BABY BABY

Baby Baby = Fugazi + Sublime + some Everclear jungle-juice
A cluster-fuck of joyful noise with a wide variety of influences and stylings, this album is a wild ride spawned from the recklessly creative minds of four fun-loving dudes from Carrolton, GA. You can hear the sunshine in the music, with punky beats & riffs echoing sounds from the era of Sublime, dashes of harder punk like Fugazi, and definite influences of hard liquor mixin’ with testosterone. Throw this album in at your next party, dump the Everclear in the Jungle Juice and get crazy already! It’s evident that the only thing to be done with this album is to pop it in, get fucked up, get loud, and jump around. Sounds like a good time, right? Best get the album - P.Buchanan

It’s taken almost two years, but lead vocalist Fontez Brooks and drummer Grant Wallace have joined forces and will release Baby Baby’s debut LP “Money” on May 21st. With the addition of bassist Kyle Dobbs and percussionist Colin Boddy, the Atlanta-based band is carving a niche with party punk music that’s cut from the same cloth as Bad Brains and Fishbone.

Baby Baby’s jam-band style carries the 12 track album and often surprises you with the unexpected and unconventional. For fans of this style, there is plenty of craziness and fun to be had, but for the casual listener songs may blend together, seeming similar after a few tracks.

But what happens when Baby Baby capture their creative spirits with structure and arraignment? They create the super catchy anthem “Fire,” sparked by a tip toeing bassline and contagious chorus that has Brooks demanding, “Set my heart on fiyah, or let me go!” As the smooth synth line covers the bridge, the repeat button is inevitable.
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The content and tone are genuine and reflective but light hearted. The band takes their craft seriously, but they never take themselves too seriously. Topics revolve around girls, some mild violence, love, reaching stardom, and a few more girls for added measure. Brooks, a self- proclaimed nerd, exudes his passion on “Kidz” when he sings, “Told my Mama, I’m in love with rock and roll.” - Christ Khodadadi ,

Baby Baby have generated a flurry of local chatter of late simply for being unable to keep their pants on. But their debut album, Money, goes a long way in redirecting attention toward their music, which holds up assuredly well. Perhaps surprisingly so, considering their goofbone live appeal. A shake 'n' bake of '90s alterna-rock, funk, metal riffage, psychedelia and googly-eyed showmanship, on paper it totally looks like a recipe for utter shit, but it kicks ass and busts a nut that's been untapped in these parts for a long time, which makes it seem all the fresher. I was all ready to hate 'em, but the truth is, they're kinda awesome, and they have the goods for wider appeal if they keep their heads on straight. And yeah, they're pretty funny. You gotta love, even begrudgingly, any band that titles a song "Instead of Spending My $20 on the Blink 182 Reunion Show I Took You Out on a Date and You Never Returned My Phone Call So Don't Ever Expect to Eat Free Shrimp Scampi Again Bitch," and the song is actually good too. Release show is this Saturday, May 21st at the Drunken Unicorn. - Jeff Clark

Baby Baby is bound to be the new new buzz word around Atlana for folks looking for music that promises good enertainment and most certainly delivers. Watching Baby Baby live definitely brought back memories of seeing Art Brut, as frontman Fontez Brooks certainly channels the Eddie Argos spirit of storytelling and connecting with the audience. This is what makes Baby Baby standout from other bands with their music, which is, with a couple of exceptions, not exactly the most original thing. Branding their own musical stylings as simply "fun rock" , you can't expect anything particularly technical, groundbreaking, or grandiose about their music, and this is okay, as its not their point. They want to get drunk and wild out, and they want to take you along for the ride. I for one, am most certainly ok with that. Baby Baby is simply a fun band that does manage to pull off the fun manic atmosphere, without it affecting the sound of their music too much. There is one standout song which is certainly their signature called "Fire." This song is actually pretty damn good, as the main riff has a fun creepy tip toeing feel to it which matches perfectly with Fontez's gravelly delivery.

I met up with Baby Baby in Little 5 Points' Java Lords, a few weeks ago to find out a little more about this band. They are a 4 piece fun rock band consisting of 4 very dorky but "forgivable-because-they're-charming" type of guys. As we settled down for the interview, I noticed that two in particular, (Fontez Brooks and Colin Boddy), were what I and friends like to refer to as "ON." Meaning, as if someone had flicked a switch, hit a button, then said "you're ON," every sentence uttered seemed to be a joke or quirky dialogue between members to benefit my entertainment. The other two, Grant Wallace and Kyle Dobbs, were more laid back and reserved, with bemused expressions settled on their faces.

