Four lads from the Midwest making a splash in America is not unusual in the annals of rock history. From Cheap Trick to
Redd Kross, the Midwest has been bringing its brand of pop-rock to ravenous audiences
hungry for its catchy and heavy hooks for more than 30 years. However, with the success
of young grunge and alternative bands from cities like Seattle, North Carolina, Chicago
and Athens, alternative rock has taken a solidly trendy slant leaving the old-school
pop-rock movement baffled by the lack of enthusiasm for their music in popular culture
today. Well, the times they are a changin'. Don't expect another flashy band with trendy
hair and little substance, a closer listen to American modern-rock and album-oriented
rock stations shows that the U.S. is currently being pleasantly surprised by four lads from
Ohio.
The band is The Szuters. The album is Last Band Standing. Precise Rick Nielsen-esq
guitar shards guided by moving bass lines and tight rhythmic drumming, Last Band
Standing is cleanly produced leaving room for lead singer Mike Szuter's scruffy vocals to breathe. The result is a compelling
album capturing the live performance energy of Szuter and crew with twelve grinding, emotion-filled tracks.
Formed nearly two years ago by singer-songwriter-guitarist Mike Szuter along with
brother-singer-guitarist C.J. Szuter, bassist Craig Martini, and drummer Gio Mastro, The
Szuters signed with indie Decompression Records in late 1997. After witnessing a string
of live dates at such famous venues as The Cleveland Agora, Peabody's Down Under,
The Odeon, and Ludlow's, the label felt that The Szuters would find an enthusiastic
audience out west. Armed with their first self-titled release, The Szuters, the label moved
the group to sunny Las Vegas. "On the East Coast, no one really knew who we were,"
explains Szuter. "People came to our shows, but we weren't exactly gracing the pages of
SPIN and Rolling Stone every month." "Steve, the owner of Decompression, saw the
band, shared the same vision we had, and let us make a record the way we wanted to
make it," continues Mike, "the result is Last Band Standing."
With the spring release of the first single "Cigarette," to U.S. college and modern-rock radio stations, The Szuters have been
lighting up request lines coast-to-coast. "I was working in a record store in Ohio," says drummer Mastro, "when we heard
we were getting requests on the radio all over the place. We were completely taken by surprise." Due to the strong support
being developed on the West Coast, The Szuters jumped a plane and headed to L.A. to perform their debut show at the
Troubadour. "I was nervous, the club was packed with all these people who liked our band," says C.J., "and we wanted
everything to go perfect but it just didn't. The sound system went out four times during the show." "The amazing thing was
that everyone stayed while the club fixed the system," continues Szuter, "and the show turned out great after all." "The next
day I had to fly back to Las Vegas to get back to work," adds Martini, "one day I'm performing in L.A. and the next day I
am back at work in the music store. I guess that's what they mean by `paying your dues'." With the success of "Cigarette,"
The Szuters won't be worrying about day jobs much longer.
Produced by veteran studio producer Bill Korecky, Last Band Standing captures the raw
vitality and energy associated with American "teen-angst" alterna-rock, while staying true
to the band's pop-rock roots. The combination is explosive,creating a feel on record that is
true to the band's live energy.
Szuter, who wrote all six cuts, often conveys a number of different ideas lyrically in the
same song. Behind a cryptic veil of ambiguity, his subjects are indeed personal and
revealing. "Our songs take on a different meaning on different days. Listeners can glean
their own meaning," he explains. "Being real is what's most important. I'm definitely no
storyteller."
Employing penetrating hooks and energetic licks, Last Band Standing grabs the listener by
the ears and refuses to let go. "Farther Falling Star," the relentlessly catchy opener that
sarcastically declares general disenchantment and was recorded in just one take, jump
starts the album with Szuter's urgent vocal "I'm not smart enough to quit...Sure I'll never
be missed." Szuter approaches several topics throughout Last Band Standing with songs
like "EX-OK," Different Today," and "Hey, Loser" all guaranteed to hit a nerve.
Spotlighting Szuter's talents in its pristine production, "Luna" is a track with haunting
keyboards and a chilling vocal line chronicling the art of losing oneself after a relationship
gone bad.
In an age where music and youth culture are too often co-opted by the establishment,
packaged and spit out to the public as the next big thing, The Szuters provide a breath of
fresh air, musical depth and integrity with an unusual lack of ego. "It's the music that's
important," says Szuter. And Last Band Standing is the first listen at what promises to be an important band. A band called
The Szuters..
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