The Gas House Gorillas

But for me, the night belonged to New York City’s Gas House Gorillas, who absolutely nailed the frenzied audience to the ceiling at Abilene. It was a punked-up and energized controlled catastrophe in the sprit of Louis Jordan wielding a chainsaw. The mostly original material was augmented with detours to New Orleans and rocked-up and -out nods to Cheap Trick and The Ramones. Most fun I’ve had with my pants on in a long time --and they didn’t stay on for the whole show, either (just ask anyone who was there). Gabbagabbahiddeyhiddey hey ho, let’s go. - Frank De Blase Rochester City Newspaper June 29, 2013

The next time the Gas House Gorillas come swinging into a venue near you, you'd have to be bananas to miss their concert.

Music and ape references aside for a moment, the name Gas House Gorillas may sound familiar to cartoon enthusiasts. The Gas-House Gorillas baseball team battled the Tea Totallers in the "Baseball Bugs" cartoon featuring Bugs Bunny.

So, how to describe a band that got its name from a Bugs Bunny cartoon?

The Gas House Gorillas' website, www.gashousegorillas.org, says, "The band's repertoire encompasses a broad range of styles that include jump blues, gypsy swing, early rock 'n' roll, cajun music and even the occasional funk groove."

Rick Fink, a former rock singer who started the band, said, "Originally, I wanted to start a big band, but that wasn't really economically feasible. I went with a decision to make a band with a mish-mash of a lot of different styles."

So, Fink decided to make a demo with some friends, and then went out and "got a gig."

"When I got a gig," Fink said, "I went out and made some phone calls and they became the first configuration of the band. A few months later, Crusher came into it, and that's when it really came into its own."

Crusher is Crusher Carmean, who plays bass for the group, and who got his name, "Crusher," the website says, "because of his penchant for turning a perfectly good instrument into kindling."

Asked to elaborate, Carmean said, "When I first started playing a long time ago, the way I play is naturally physical. I play the music I really love. I would get a little physical with an instrument. I would have to learn how to repair it. The leader of the band I was in at the time introduced me as Crusher Carmean."

Carmean eventually found a way to save some instruments and cut down on the kindling.

"I got myself some aluminum and built a bass," Carmean said. "Now, I build them and sell them to people."

In addition to Carmean, and Fink on vocals, the band consists of Seltzer Jim Davis on saxophone, Stu Newman on guitar and Eddie Everett on drums.

Using the name Gas House Gorillas wasn't just a spur-of-the-moment idea.

"I've been holding on to that name for years and years," Fink said. "Crusher and I have the love for all things Warner Brothers and Marx Brothers. Years ago, I knew I was going to start a band called the Gas House Gorillas."

Among the New Jersey venues the Gas House Gorillas have played is Roxy & Dukes Roadhouse in Dunellen. The group is scheduled to play there at 9 p.m. Nov. 10.

Audience interaction is a big part of a Gas House Gorillas concert. During a show, Fink will head to the dance floor, as well as use chairs at nearby tables for an impromptu stage.

To interact with the audience, Fink says, "I do whatever I have to do. The thing for us, we walk into a room and I feel it's our job to make it our own. What we're good at is coming into a room cold and being able to completely change the atmosphere and take the audience where we want to take them."

Fink is quick to point out that he doesn't do this alone. "It's definitely a band," he said. "I think each one of us kind of has a role. Personally, without Crusher, it's not the Gas House Gorillas. Crusher and I are like peanut butter and jelly."

Carmean likened them more to another famous duo.

"We're kind of like (Dean) Martin & (Jerry) Lewis," he said. "I left the band a few years ago, and after about two weeks, I felt it was the stupidest thing I ever did. When I'm with Rick, when we're on stage, we're like one. I think it wouldn't be the Gas House Gorillas without Rick. It's a great band as a whole. Rick and I just make it more colorful. But we're more in tune to inspire the other guys to be what they are."

"When it comes down to it, it's all about the interaction of the band working together," Fink added. "When you form a band, what you're really creating is a personality more than music, and I think that what you're selling is a personality. It's something that requires everybody to be 100 percent on the same page."

Those attending a concert by the Gas House Gorillas might wonder why Carmean appears in a kilt. "That's all I wear," Carmean said. "I've always loved the kilts. I don't know why. My neighbors used to think I was nuts. I wore it around the house, and then I wore it on stage. I did it to get Rick as a gag. I liked it, and so did the audience, so I figured, 'Why bother with pants?' " - Bradley W. Wadlow - Courier News, Friday, September 14, 2012

If Cab Calloway, Freddy Mercury, Illinois Jacquet and Johnny Ramone started a garage band, it might sound something like the Gas House Gorillas. This intensely energetic six-piece from Brooklyn, N.Y., know how to put on a show that will get you up on your feet. From catchy choruses to wild saxophone solos and snappy guitar riffs, every song has a swinging beat you can dance to. As bassist Crusher Carmean puts it, "The Gorillas are all about as much fun you can possibly have packed into the small amount of time we get to play. It's an absolute blast."
Lead singer and New York rock veteran Rick Fink says the band's sound is tough to define. "I hate when people call us a swing band, we're absolutely not a swing band. We're an aggressive hybrid of rockabilly, jump blues, swing. We're a little more pumped up and high energy." That music definitely sets the tone for their performance. As Fink puts it: "We're kind of unhinged; you never know what's going to happen at one of our shows."

The band takes inspiration from many genres, artists and times gone by. The name itself is a reference to a 1946 Bugs Bunny cartoon titled "Baseball Bugs," about a terrible team called the Tea Totallers who play against a powerhouse team called the Gas House Gorillas.

