Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers
Turbo Ocho
Emmajava Recordings
by Al Kaufman
Roger Clyne is everything that’s right with rock and roll. His first band, The Refreshments, put out two brilliant albums that were as hot, dusty, and diesel charged as the Arizona he calls home. When Clyne felt that the band was becomming a victim of corporate rock, he dissolved it and started up the Peacemakers, who, as the liner notes on Turbo Ocho proclaim, are proudly celebrating their tenth year of independent rock and roll. Like the Refreshments, the Peacemakers dish up their scorching rock and roll with plenty of tales about alcohol, Mexico, and general love and happiness. Roger Clyne shows are the only place where frat boys, rednecks, and hippies can all get together arm in arm and share the same bottle of tequila (Clyne passes a bottle around during every show.).
Turbo Ocho exemplifies Clyne’s DIY approach to music. The goal was to set up a studio on the coast of Mexico, then create, record, and mix a song a day in eight days and broadcast them to whoever wanted to listen. While a few of the songs on here may have been improved with a little more creative tinkering, the songs are not nearly as raw as one would expect. Horns and mariachi-style guitars abound. But the energy retains the level of earlier Peacemaker recordings. Band notes about how each song came to completion only enhance the project. And, Roger being Roger, he added three additional songs to the final CD so that people would get their money’s worth. "Baby, I do love rock and roll," Clyne sings on "I Do." Truer lyrics have never been written.
Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers (with Jim Bianco) play Smith’s Olde Bar on Monday, July 21. 8 pm. $15.
