Texas is probably the last place I would look for garage or alternative rock. On those hot dusty plains, I’m likely to think of country, blues, Stevie Ray Vaughn, honky tonk, and beer swilling (bad beer at that) crusty pokes in cowboy hats. Oh yeah, and don’t forget Texas style death metal. But garage rock? I don’t think so. Dallas based Slugpuppies, however, gave me cause to reconsider my opinions.

Formed during the summer of 2005 with five members, The Slugpuppies’ history is typical of young aspiring bands: form, lose members, disband, reform, and then press on to an album. In 2009, The Slugpuppies are a four piece with original players Phillp Meyer (g,v), Joel Ball (d), and Kevin Preston (g), joined by newcomer Matthew Grope on bass. With the melodrama gone and the strength of a consistent lineup, Meyer, the principal singer and songwriter, was able to work diligently on their debut, Emotherapy.

Never quite understanding what the whole ‘emo’ thing meant, but knowing I hated most of the artists and music surrounding it, I was quite suspect of this album. Lyrically, much of Emotherapy has all the self-absorbed, navel-gazing confessions of the genre. Musically, however, the disc ventures more toward modern alt rock with strong melodies and healthy smatterings of progressive and psychedelic rock.

On the end side, songs like I Can’t Feel the Rain or To Drown a Dream are milder numbers that rely heavily on vocals and acoustic guitar for early grunge introspection. On the modern alternative side, The Slugpuppies depend on less than subtle amounts of distortion and a hollow garage cave production, as on Brain Disease or Ineffectual, to promote their music. None of these aspects hurt the Puppies in the least, but neither are the songs tremendously novel or convincing because of them.

Better were the songs that followed the more progressive track. Goodwill Towards Man developed a more psychedelic 70’s feel with an ethereal vocal arrangement and uncommon fretwork. The longer Finding Your Way was quite impressive as it measured heavier riffs with sublime moments and impassioned vocals. However, the real star of Emotherapy was the magnificent instrumental, Peck of the Rooster, which displays fine song composition and soaring guitar work.

Some final notes are worth mentioning. A musical kudo should go to Musical Eugenecide, a quirky and catchy alt pop number that will surely attract the current modern rock crowd. Also, The Slugpuppies should also be praised for their artsy and clever packaging done by CNM Design. This latter fact alone gives them huge professional credibility.

Though hardly up my daily musical alley, The Slugpuppies’ Emotherapy is a sound and polished contribution to the modern alt rock genre. I’m likely to whip this album out for my scarf-wearing, latte-slobbering, alt rock snobs the next time they bust my musical chops for listening to Metallica or Killswitch Engage.

Reviewed By Craig Hartranft

Craig Hartranft, Reviews Emotherapy, Slugpuppies

As a reviewer or critical listener, it’s hard not to become jaded or cynical about modern music in these commercially predictable times. What is thrust upon us by the mainstream labels usually does nothing more than suck the air out of musical viability and the money out of our wallets. This is probably the single best reason why I love to hear from independent, unsigned artists. Enter My Situation’s A Mile from Nowhere, a delightful, infectious, and hardly predictable concoction of 12 genre-crossing songs.

My Situation is the project of songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and Bronx New York native Derek Torres. A quick audio overview shows that A Mile from Nowhere is not the usual fair cursing the pages of Rolling Stone or Spin magazines. One might even say Torres has slipped through a wormhole into the 70’s or 80’s because his music is far from what passes for modern fare. A Mile from Nowhere is classic melodic hard rock with emphasis on the melodic. Torres can sing without grunting or growling, and (gasp!) he can actually play a guitar solo.

The strengths of A Mile from Nowhere are found in Torres’ strong and diverse song composition, an emphasis on vocal arrangements, and his rather impressive fret skills. With an emphasis on melodic rock, My Situation can traverse the more subtle side on Remember the Day and Everything to things harder and heavier on Mind Ride and Night of the Dead. Torres is more than a little heavy-handed on the distortion throughout, but this quality coupled with the varied guitar work gives many songs a 70’s psychedelic feel, especially on Only Soul or All Comes Down. Even the urban piece, The Crew, sounds less like today’s hip-hop and more like glory days of the 1980’s when rap and rock merged so eloquently.

On the vocal arrangement side, Torres has a surprisingly sound and pleasing voice which expresses itself with some passion on a song like Deeper. Being a solo project, the background vocals are provided by the artist to often less than average effect. Many times, as on Only Soul, they are poorly integrated and mixed making arrangement sound contrived and the album third rate.

Being a guitar lover, I was more than satisfied by Torres’ fretwork. He not only shows some imagination and cleverness, but the solos work well within each song. This demonstrates a strong sense of compositional congruity rather than adding a solo as an afterthought. From beginning to end, the guitar work is quite viable and entertaining with a huge and entertaining run from Mind Ride through Remember the Day.

On the downside, and this is inherent in most Indie solo projects, the production on A Mile from Nowhere is average at best. The production mix is audibly uneven throughout, and often from one song to the next. I mentioned the daft vocal arrangements earlier. However, sometimes the guitar solos, which are some the best parts, get shortchanged and muffled as on Would You Care. However, much of this can be overlooked because of the strength of the songs and Torres’ musicianship.

Overall, My Situation’s A Mile from Nowhere is a strong first effort beyond the bounds of mainstream fare. Built upon a foundation of classic melodic hard rock, sound song composition is combined with notable musicianship to create an intriguing, genre-crossing compilation. Recommended!

Reviewed By Craig Hartranft

Craig Hartranft, Reviews A Mile From Nowhere, Derek Torres, My Situation