In its original music, ladies are a common theme, with songs like "Last to Know," an upbeat plea for mercy from a less-than-faithful girlfriend, or "Queen of the Night," a soft, bluesy ballad about a beautifully enchanting woman of ill repute. While there are a few slower numbers in their catalogue, the Gorillas prefer to see their audience moving, so others, like the mid-tempo "Swing That Thing!" are simply about dancing, while the fast-flying scat jazz number "Where Did Harlem Go?" bemoans the loss of that town's fabled music scene.
The Gas House Gorillas formed about 10 years ago when Fink became disillusioned with therock 'n' rollscene. A native of Irvington, N.J., he always dreamed of leading a big band, but came to realize it was unrealistic (and way too expensive). After singing in numerous rock bands in the '90s, such as Boomwhack, Fink decided to do something different. Together with Carmean, they started the Gorillas. They dislike the label "swing band" because they associate it with the wave of pop-swing revival bands that swept the scene in the '90s, and because the Gas House Gorillas is something altogether different.

Carmean has quite a reputation for enthusiasm, embellishment and unpredictability.

"The evolution of man culminates with the Gas House Gorillas. We're the most awesome band that ever walked the planet since the creation of music," he says.

A man who earned his name by destroying a few too many instruments with his playing style ("I like to play with a little violence," he says), Carmean now plays a custom-made aluminum upright bass, designed to survive his constant tosses, kicks and spins — part of what make his performances so memorable. A self-described 17-year-old stuck in a 48-year-old body, he says that the Gas House Gorillas thrive on the energy of a live show and interaction with the crowd.

"We love hecklers. We once played this gig in Dunellen, N.J., in this theater. It was these four comedians opening up for us. There was this heckler in the audience, and the comedians kept leaving the stage frustrated, and the last one left the stage halfway through. We got on stage and attacked this guy verbally to the point where everybody got up and gave us a standing ovation. As long as everybody knows it's in good fun." Carmean adds, "We're basically frustrated comedians. We're really funny on stage."

Carmean says the band always gives its all: "We don't look at our shoes and hope that we play so well that the beautiful, magical sound coming out of our instruments will enthrall you; no, it doesn't work that way. You could say our music comes right out of our souls to our instruments." - Collin Roche - The Morning Call (August 03, 2012)

The Gas House Gorillas performed at "Rhythm on the River" in Pomeroy, Ohio, on Friday, July 13, marking the third performance of this year’s series.
The Pomeroy Blues and Jazz Society, headquartered at the historic Court Street Grill, has hosted the series on the Riverside Amphitheatre for the past 13 years.
The Brooklyn, N.Y., band performed their unique brand of big band rock 'n' roll to a full amphitheater of excited fans.
The Gorillas are a favorite of Pomeroy; they have been performing at Rhythm on the River and the Pomeroy Big Bend Blues Bash for three years running, not to mention their numerous stops at the Court Street Grill.
There is little divide between the stage and the crowd when The Gas House Gorillas perform, and the Riverside Amphitheatre proved to be a fun playground for the group. - Elliot Nicolson - WOUB Public Radio (July 15,2012)

A trail of trees lay broken like so many jilted lovers who dared to dance with the dashing and despicable derecho as it wrested through our area recently, leaving many people without electricity for a week or more. Dark anxiety and frustration were etched on every face I encountered while searching and waiting in long lines day after day for a bag of ice or a twelve-pack of bottled water to fend off the stifling ninety-plus degree heat. It was a stark contrast to what we are accustomed. However, on the tenth day I saw the kitchen light flicker for a hopeful bit and then proudly return to life. A welcome contrast reversal, to be sure, but something felt different; all of those long, candle-lit evenings alone had left me with a residual, philosophical hangover.

I decided to celebrate my deliverance from darkness by driving downriver where the Pomeroy Blues & Jazz Society, led by The Right Reverend JW Juke and The ‘Fessor, was hosting the second act in its thirteenth annual free concert series, Rhythm on the River, and it just happened to be a Court Street Grill favorite, the Gas House Gorillas from New York. I knew that if anything could put my experience with the dark ages in its proper perspective, it would be the controlled artistry and madness of these five primates who have everything polished, right down to their ill-manners.

I noticed a definite change in the rhythm of my step as I crossed the parking lot toward the Ohio River a few minutes late; the Gorillas were laying down their dance-contagious second song of the evening, “Swing That Thing,” partly penned by the colorful Crusher Carmean. Once at the top of the open-air amphitheater, I looked down in amazement at a crowd estimated to be close to a thousand people, many of whom were up clapping and dancing. Of course, a few Gorillas had already violated normal stage-boundary protocol, moving through the crowd with their unpredictable, space-invading, bordering on bawdy, often rude, laugh-inducing antics; the audience expected nothing less.

Aside from the fact that the Gorillas are not contained by the stage and treat every venue as their own personal jungle gym, their musicianship is solid. Rick Fink’s fine, flexible vocals and energetic, back-alley stage demeanor can shake the hell out of the band’s musical martini, obliterating all lines between rhythm and blues, jump blues, retro, rock, and rockabilly, or he can lightly stir them so as not to bruise their individual identities. And, he can do this while hanging upside down on the amphitheater handrail. Sharing instrumental leads were “Seltzer” Jim Davis on sax, who totally tore it up all evening, especially on Rick Fink’s original, “Nobody’s Fool,” and Stu Newman on guitar. Stu’s blistering lead in “Shake Your Money Maker,” originally recorded in 1961 by Elmore James, received nods well after it was over. In the same tune, Eddie Everett, who stayed on stage behind the theatrical jungle like a good Gorilla should, showed everyone how the heart can beat on an exquisite, hand-made, mahogany-stained, nothing-comes-close, Larry Wright Signature Drum kit. Black-booted, black-kilted Crusher Carmean brought up the bottom, once more playing an upright bass that he had modified (no, not the one made of slip grip diamond sheet metal). “Nine Lives,” another song Crusher co-authored, which begins with a strong, intriguing bass line joined by a Gene Krupa-style drum beat, was exemplary of his musical genius. And, he can do this while perched on one shoulder of his bass as it stands – well – upright.

At the end of the concert an exodus of radiant souls slowly climbed the stairs, smiling, beaming faces lighting the way into the night. And just guess where a lot of those people went; they went several blocks to Rev’s Court Street Grill for even more Gorilla debauchery. As you may know, the Grill provides more of what a Gorilla needs, such as a spiral staircase, from which Rick Fink loves to dangle while singing, and tables and chairs at the ready for a whimsical leap, perch, and chirp. But perhaps Rick’s favorite, and Crusher’s too, is Rev’s nice long bar, the perfect runway for runaway disregard for conventional musical presentation.

