| Main Line Riders...first thoughts.... |    |
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arttieTHE1manparty
The Strongest Man In The World
Age : 38
Joined : 26 Dec 2006
Posts : 4215
|  Subject: Main Line Riders...first thoughts....  Sun Mar 23, 2008 9:38 pm | |
| So, after my much publicized (at least here) debacle with CDBaby, I finally got Main Line Rider's "Shot In The Dark" CD. Some first impressions:
1. Whoever said this sounds like Junkyard has apparently never heard Junkyard. I don't hear Junkyard in this CD at all.... Nowhere nearly as blues-based as most Junkyard stuff is. This CD is much more in the vein of early LA Guns, Erotic Suicide, or,
for a CHristian comparison, Squad Five-O, than anything else I can
compare it to.
2. This is what Christian sleaze-styled music should sound like! I was very impressed with the band. While I think the vocals were a little out front in the mix at times, and a bit monotone in spots (which again, could be a mixing problem), I really like the sound of the band.
Before I do much more commenting, I want to give myself some more time with this disc. Initial feelings, however, have me liking this disc quite a bit.
Arttie
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kethdredd
Joined : 06 Apr 2007
Posts : 160
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ultmetal
Joined : 26 Dec 2006
Posts : 1920
| | Subject: Re: Main Line Riders...first thoughts.... Mon Mar 24, 2008 1:19 pm | |
| | Quote: | Main Line Riders are a Texas band lead by guitarist Cliff Powell, who may be know by some as Cliffy Huntington from the 1990's punk rock band The Huntingtons. However, Main Line Riders are not a punk band. Rather Main Line Riders are playing a style like something you might have heard on the Sunset Strip in the mid-1980's. Musically, the band incorporates a lot of influences including AC/DC, Guns 'n' Roses, L.A. Guns, Faster Pussycat, and even a bit of old school 1970's glam like the New York Dolls. This is all delivered with a hunger, energy and a loose, punk-like delivery. Not all here is a throwback to Hollywood and metal yesteryears though. One thing that brings "Shot in the Dark" out of the 80's is the more modern, digital recording. Personally, I'd put Main Line Riders into the same school of modern hard rock bands as Beautiful Creatures, Buck Cherry and even Velvet Revolver. That is not to say that Main Line Riders sound exactly like any of these bands, but they have managed to take a retro sound and make it sound quite contemporary.
Most of the album is built loosely around up-tempo, anthems that will have you singing along within a few listen. The most infectious of the bunch for me was "We Are the Ready Ones" and "Throwin' Bones To The Wolves". Both these tracks have an AC/DC swagger. Tracks like "Ride The Main Line", "One Way Ticket To Love", "Put the Hammer Down" and "Pack Up Your Blues" also have a hard rockin' approach. "Speed Queen" is a bit different in that it is the most punk-like of all the tracks here. I'd even venture to say this song has a bit of a Motorhead influence to it. Many of these songs feature guitar solos that remind me of something you might expect from Slash. The vocals of Mike Mayhem work well with the band. He reminds me slightly of Philip Lewis from L.A. Guns from time to time. He lacks the raw, gritty feel of an Axl Rose, Taime Downe, or Bon Scott but he has enough sass and attitude to make it work. The lone ballad "Her I Am" also has that Sunset Strip/LA Guns vibe to it. This song starts off as an acoustic guitar driven song before bursting into a full blown power ballad that features a duet between Mike Mayhem and female vocalist Kristi Lynn Walker. The final track "Shot in the Dark", which is not listed on the track listing, is a Junkyard cover and is obviously the track for which the CD was titled. This track is quite good and peaked my interest in Junkyard.
Main Line Riders' "Shot in the Dark" may not break down any doors for innovation, but it will appeal to those who remember when hard rock and metal were as much about having fun and singing along to a catchy chorus, as it was about musicianship. |
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Cliffy
Age : 38
Joined : 10 Oct 2007
Posts : 257
| | Subject: Re: Main Line Riders...first thoughts.... Tue Mar 25, 2008 9:36 pm | |
| The only song that I think has the vocals too loud in the mix and only just barely is the first one, Ride The Main Line. And they probably wouldn't even seem just barely too loud if they had more verb on 'em.
