls at the heart and ushers forth a gentle groove that will have legions of fans swaying to the beat. The album closes with excellent harmonica playing on “Don’t You Know Me,” and Southside Boogie has just sealed its fate as one of the best original blues rock band this side of the Rockies.

Southside Boogie seems to have a hand in every form of rock there is, from blues to country to Big Band and rockabilly. With instrumental pieces of pure creative artistry that will leave a lasting impression to high energy songs that beg to be danced to, this band can do it all. With excellent guitar playing, spot on vocals from various band members, wonderful keyboarding and a killer rhythm section, Southside Boogie has more talent than one band knows what to do with.

Review by Rhonda Readence
Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)

  guest wrote:
Southside Boogie “Flying Blind”
Posted on April 1, 2011 by Phil

New York City-based rockers Southside Boogie dwell in an eclectic mix of 1970’s hard rock and rhythm and blues reminiscent of the Doors, the Rolling Stones and the early days of Styx, with doses of the early Americana/classic-rock blend of the Allman Brothers and Marshall Tucker. Led by front man Steve McGowan, Southside Boogie walks the line between yesterday and today with a sound that is clearly steeped in the 1970’s but an energy that’s exciting and new. Southside Boogie’s album, Flying Blind, shows flashes of greatness in both songwriting and execution, gut gets caught up in a whirlwind of styles and sounds that can become distracting. Seemingly every great rock influence that has ever informed McGowan’s musical style rears its head on Flying Blind, keeping Southside Boogie from ever really establishing a consistent approach.

Flying Blind opens with the instrumental “Check Yo’ Shoes”, a brilliant mix of rock and rhythm ‘n blues. The guitar and synth work here are amazing, full of an urgent energy that you have to hear to believe. “That Ain’t Me” puts McGowan’s voice on display, a croaky Joe Cocker type of sound that is full of undeniable soul. “Southern Town” is a catchy, well-paced rock tune with a R&B backbeat. This is a fine bit of songwriting, although the mix leaves the vocals out of sync with the remainder of the arrangement. “Come On Over” is a good-time party tune with a George Thorogood vibe. The guitar work is shred-worthy and dynamic.

“Plain Brown Wrapper” is a solid if unremarkable track, but serves as an apt segue way to “Texas,” a catchy rocker that you simply cannot resist. Southside Boogie works its way through numbers such as “She’s Had Her Way” and “When You’re In Love,” showing off an instrumental style and grace that impresses. “Texas” is a fun little tune that lists all of the places McGowan wants to avoid in his travels. The song is full of humor and wicked guitar work. “Let It Ride” is a solid album track, but “Headin’ Down The Highway” is a high-energy number that’s catchy and full of fun. “If I Could See Her Again” once again shows off the instrumental prowess of Southside Boogie in a well-played but mildly complacent performance. “Fisherman’s Blues” is a bland guitar-rock instrumental that sounds somewhat like Southside Boogie is going through the motions. Flying Blind closes large with “Don’t You Know Me”, a stylistic mix of Creedence Clearwater Revival and Steppenwolf that is vibrant and full of life.

Southside Boogie surfs the waters of classic rock n roll with a refined ear for song construction and melody. This is displayed in the song selection on Flying Blind, and also informs the performances therein. While the technical aspects of the performance and the songwriting are well informed, there is a highly derivate aspect to the music presented here. Steve McGowan’s songwriting consistently draws on years of musical influences, to such a degree and with such variation that it becomes difficult to find any stylistic consistency in the sound. Southside Boogie shows moments of great songwriting, but spends much of the album somewhere in the middle. Flying Blind shows a band that’s found its sound but isn’t quite sure what to do with it.

Review by Wildy Haskell
Rating: 2 Stars (Out of 5)