The Gorillas played into the late evening to a shoulder to shoulder, upstairs and downstairs, flowing-out-the-door crowd. After the last few songs were played (Crusher was by that time shirtless), the upstairs crowd and the downstairs crowd joined the flowing-out-the-door crowd to form a mass of excitedly animated and rejuvenated, pre-home sidewalk conversations. The Gas House Gorillas’ musical and theatrical forget-yourself attitude had rekindled everyone’s love-of-life lamp. My hangover had vanished, and I felt the glow.
- Spider - The Big Bend Blues News (July 20, 2012)

The Gas House Gorillas take jump-blues in a new direction, mixing in various influences. The band has no interest in adhering to 1950's conventions.


So, five gorillas walk into a bar... But seriously folks, five guys from Brooklyn walk into a joint in Anytown, USA, and promptly take the stage. They look like a cross-section between The Bowery Boys and escapees from The Reformatory for Wayward Boys circa 1959. It's still not clear if these cats are the band, or if they beat up the band and took their instruments. If it weren't for their impressive musicianship, the jury would still be out. Ladies and gentlemen, hold onto your heads. This is, as the members put it, "God's favorite band," The Gas House Gorillas.

God? These guys aren't conceited; they're convinced. Bassist Crusher Carmean clears up any confusion: "God didn't have a favorite band until we came along," he says. "We are the alpha and omega"

The Gorillas burst on to the scene in 2003 with vocalist/guitarist Rick Fink and members of the stellar New York jump-blues outfit, the aptly named Blues Jumpers. Whereas the Blues Jumpers were traditional and amazingly period correct, the Gorillas' immediate mission was to ruffle feathers, twist panties, and get in faces. The band tweaked the music with speed, volume, and onstage mayhem. They put some punk-rock gas in the jump-blues punch.

"It's as if a group of punk-rock kids were listening to The Treniers," says drummer Eddie Everett. "And Louis Jordan and Fats Waller and Cab Calloway, and Wynonie Harris. So our sound may be rootsy, but we deliver like The Ramones."

But purists may freak out at these iconoclasts' shenanigans. Tough.

"We are not interested in sounding vintage," Everett says. "We may give a song a Reverend Horton Heat or Led Zeppelin or Beatles treatment. Everything has been done. There are a lot of musical references to choose from. It's all how you make it your own."

The Gas House Gorillas make the stage their own, too. Whether it's with the jungle savagery of Everett's drums, the rusty wail of Monsta Jim Davis' saxophone, Fink's bluesy howls and pleas, the genre-bending kerrang from Snake Osborn's guitar, or Carmean, who climbs all over his bass like well, a gorilla, the Gas House Gorillas own the stage everywhere the band goes.

So even if these guys did steal the instruments from the actual band, let them hang on to them. They sound great. Besides, have you ever tried to take something away from a gorilla?
- Frank De Blase, Rochester City Newspaper, June 12, 2013

The Gas House Gorillas' need to involve the audience in their music is nearly primal.

"Our show is kind of unhinged," said lead singer and founding member Rick Fink. "You never know what's going to happen."

Fink fronts the band with Crusher Carmean, who earned his nickname from the way he treats the basses he has used, and Fink said that the band exists nearly entirely to please an audience.

"Crusher tends to destroy his basses," Fink said, "and really there's a lot of stuff going on. We climb things, we're in the audience really it's about the music because if it wasn't we'd just be annoying. But we really want the audience involved in the music."

The Gas House Gorillas also includes Seltzer Jim Davis on saxophone, Snake Osburn on guitar and Eddie Everett on drums and will perform Saturday at Building 24. The show starts at 7:30 p.m.; doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets are $15, and no one under 21 will be admitted.

Once you're in the door, get ready for a show that is "bombastic" and "eclectic" according to Fink. The music has been described as a mix of swing, rock, rockabilly and punk.

"It's eclectic," Fink said. "It's a mix of all the kinds of music we like. It's punk rock and rockabilly. We've been called swing, too, but we've never liked that label."

The band's soon to be released CD, "Punk Americana" represents the breadth of their sound as well as the hybrid jazzy punk rockabilly sound the band has created.

"It's what we're doing right now," Fink said of the album which will officially drop Tuesday from Lanark Records, but will be available at their shows. "People like labels, so we came up with our own, and punk Americana describes our music."

Fink has written most of the tracks on the new CD as well as several on the band's previous CD, "Five Gorillas Walk Into a Bar."

Fink approaches songwriting as a purely inspirational process. A song has a few minutes to catch his ear or he's on to something else.

"I like to work fast and furious," he said. "When I write I sit down with my guitar and come up with songs. If something takes more than five minutes I abandon it, but if it comes back later I'll finish it then."

He said that when he realized he needed another song to finish the CD he looked at his notebook of ideas and saw that there were many songs he had possibly abandoned too soon.

"It was funny to me how many of them really were viable," he said. But I don't like to belabor things when I'm writing. At least not with the songs."

Fink's start in the music business was as a rock musician, but he said that writing was always something he favored, but he likes to collaborate, too. He and Crusher sometimes write together.

"Since I started this band I feel like I wear so many hats I don't have as much time to write," he said. "But a lot of what we do is a group effort."

He especially credits Carmean with moving the band forward.

"Everything we do starts from our partnership," Fink said. "We just clicked. I think it's because we are crazy in different ways."

Fink said that they are very much like brothers with a deep connection that manifests itself in great music and epic fights.

"Everyone leaves the room when we fight," Fink said. "But really it works. Especially on stage."

Because it's on stage that the entire band is invested in creating an experience with the audience. Fink said they can play for five people or 5,000 and the intensity of creating the experience is the same.

"We want people to feel comfortable," Fink said. "We want them to be moved by the music. For us it's all about the audience. We want to grab them by the lapels and shake them. We want the whole room to be part of the same thing."

Fink's always been that way, he said, ever since he started his first band when he was an eighth-grader growing up in northern New Jersey.