We REALLY are lookin' forward to our upcoming touring and to gettin' in the studio and doin' another record. Our goal is to have that late 80's type of recording to along with our sound.
later...Cliffy
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arttieTHE1manparty
The Strongest Man In The World
Age : 38
Joined : 26 Dec 2006
Posts : 4215
| | Subject: Re: Main Line Riders...first thoughts.... Tue Mar 25, 2008 9:41 pm | |
| That is the song I think it is most notable in, as well. I was listening in my Durango's CD player, and it can be hard to really tell sometimes in a vehicle. At home, the mix sounds better, but I also don't have to mess with faders and balance at all.
All in all, I really dig this disc!
Arttie
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Cliffy
Age : 38
Joined : 10 Oct 2007
Posts : 257
| | Subject: Re: Main Line Riders...first thoughts.... Tue Mar 25, 2008 9:51 pm | |
| Thanks, Artie!
We'll be workin' hard to ensure you like our next one even more.
later...Cliffy
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staticfuse
Joined : 01 Jan 2007
Posts : 565
| | Subject: Re: Main Line Riders...first thoughts.... Wed Mar 26, 2008 5:46 pm | |
| Hey Cliffy -- I didn't realize your were the same Cliffy from the Huntingtons! I'm a BIG punk fan. "File Under Ramones" was AWESOME!
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scourge39
Age : 33
Joined : 06 Apr 2007
Posts : 2305
| | Subject: Re: Main Line Riders...first thoughts.... Wed Mar 26, 2008 6:01 pm | |
| | 777Stryken777 wrote: | | Hey Cliffy -- I didn't realize your were the same Cliffy from the Huntingtons! I'm a BIG punk fan. "File Under Ramones" was AWESOME! |
I liked 'Merry Christmas, I Don't Wanna Fight,' off the Christmas In Heaven compilation. |
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Cliffy
Age : 38
Joined : 10 Oct 2007
Posts : 257
| | Subject: Re: Main Line Riders...first thoughts.... Wed Mar 26, 2008 6:51 pm | |
| Yeah...I think File Under Ramones was our best release, sonically speaking. It's still up there among my favorite Huntingtons works. My favorite album overall has always been Get Lost.
later...Cliffy
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Uncle NecRo
Joined : 09 Apr 2007
Posts : 588
| | Subject: Re: Main Line Riders...first thoughts.... Wed Mar 26, 2008 9:08 pm | |
| ...never that big of a fan of the Huntingtons, have a couple of albums...there were three kids in my youth group, though, who were BIG fans, though...there was one group trip to the Niabrara River where they played High School Rock nonstop...
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Uncle NecRo
Joined : 09 Apr 2007
Posts : 588
| | Subject: Re: Main Line Riders...first thoughts.... Wed Mar 26, 2008 9:13 pm | |
| ...okay, after looking over the track listing for File Under Ramones on Amazon, I've noticed that the band didn't cover any of the obvious songs most would cover...and, there's a cover of "Pet Semetary", so...awesome...massive props...
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Cliffy
Age : 38
Joined : 10 Oct 2007
Posts : 257
| | Subject: Re: Main Line Riders...first thoughts.... Thu Mar 27, 2008 2:17 am | |
| Yeah, well...we were the real deal, man...and real fans. We even ended up playing as Joey Ramone's backup band twice...the last time being the last time he ever stood on stage before he left this world.
later...Cliffy
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VaughanGF
Joined : 11 Apr 2007
Posts : 20
| | Subject: Re: Main Line Riders...first thoughts.... Mon Mar 31, 2008 8:41 am | |
| | I've only heard what's been on the Heaven's Metal samplers. What I've heard is enough to put the CD on the "to buy" list. Good stuff I reckon. |
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| Main Line Riders...first thoughts.... | |
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