Nick Curran & the Lowlifes are the hottest shit I've heard in a while. I should probably leave it at that... Really, I'm surprised that I never heard of them. At first listen, they reminded me of Don & Dewey, an early rock n' roll duo (and label mates with Little Richard). That's probably a little obscure as a reference point, so in trying to come up with something a little more universally understood (rather, less obscure), I narrowed it down to Gerry Roslie (from the Sonics), fronting a hopped-up Blasters, and recorded in an old vintage studio.
As it turns out, I only had to go to their MySpace page to see it all spelled out for me, with the "Official Nick Curran Cocktail Recipe." They name all of the ingredients, and I wasn't far from the mark. Amongst others, they name Little Richard, Glenn Danzig, Gerry Roslie (!), Johnny Watson, Cliff Gallup, Angus Young, 50's B.B. King, and Johnny Ramone. No mention of the Blasters or Don & Dewey, but guess what? Curran is pals with ex-Blaster Phil Alvin, who (of course), covered Don & Dewey's "Justine." So the circle is pretty much complete. (Okay, that's a stretch...) Seriously, if you like high energy, somewhat irreverent, old school rock n' roll, with someone who isn't afraid to shred his vocal chords, this is it.
Nick Curran and the Lowlifes - Kill My Baby mp3, and interview at MOKB
Nick Curran and the Lowlifes - Five videos at Electro Groove Records (NOTE: Start with the last one, "Baby You Crazy,' loud.)
Streaming preview of latest album,"Reform School Girl," (again check "Baby You Crazy") at Electro Groove (bottom of page)
Don & Dewey - Justine mp3, Little Richard - Lucille mp3, and about two dozen other songs the Blasters have covered at Beware of the Blog
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