"I've had my down times, too," Fink said. "But I think I was just born to be a musician."

For information about the show visit www.bldg24live.com. - Tracy Rasmussen, Reading Eagle, 7/25/2013

...And A Partridge In A Pear Tree

Thursday evening, December 15th, found fans and first-timers crowding into the festively decorated Court Street Grill with familial Christmas spirits in tow. Visiting Pomeroy for the fourth time, New York jump blues band, The Gas House Gorillas, had stopped by to wish everyone a happy holiday season...and...ah...to tear up the joint.


As most people knew and a few found out, these are not goody-two-shoes gorillas. After singing a rousing rendition of Marks and Brodie's "Run, Run, Rudolph," vocalist Rick Fink rolled into the band's original "I Love How They Swing That Thing" and was soon down to his wife-beater undershirt, suspender-suspended pleated pants, and pork pie hat cocked confidently over one or both eyes. He hung from the spiral staircase singing Wynonie Harris' 1949 swinging single "All She Wants To Do Is Rock." He paraded up and down the bar belting out the late 70s hit by Cheap Trick, "I Want You To Want Me," while chairs and tables provided perfect perches for his delivery of Gorilla original "Burglar In The House Of Love."

Dressed in black boots, kilt, and a shirt that came off for the end of the evening encore, the animated Crusher Carmean, was frequently seen on the bar, back to back with Rick, bouncing and spinning the bass, an upright that was downright distinct. He designed and assembled the entire bass from slip grip diamond sheet metal – yep, like the running boards on trucks, and with K&K Systems, an acoustic instrument company, Crusher designed the special sound system inside. John Lohse, long time bass player for Mudfork Blues Band and soul singer Johnnie Rawls, when he's in town, was impressed with the bass as well as with Crusher's playing. "He's awesome and incredibly athletic!"

Often given to hyperbole, Crusher exuberantly referred to "Seltzer" Jim Davis several times as "the greatest sax player on earth." Jim is certainly seasoned, and his leads always receive whistles and applause. He knows how to make that horn sing and swing into your soul, and like Rick and Crusher, he isn't shy about wading out into the crowd. His calming clarinet lead on "How'd You Like To Spend Christmas On Christmas Island," written by Lyle Moraine and originally performed and recorded by the Andrews Sisters and Guy Lombardo's orchestra for Christmas, 1946, was a pleasant, unexpected surprise.

Proudly wearing a New York Yankees hat, Dean Shot, repeatedly declared "the greatest guitar player on earth" by Crusher, laid down leads and rhythms with right-on-time digital dexterity and taste. Dean's vocals and guitar playing came together for a crowd-pleasing cover of "Tiger Man," the Burns/Lewis tune made famous by Elvis Presley. Jared Sheetz, who plays guitar for Mudfork Blues Band and has backed Johnnie Rawls at Buddy Guy's Legends in Chicago, made this perceptive observation: "He really grounds the group. He's clean without going over the top." Late in the evening, however, Dean was spotted – yes, on the bar - playing a lead to Gary US Bond's "New Orleans" with his mouth. It was only once, and the other Gorillas probably coerced him.

"The greatest drummer on earth," Noel Sagerman, sat on his throne in the background, cool, calm, and confidently composed, behind cymbals and tom-toms, behind the wall of theatrics. He was the band's steady, rhythmic pulse, the thump and flutter of the band's heart. He performed a stirring solo during "New Orleans" right after Dean's oral application to the strings. And no, he wasn't on the bar.

The gift given to each person by the ill-mannered Gas House Gorillas that night was the experience of controlled, musical madness. As everyone excitedly exited The Right Reverend's establishment in the first wee hour of the tenth day before Christmas, no one was heard to say, "You know, I'd rather have had a partridge in a pear tree." Now, I mean no offense to the English or perhaps the French authors of "The Twelve Days of Christmas," a fine song celebrating the giving of increasingly grand gifts to demonstrate one's love. However, if asked, I'm certain that everyone who was there would agree that all of it - the laying geese, the leaping lords, the milking maids, the partridge in a pear tree - would pale in comparison to the evening's excellent music.

- Spider - The Big Bend Blues News (January 18th, 2012)

This is what a popular culture roadmap might sound like. Find the jump-blues freeway, cut down the swing off-ramp, follow the rock'n'roll backroad and keep that radio at top volume, brother, every mile.

Recommended Tracks "Last To Know," "Nine Lives"
4 (out of 5) STARS

- DC LARSON - ROCKABILLY MAGAZINE #42 (Jul 28, 2008)

Rick Fink is generally a rather amiable guy. But there's one sure-fire way to rile him: Call The Gas House Gorillas, the musical act he founded, a "swing band.''

"Those are fighting words,'' Fink says. Although he's joking about the "fighting'' part, he's serious about his intent. The Gas House Gorillas, for which he is lead vocalist and songwriter, specialize in jump blues in the style of Louis Jordan and Wynonie Harris, with a dash of rockabilly.

The five-piece band is playing tonight at Pavinci Grill in Hopatcong and Saturday night at Ocean Place Resort in Long Branch. Fink admits that The Gas House Gorillas' music is "swinging,'' but he asks that people refrain from calling it "swing.''

"I think of swing as what Benny Goodman played,'' Fink says. "We play jump blues, but not as if it's the 1940s. We're a little more aggressive, a little more rocking.''

The Gas House Gorillas are proud of their New Jersey roots. Guitarist Dean Shot, who joined the band in 2010, hails from West Orange. Another new addition, drummer David Moore, is a Belleville resident, while sax player James White is from North Brunswick. The only non-Jerseyite: bassist Jerry Scaringe, a resident of Yonkers. Though he now lives in Brooklyn, Fink was born in Irvington.

Growing up, he loved listening to musicians like Cab Calloway, and he knew he wanted a group of his own. "I always thought I'd have a big band,'' he says. "But when I got older, that seemed a little daunting.''

In 2003, he decided to get together with some of his musical acquaintances to record a demo, which he then used to book a live appearance for the band. He chose the name Gas House Gorillas from a 1946 Bugs Bunny cartoon. From the start, Fink became almost obsessed with jump blues. "I immersed myself in the music,'' he says. "I consider myself a student of music, and I wanted to learn as much as I could. I started out not knowing much, and then went further and further down the rabbit hole.''

