Classic Sexy Garage Rock for the 21st Century

4 MP3 Songs in this album (13:26) !
Related styles: ROCK: 60's Rock, ROCK: Garage Rock

People who are interested in Nirvana Billy Childish The Stooges should consider this download.


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If ever there has been a week when my brain and ears arenât quite ready to think about live music in Tacoma and Olympia, this is it. As I write this opening paragraph, Iâm sitting in the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, waiting for my flight home from SXSW and eagerly anticipating the cushy acceptance of my own bed. Iâm also trying desperately to shake the ear ringing that has plagued me for days now. For lack of a better term, I may be suffering from live music burnout.

However, a band like Electric Children wonât let me wallow for long. Up from Echo Park, Calif., and planning a stop at Le Voyeur in Olympia Thursday, March 27, Electric Children have been inspired by things that inspire me, and their grungy, garage blues should be exactly the type of vibrations that rejuvenate my spirits and get me back on the live music track.

Of all the guitar pedals in the entire world, one of my all-time favorites is the "Big Muff." Not only is the pedalâs name appealing to my permanently adolescent mind, but Mudhoneyâs famed Superfuzz Bigmuff record is one of the cornerstones of my collection. Mark Arm and Steve Turnerâs utilization of the Big Muff guitar pedal is legendary, and the warm, distorted sound the Big Muff provides has gone on to define the definitively grunge bandâs sound. For this reason alone, I will always love the Big Muff.

While the Electric Children arenât Mudhoney, make no mistake, the band does tout many of he same gifts for riffs and rhythms that have made Mudhoney so popular âand thus influential. The list of bands that credit Mudhoney as an inspiration is endless, but Electric Children is one of the more exciting ones.

The story of Electric Children starts with Ramblinâ Eddie Lopez in the summer of 2007. Lopez had previously played rhythm guitar for Vaporeux and the Tarpaulins, and had visions of creating a band molded by the blues but powered by the same ferocity as his heroes â the aforementioned Mudhoney, along with bands like Blue Cheer, the Scientists, Billy Childish and the Stooges. After recruiting his ass off, an official lineup was settled upon in the fall of â07. Drummer Albert Avina, bassist Lionel Perez, second vocalist Laura Ann Wight, and lead guitarist Krist Siordia made Electric Children complete.

The first time I picked up the guitar I knew for a fact I didnât want to play 30-minute solos. Steve (Turner) once said âI donât really admire skill.â Words to live by," says Lopez.

"Itâs impossible to predict the future, but I know for a fact weâre going to release one record per year for the next 20 years. Mudhoney, Sonic Youth, and Billy Childish are still around and just like those great bands we could care less what the lame stream is playing. We refuse to wave the flag for any one genre or scene, which is why weâll survive. The plan is to rehearse, record, tour, and take a holiday, a break in a continuous cycle."

Lofty goals, for sure, especially from a band thatâs still putting the finishing touches on not one but three recorded efforts. The debut Electric Children single, "Goodbye," is set to be released May 26. The bandâs debut EP, We Are ⦠Electric Children, should be available in September. And thatâs not to mention a 20-song, self described "rock opera" called Fantasy Land, which Lopez and Company plan to drop in 2009.

"The problem is weâre working on three records at once. Some people say itâs commercial suicide, (but) all those people have no vision and, of course, donât play in bands," says Lopez.

"Fantasy Land will have orchestration, lots of harmonies, and will expose the pharmaceutical, meat, and military industry for the frauds that they are among the many topics and themes. Itâs the kind of record people will be able to relate to 50 years from now."

Twenty years from now Electric Children may still be going strong, or they may have faded into obscurity, but one thingâs certain. At this time and point in history, theyâre producing some cream-of-the-crop rock. Itâs rock that would make Mudhoney proud, and rock youâll be kicking yourself if you miss.

- Matt Drescoli