Steve Creep and the Wildcards – Wind Me Up
Similar artists: Cheap Trick, KISS, Green Day, David Bowie, Def Leppard
Genre: Classic Rock, 90s Rock
Classic rock is one of the few oldies music genres that deserves saving. But, for the most part, it’s terrible to glance at the sorry lot that has been brought in on the rescue mission. For the most part, all these groups sound like poorly programmed AI trying to decipher and copy Jimmy Page riffs and Steven Tyler quips about sex.
But what if there was a better way? What if much more clever musicians, ones whose record collection includes, but is not reduced to, the Greatest Hits of KISS, could put their own spin on things? Steve Creep and the Wildcards are part of that rare group of bands. And, for once, somebody gives classic rock revivalism a good name. Imagine that?
Steve Creep and the Wildcards’ “Wind Me Up” doesn’t play by the rules, which means that 70-something classic-rock fans will have a hard time understanding them. That’s fine and The Wildcards might be better off without them. They’ve taken a risk on a kind of power-pop meets arena rock hybrid, a kind of Cheap Trick knowing they have to play to an audience of Aerosmith fans. The Wildcards don’t just get the sound right, which oughn’t be much trouble for pro musicians, but also the sense of fun and the humour of it all. Maybe there is a better way after all!
Johnny Cattini – Train With No Brakes
Genre: Classic Rock, 90s Rock, Alternative Rock
It’s not easy to send a letter to yourself and your kin meant to open years into the future. In fact, it is all rather terrifying and something that most ordinary people wouldn’t dare think about, let alone start to write. But this is just what some of the greatest songwriters of the past decades have done and what Johnny Cattini bravely wishes to do.
The fact is that the majority of musicians are out there for the kicks. A few of them consider the possibility of having a career. And even fewer think about the impact that their songs might have on people hearing them well into the future. How could a working musician even fathom that? It all seems so arrogant. But, after all, what’s pop music’s role if not to speak about the people who are to hear it?
Johnny Cattini’s “Train With No Breaks” sounds like a nicely sung pop tune, but it is actually a ballad of heartbreak and inevitable, eternal sorrow. It’s not dull, nor is it overly emotional. Instead, it considers the tragic lives of many people and even offers comfort. There aren’t many songs doing this today, and for good reason. Entertaining people is the easiest way to reach their pockets. Cattini, with his confident, controlled singing, wishes to touch souls first, and that’s as noble as it gets in this business.
Johnny Cattini’s “Train With No Breaks” sounds like a nicely sung pop tune, but it is actually a ballad of heartbreak and inevitable, eternal sorrow.