Though they play some covers, most of The Gas House Gorillas' repertoire is original. "We're not like cover bands that play Top 40,'' Fink says. "What's worked for us is that we're not classified in one genre. We get the rockabilly audience, the blues audience. We're pretty eclectic.''

That freewheeling approach has led to performances in venues ranging from New Jersey bars to large outdoor festivals, such as the Budweiser Blues Festival in Peoria, Ill. Along the way, the group has developed a devoted following.

"We love the music we play, and people respond to it,'' Fink says. "It's danceable, and the fun we're having is infectious.'' Over the years, The Gas House Gorillas have changed personnel, but Fink believes the current lineup is particularly strong. "In a way, our sound is more rock 'n' roll now, in the style of Little Richard,'' he says. "We're a little bluesier, a little more rootsy.''

The next challenge for the band is to capture the sound on disc. "It's been a couple of years since our last record,'' Fink says. "We're looking to have a new Gas House Gorillas CD out before the end of the year.''

- BILL NUTT - Asbury Park Press & The Daily Record (Feb 11, 2011)

Gorillas, Gorillas for sale: Rick Fink and his Gas House Gorillas will bring their well-oiled olio of “Jump Blues, Gypsy Swing, early Rock ‘n Roll, Cajun music and even the occasional funk groove” anywhere that’ll have them, be it a sawdust-floored saloon or a swanky society soiree. This Friday, they’re at a bowling alley.

There, we’ve said it again: these guys are a buncha apes — and their frontman is a Fink.

That said, the name Gas House Gorillas has come to stand as something of a Good Housewrecking Seal whenever and wherever the party is in peril. Their name may have been filched wholesale from a classic Bugs Bunny toon, but these gorillas in our midst — tattooed tenor Rick Fink, string strangler Dean Shot, bigmouth bassbird Jerry “The Chicken” Scaringe, quackin’ saxsmith Seltzer Jim Davis and drumthwackit guv’nor Noel Sagerman — are the very soul of integrity when it comes to rockin’ the joint in classic fashion. We’re not saying they can heal lepers or teach the blind to see or anything like that — but they have been known to transform a roomful of Cooler Than Thou clubkids into doofy dancers; turn a family-friendly funnelcake-and-facepaint festival into a funked-up fracas; set society sweet sixteens to swingin’ from the sconces, and recombobulate a rowdy roadhouse into a revved-up revival.

Of course, the 900-pound gorilla in the room that needs addressing is the fact that Fink and friends tend to put on a better, tighter, sugarshit-sharp show than many more famous acts that regularly pack the prosceniums of theatres and stadia (which probably keeps them from scoring opening gigs for said acts). Thus, just within the past couple of years and strictly around the Upper Wet Side of NJ, the band has played everywhere and everything from pocket-park freebies, deconsecrated churches and banquet-hall ballrooms to, this Friday night September the 16th, the local bowling alley.

Granted, the Asbury Lanes isn’t just any neighborhood tenpins tap house — as the Shore’s retro rec room and atom-age alterna-arts odditorium, its one-of-a-kind burlesque grind of Pop Art madness, Corny Collins musicology and Pabst/Tots legitimacy promises to provide a cozy cove for that thing the Gorillas do. Blending bontemps-steeped originals like “Hep Cat King of Everything” and “Burglar in the House of Love” with the odd (very odd) cover like “Everyone Says I Love You” (written for the Four Marx Brothers!) and the Looney Tunes staple “Powerhouse,” a Gorillas set is a heady cocktail with a surprisingly smooth ‘n sweet high note, masking a kick-ass Shot of hardstuff, mixed with effervescent Seltzer, chased with bass and ending on the hangover pound of those incessant drums drums drums…

It’s a sound beyond your puny human notions of Time and, since these mugs seem to be everywhere at once, WAY-outta-space as well. Suffice to say you hear Spike Jones, Jerry Colonna and Rosco Gordon, as well as Ted Healy-era Stooges, Weegee the Famous and Toots Shor. UpperWETside interrogated the Gas House gangleader on the eve of this weekend’s return to Asbury town (and a two-day bender at a winery, during which the band might even crawl out from under the tasting table long enough to play some music). As you’ll see, it didn’t take much to get the Fink to talk.


As the postseason firms up, the wrecking-crew lineup of The Gas House Gorillas is poised to rumba ’round the bases in a late-innings rout of partyband pretenders.

upperWETside: So settle an argument I’ve been having with myself. Where precisely are the Gas House Gorillas based out of? New York, Jersey, King of Prussia? I even read one thing that said you were from Venice Beach…

RICK FINK: I don’t know about that, but I’m based out of Brooklyn these days, so I tell ‘em we’re a New York band if anybody asks. But New Jersey’s been good to us — I grew up in Irvington, you know — and I lived in Leonardo!

Jumpin’ Jehosophat — another lead-blooded son of the Bayshore. Well, all that confusion stems from the fact that you guys cover a pretty wide patch of turf. How far afield from Flatbush have you been taking your act these days?

We’re doing well in Chicago, and in southern Ohio. We were in Philadelphia for the first time recently, if you can believe that — and we always have fun in the Midwest. We just got back from the Upper Peninsula in Michigan! It was amazing — I even did some crowd surfing. Can’t wait to go back there someday.

We’ll go anywhere, anytime — we’ve been out west as far as Las Vegas, and we’ll get to California one of these days. And we’ve been as far south as Kentucky. But you gotta do it; you can’t stay local forever.

Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen years ago you had this whole Swing Revival thing coming in from out west or wherever…suddenly there are these swing lounges popping up temporarily, and what seemed like dozens of Johnny Come Lately bands with fedoras. Then after the dust cleared, those guys are playing in casino showbands and you’re sti - Tom Chesek-Upper Wet Side (September 11, 2011)

The Gas House Gorillas
Five Gorillas Walk Into a Bar...