Baby Baby started out a little over a year ago as a two piece consisting of Fontez Brooks and Grant Wallace, two roommates on the campus of the University of West Georgia. Fontez, ever the entertainer, really wanted to start playing music, and had to do some convincing of Wallace, who was formerly in a band(now defunct)and trying to focus on his political studies. After some nudging, Grant said yes. From there, they started jamming, and then played their first show with an acoustic guitar and pots and pans. Of course, seeing that they wanted to be serious about this endeavor at some point, they stole a bassist named Kyle Dobbs. "We found Kyle in the streets...begging for money." (really from another band). Colin was a roommate of Fontez and Grant, and after having to hear their practices for so long, saw that it was a "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" kind of situation.

"We're all really good friends," says Fontez. "We say stupid shit all the time." This was proven shortly after, because as the interview went on, when one would start talking, and get lost in thought, there was another man to finish his sentence; for instance when I asked Fontez to tell me how he developed his particular sound, he replies:

"Um...Okay, so Alright, I didn't think I could sing, and in fact, I know I can't sing..and then..it was like, I knew I could do my own thing, so and you know I don't know...ask the question one more time? Ok check this out,
"you started with acoustic...ventures Colin.
Fontez: yeah, i started with acoutsic and um...ok, check this out, let me tell you how i do it..."

At this point Fontez is looking pretty dumbfounded (or caught off guard maybe?) and Kyle helps him out. "Well lets talk about the songs...developing the songs is different, Fontez will come up with a riff and we'll play around it" says Kyle. When it comes to lyrics, it's more on the spot matter of type things, we'll go to the studio and record the songs, and the last thing we do are the lyrics. The lyrics are pretty improvised."

Colin:" Improvisation is a big part of it, every show is different."

Fontez: "When we write songs everything is very chaotic, when we get to the studio everything changes and when we start recording the songs, things get moved so there's no real point in writing the lyrics because you never know how you're gonna feel when you get to the studio."

Like their answers to questions, their songwriting process seems to be fairly democratic. This point was proven when Grant the drummer begins to reminisce on prior restricted drumming experiences, in particular with a terror named Antoine. But, I won't go into those details as I don't really care. I'm sure you can ask them, and they'll be glad to tell you.

With nerves out of the way, Fontez wanted to be sure to get down to the real point of Baby Baby as he adds, "Real quick...the sound is this thing called "fun rock"." We're talking about real stuff, musically everyone's trying to talk about deep stuff, that don't make any sense, and people pretend like they understand what you're saying. L - Kristin DiOnne

The clock was slowly approaching midnight on Jan. 30, and the Alley Cat Restaurant and Bar was packed to the brim.

The sound of excitement filled the crowded bar as local band Baby Baby made their entrance through the front door. They filed onto the stage, one after the other, like heroes returning from war with their heads held high and instruments in hand. They knew what they had to do: together they would turn Carrollton into one big dance party.

Fans, friends and family were standing shoulder to shoulder, ready to dance and have a good time. Baby Baby began, playing crowd pleasures including "London Bridges," "The Sandwich Song," and "Twenty Dollars."

However, a few songs into the set, fate took over, the PA system blew, and the vocals went out.

For most bands, this would be a problem. For Baby Baby, this meant that the band would have to accept more than 40 new members. Without skipping a beat, the band continued to play and the crowd took over the vocals.

What a sight to be seen – imagine 40, almost 50 face-painted, enthusiastic fans belting out lyrics, standing and dancing on amps, on chairs and on tables in the crowded bar. A few people grabbed random objects and banged on the drums along with Baby Baby drummer Grant Wallace, others had tambourines and cowbells, playing as loud as they could. And still others clapped their hands over their heads, smiling.

Baby Baby's genre is "fun rock," and it is indeed fun. Band members include Grant Wallace on drums, Fontez Brooks on guitar and lead vocals, and Kyle Dobbs on bass and back-up vocals. This three-piece band began during summer 2009, and their momentum has gathered since their debut performance. They have played numerous shows around the metro Atlanta area and have obtained a faithful fan base. In fact, those who attend one show are often said to have shown signs of being bitten by what the band and fans alike call the "Swagmonsta."
Baby Baby consists of more than just the three people onstage – they are everyone who comes to the show including the people who bang out drumbeats on the walls and tables, the people who dance onstage during "We Do This All Night Long," and the people who scream out lyrics into the microphones alongside the band.

The band has a new CD out entitled "Long Live the Swagmonsta," accompanied by a music video shot by UWG student Terence Rushin for their song, "The Sandwich and I Thought We Were Friends." Baby Baby included plenty of fan participation of the making of the CD and music video. The CD includes a number of their fans performing for their band, and the duration of the music video shoot involved numerous others.

Baby Baby is, without a doubt, a must-see show for all those who are looking to have a great time. Make sure to bring your dancing pants, though, because once the music starts, you won't be able to stop.

For updates on upcoming shows, a chance to check some of their music or to view their music video, add the group on Facebook or visit Baby Baby's Myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/babybabylovesyou/. - Leah Johnson