This is truly a breath of fresh air. The Gas House Gorillas do tremendous things to old fashioned rockabilly rock n' roll. The entire album has a good sense of humor about itself without diminishing from the quality of the songs. The vocals are clean and simply enjoyable. The guitar, saxophone, and bass flow. And the drums have a great ability to back up the band and have the freedom to go on their own tangent. Every instrument adds something to each track which makes this album simply amazing. The album starts off with a humorous and fun track "All She Wants to Do Is Rock." The saxophone flows perfectly with the vocals and the guitar is simply old fashion Rock n' roll, from its rhythm to its solo. The third track, "Where Did Harlem Go," shows the dexterity of the drummer and saxophonist while keeping a steady fast upbeat pace.
"Nine Lives" has a great rockabilly feel similar to that of the Stray Cats (no pun intended.) It has an immense punk rock sense to it while keeping the theme of old fashioned rock and roll that is evident throughout the entire album. The solos on this track are great, the guitar and sax just explode into phenomenally energetic paths, and the lead singer's screaming into the microphone just blows your mind.
I could go on for a page about how well done this album is, but due to a need to condense I'll stop here. The album brings something new to the table that this decade has seldom seen. I can't praise this album enough because it is truly a definite buy. I hope for the best with these guys because they truly deserve it.
- Peter Markoski – Upstage Magazine, April 2008

Yeah! The Gorillas are back!

I caught these guys last year at The Red Bank Blues & Jazz Fest, and they were... AMAZING! They took a sedate crowd and brought them to a fever pitch, especially when bassist Crusher Carmean jumped off the stage with a this big-ass, stand-up bass, running through the crowd, up a steep hill, and back up on stage - never missing a beat! I felt like I was back at The Leopard Lounge (at Club Bene in Sayreville), with all those cool retro-swing bands that promoter, DJ, and all-around cool cat Lenny Lounge (and let's not forget his main squeeze Kit Kat), put on.

The new CD opens with "All She Wants to do is Rock," which sounds like a jilted boyfriend’s lament, but it actually turns into a swinging, rocked-out dance number. Don't look to deep for political, or over-emotional songs. The Gashouse Gorillas are only here to get you out on the dance floor and shake your tail feathers - and that's a good thing!

"Kidney Stew" is flat-out New Orleans blues with The Gorillas’ special mojo. Rick Fink- vocals, Crusher- bass, Hiro Suzuki- guitar, Tim Veeder- sax, and Dan Hickey- drums, are the ligament heirs of the retro-swing genre, that are not only are keeping it alive, but bringing it to the next level. Big Band, Bop,
Swing, Rockabilly, and even Punk Rock are the foundation of bands like The Gashouse Gorillas, Cherry Poppin' Daddys, Brian Setzer, etc. On tunes like "Last to Know," or "Nobody's Fool," "Three Words," and "Stay," the band does get a bit sentimental, taking you to the submarine races, but they wisely keep away from any type of self-pity in favor of ain't-nothin'-gonna-keep-me-down, upbeat vibe, like Dion & The Belmont's "The Wanderer."

The closing number, "Burglar in the House of Love," is barrel-house rock and roll! An all-out rocker that leaves you wanting more! And to get more, you gotta see The Gas House Gorillas live! Check their website, you won't be disappointed! - Phil Rainone

3/11/08
- POP VULTURE By Phil Rainone - March 11, 2008

Remember those hoodlum friends you had when you were a teenager? Remember the way they used to hang out down by the drugstore in their zoot suits, snapping their fingers and acting too cool for school? Well, they grew up to be the Gas House Gorillas.

This primo jump blues band has it all: an amazing rhythm section, awesome sax playing, fabulous guitar, a killer frontman, and fantastic songs. And more than all that, these guys have the ability to cross over from jump blues to swing to rock and back again, often within the same track.

“All She Wants To Do Is Rock” boogies and swings and rocks and kicks and, like most of the tunes on this disc, has an absolutely infectious hook. Hiro Suzuki positively wails on guitar, taking the whole thing up and way over the top. Rick Fink’s suggestive vocal delivery is magnificent.

“Memories Of You” is a quieter, sweeter number, blending pop with a gentle swing and a touch of blues. Tim Veeder’s sax backing is exquisite, and again, Suzuki lets his guitar go for broke, this time eliciting a lonely and heartrending cry. “Swing That Thing” is a piston-pumpin’ masterpiece, giving Veeder more room to ply his trade. “Nine Lives” is pure, rhythm-section-led evil, racing along at breakneck speed. Upright bassist Crusher Carmean clicks away like a madman, while drummer Dan Hickey keeps it tight and oh so right.

From romantic ballads to raucous dance tunes, the Gas House Gorillas have got it covered. They even have the good taste to offer up a rendition of the Groucho Marx classic, “Everyone Says I Love You.” Now, that rocks!

3/26/08 - Retro Music Review by Michael Macomber

You just can't keep good gorillas down. Mighty Joe Young had several hits, King Kong keeps coming back, and now, THE GAS HOUSE GORRILAS have returned. Unlike those former famous gorillas, whose first hits were their best, "FIVE GORILLAS WALK INTO A BAR......", the latest release by THE GAS HOUSE GORILLAS, which features many new band originals - is as excellent as their first.

The five, gorillas for whom this discs title refers to, are: RICK FINK on vocals, CRUSHER CARMEAN on bass, TIM VEEDER on tenor sax, HIRO SUZUKI on guitar, and DAN HICKEY on drums. Now let's go listen.

It's no wonder that "ALL SHE WANTS TO DO IS ROCK", it's probably because she's listening to this track. However, the Gorillas may have something else in mind when they say "She wants to rock and roll all night long". This hot rocker features fabulous vocals by Rick, with alternating heat being provided by TIM and HIRO on sax and guitar. Meanwhile, the rhythm Gorillas are furiously fanning the fire.

While RICK is asking "WHERE DID HARLEM GO?", the band seems to have musically found it. This short, swinging, one and a half minute track - featuring some great scat by RICK, is very reminiscent of the era when Harlem, NY, was one of the city's hot spots.

The Gorillas do a great job on "KIDNEY STEW", a cover of a song made popular by one of my early blues influences, EDDIE "CLEANHEAD" VINSON. This one features the band tightly locked into a smooth groove throughout the track.

"MEMORIES OF YOU" is one of those tracks that, just after the first few beats, has the slow dancers taking their partners by the hand and leading them to the dance floor. This one brought back great memories of some of the classic songs of early rock and roll. This is the kind of stuff that most of us blues fans grew up listening to and THE GAS HOUSE GORILLAS make it sound as good now, as it did back then. Great vocals by RICK on this one.

"NINE LIVES" is what you might need if you listen to this track while driving. Calling this one an all out jam would be an understatement. If an all out jam were equal to driving on I-95 at a pretty fast speed of 85, "NINE LIVES" is the vehicle that just blew by you making it look like you were standing still. Now you got the picture? This track may very well be the wild and frantic cousin of a song by The Boss - "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out"......it could have easily been called "Tenth Avenue, Freak-Out".

"SWING THAT THING", as with several other tracks, is one of those short numbers that I could have easily taken a lot more of. Of course, by hitting replay I did, but this should have been at least double in length. Once again, the Gorillas are all in a smooth groove on this swinging shuffle featuring more great sax and guitar leads.

Some of the discs best rhythm, guitar and sax work can be heard on "NOBODY'S FOOL". CRUSHER, DAN & HIRO are all on the mark and TIM is easily at discs best, as he makes the tenor sax alternately sound like it's a baritone and an alto. Great stuff.

Other tracks on "FIVE GORILLAS WALK INTO A BAR......" are: "QUEEN OF THE NIGHT, "EVERYONE SAYS I LOVE YOU". "LAST TO KNOW", "STAY", "HEP CAT KING OF EVERYTHING", "THREE WORDS" and "BURGLAR IN THE HOUSE OF LOVE".

Not only have I had the pleasure of reviewing both of THE GAS HOUSE GORILLAS CD'S, but about two years ago, at the Red Bank Jazz & Blues Festival, I also had the pleasure of being blown away by their live act. I highly recommend you check out the band at www.gashousegorillas.org - and make sure you tell them the Blewzzman's responsible for your visit. - Peter "Blewzzman" Lauro - Blues Editor @ www.Mary4Music.com

Ever since I did a review of their CD, a few years ago, I had hoped to one day be able to catch RICK FINK and his GAS HOUSE GORILLAS live. Today was that day. Just taking one look at RICK FINK (vocals), JOE GEARY (drums), JIMMY PRAV (guitar), CRUSHER CARMEAN, (upright bass) and "HANDSOME" DAN ALVARO (saxes and accordian) and you immediately know this is a fun band to watch. These guys are right out of a scene from a "Dead End Kids" movie and remind me so much of Mugsy/Sach and the rest of the "Bowery Boys". The only difference is these cats can swing. The GORILLAS rocked, jumped and boogied so much they may have actually avoided the raindrops. - www.Mary4Music.com

File Rick Fink and His Gas House Gorillas under swing.

No, wait, make it jump blues.

Rhythm-and-blues?

Roots rock?

Americana?

Novelty?

On second thought, don't file Rick Fink and His Gas House Gorillas at all -- they won't fit neatly in any drawer.

Leave 'em out and let 'em rip.

"I wanted this band to be really eclectic," Fink says. "I wasn't looking to put together a swing band or a scene band, where you have to do the right kind of dance to show up at our gigs. I just wanted to do something that everybody could latch onto and have a good time."

In practice, that means "Seven Nights to Rock" and "Last Chance Motor Ride" cheek-by-jowl with "A Porter's Love Song to a Chambermaid" and a virtuoso rendition of "Minnie the Moocher" that has frontman Fink ambling off the stage, microphone in hand, to direct the "hi-de-ho" call-and-response from the audience.

That's just the beginning. You might also hear Fink launch into the quintessential blues heart-tugger "Please Send Me Someone to Love," shortly after his crack band (Joe Geary, drums; Jimmy Prav, guitar; Chris "Crusher" Carmean, bass; "Handsome" Dan Alvaro, sax and accordion) have rocked the joint with "Powerhouse," the Raymond Scott jam familiar from innumerable Bugs Bunny cartoons.

And if Fink gets drunken hecklers, he always can nudge them offstage with a chorus of Groucho's "Hello, I Must Be Going."

"I'm a big Marx Brothers fan and a fan of old Warner Bros. cartoons, Tex Avery cartoons," he says. "There's a lot, musically, you can get from those cartoons. It's all the pop music of its day."

Those cartoons gave Fink something else: a band name. As Bugs Bunny fans may recall, the Gas House Gorillas were the team of Brooklyn mugs the wascally wabbit was up against in the 1946 classic "Baseball Bugs."

Launched three years ago, Fink's lively combo might seem at first like a delayed hangover from the swing revival that briefly flared up in the mid-'90s with bands like the Brian Setzer Orchestra and the Squirrel Nut Zippers. But from the outset, Fink had something else in mind.

True, he does make a concession to the swing crowd with his attire: pork pie rakishly down over the face, bowling shirts and so on.

And true, bass player Carmean does play the obligatory upright bass -- in his case a wild, all-metal instrument he built himself. "You have to be a weight lifter to lift it up," Fink says.

But swing is only one dish in the buffet. In Fink's smorgasbord, you'll sample the entire range of American pop music as it evolved in the 1930s, '40s and '50s.

"I'd been a fan of this music for years, but I'd always been a rock singer before," says Fink, who also plays acoustic guitar.

The Irvington native (he's lived in Brooklyn for more than a decade) spent most of his career in hard rock bands like Boomwhack, which had brief -- very brief -- major-label action with Sony in the early 1990s. "It was so quick, we got whiplash," Fink says.

But always, in the back of his mind, was the Louis Jordan, Louis Prima, Cab Calloway brand of rhythm-and-blues he grew up with. "I always had this dream that when I got older, I would front this big band," he says.

When he finally decided to go retro, he did it with a will.

"I completely gutted my CD collection and went for nothing but vintage recordings," he says. "I started to download music. I really did my homework before I started the band."

As a result, you're liable to hear things a little less obvious than the typical "Jump, Jive an' Wail" of the average lounge band.

"Some of the guys in my band are surprised when they hear me throw out some names," he says. "Like, I'll throw in a song and I'll say it was originally done by Slim and Slam [Slim Galliard and Slam Stewart], and the band members will be surprised. I really threw myself into this."

At any rate, the audience never seems to question the mix-and-match of Fink's set list. Though it might pain some hard-line swing purists, Fink concedes.

"We did a private party once, in a penthouse, and they wanted to do a swing party," he says. "They got a dance instructor who gave lessons at the beginning of the night, for a half-hour. What's great is that after that, we came on -- and everybody went out and completely forgot the lesson. They just started shaking it and having a great time, dancing any way they wanted. Meanwhile, the instructor was up there looking completely distressed." - JIM BECKERMAN - The Bergan Record (Mar 17, 2006)

How is album cover art related to the music contained in the CD? No simple answer to that one is there? When the cover is a cartoon of a rowdy bar scene with patrons ranging from passed-out-on-the-bar to gorgeous hunk with admiring babes to a jumping lunatic in a straight-jacket, well.... you just know this has got to be a fun album. Fun – especially with a name like The Gas House Gorillas.

Based in Brooklyn, New York City, GHG is Rick Fink (vocals), Dan Hickey (drums), Hiro Suzuki (big Gretsch guitar), Crusher Carmean (aluminum chrome upright bass), Tim Veeder (Sax). With a killer voice, Rick Fink (after successfully fronting rock bands for years) found his true calling when he formed the Gas House Gorillas. His song writing skills and boundless high energy blur the lines that separate Jump Blues, Rock, and Swing, creating a mixture of American music.

Their main website reveals the origin of their name, “As Bugs Bunny fans may recall, the Gas House Gorillas were the team of Brooklyn mugs the ‘wascally wabbit’ was up against in the 1946 classic ‘Baseball Bugs.’”

Both of their websites emphasize their live shows, “At a Gas House Gorillas' show the crowd plays just as important a role as the musicians on stage. Whether singing along, cutting a rug, or adding their two cents to the between song banter, this kind of interaction is what makes a Gorillas' show great.” Many songs on this, their second album try to capture some of that performed-live-donnybrook.

The CD kicks off with Wynonie Harris’s “All She Wants To do Is Rock,” and it is sung just as suggestively as the hucklebucking original. Saxophone leading the way, balls out vocals, background vocal accents, mid song solos by sax and smoking guitar, bass popping, drums kicking – simply put it is Rock and Roll heaven.

The second number is a complete change. Original tune “Queen of the Night” is a jazz inflected stunner. While the guitar and bass flow, the real showcase is Tim Veeder’s creative sax floating over, under, around and through the vocals.

“Where Did Harlem Go?” is a 1:33 minute upbeat rip replete with scat, whistle, some vocals through a harp mic, and a bass/drum rhythm show. The fun is pumping now.

“Kidney Stew” is a great smooth-groove cover of Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson blues. “Memories Of You” slows the pace for dancers looking for a tight embrace. Blending pop with a gentle swing, the song is reminiscent of classic songs of early rock and roll. Hiro Suzuki gets an amazing organ-like sound from his guitar.

For 80 seconds, you may think you have blown your speaker woofers as “Everyone Says I Love You” plays. Sounding like a wavering-speed 78 rpm record, Fink sings a 1920s-esque, Betty Boop sounding humorous love parody ala Groucho Marx. It immediately gives way to wild bass string popping on “Nine Lives.” Hold on because this Rockabilly snapper is completely over the top in the vein of the best Stray Cats energy explosion of vocals, guitar, and, in this case, saxophone.

The closing number, “Burglar in the House of Love,” leaves us rocking with more of the instantly likeable singing of clever lyrics, great guitar, sax and rhythm that make this album a fun trip to retro-ville 50s – 60s Rock and Roll where most baby-boomer blues fans began. Only one thing left to do, see these guys live!

Reviewer James “Skyy Dobro” Walker is a noted Blues writer, DJ and Blues Blast contributor. His weekly radio show “Friends of the Blues” can be heard each Thursday from 4:30 – 6:00pm on WKCC 91.1 FM in Kankakee, IL

- James “Skyy Dobro” Walker - Blues Blast Magazine

"There's no doubt that these guys love music. It shows not only in their playing, but also in the songs and style they've chosen to present on their self-titled CD. Featuring jump blues, modern small-combo swing, even sweet country, these hep simians can pound their chests proudly about their debut release." - Dante Murphy - HALCYON DAILY REVIEW

"Gorillas for sale: Yes, they play weddings, and in between swingin’ from the chandeliers The Gas House Gorillas rock such shirtsleeves establishments as Asbury’s Wonder Bar.
Their name may have been lifted wholesale from a vintage Bugs Bunny toon, but Rick Fink and the Gorillas have always been very serious about their music — well, not really serious per se, but they do manage to hit the right notes in between genre-busting their loutishly rollicking way through the beer gardens, bandstands and banquet halls (yes, they do weddings) of what’s fast becoming a pretty wide piece of territory. In fact, after tonight’s late-summer slam down at Lance and Debbie’s landmark lounge, the tireless party pushers won’t be back Shoreside until October, so before these Gorillas recede into the mist we recommend you get your fix of “Jump Blues, Gypsy Swing, early Rock & Roll, Cajun music and even the occasional funk groove,” all for a ridiculously recession-busting bargain-basement cover of five bucks. What, you’d rather pay a hundred dollars to doze off to Chicago at the Pee ‘N See? Get your kaslopis down here and enjoy an evening of entertainment that’s easily worth tenfold the ticket. " - Red Bank Orbit (Aug 28, 2009)

The Gas House Gorillas
"Five Gorillas Walk Into a Bar..." (self)

This is what a popular culture roadmap might sound like. Find the jump-blues freeway, cut down the swing off-ramp, follow the rock'n'roll backroad and keep that radio at top volume, brother, every mile.

Recommended Tracks "Last To Know," "Nine Lives"
- ROCKABILLY MAGAZINE #42, BY DC LARSON