Dragstrip

“At Dragstrip’s core lies the friendship between two British ex-pats who’ve made their homes in the Hollywood music scene; drummer Gary (Bulldog) Taylor and frontman Kevan Overend. Fittingly, Dragstrip’s heady anthems blend the flamboyance of Queen and T.Rex at their most rockin’, with the decadence and sleaze of classic Sunset Strip rock – true transatlantic brilliance.”

- Classic Rock Magazine

“At Dragstrip’s core lies the friendship between two British ex-pats who’ve made their homes in the Hollywood music scene; drummer Gary (Bulldog) Taylor and frontman Kevan Overend. Fittingly, Dragstrip’s heady anthems blend the flamboyance of Queen and T.Rex at their most rockin’, with the decadence and sleaze of classic Sunset Strip rock – true transatlantic brilliance.”

- Classic Rock Magazine

“A Heartbeat Away From Disaster” is the debut album from LA based band Dragstrip. The band is comprised of drummer Gary “Bulldog” Taylor (Tank, Streetfighter) and vocalist Kevan Overend, both from the UK, and American guitarist Tommy Norton (Space Age Playboys) with session bass player Brian Dobbs completing the band. Combining some of the more commercially accessible sounds of ’70's and ’80's rock to deliver a solid rock album with touches of ’70's glam and latter day sleaze, the band have packed each track with big backing vocals, catchy choruses and plenty of guitars.

Opening track “Thanks for the Memories” has a passing moment of that Foo Fighters sound but after that there appears to be a re-occurring KISS feel to the record with “Saturday Night (See My Baby Jive)”, “(You’re my) Main Man” sounding like the tracks most influenced by the band, whilst “She’s Alright” sounds like ’70's UK Glam rock meets KISS, “What I Need” being a straight ahead rocker that has touches of “Dr Love” and “Sophia’s Song”, which I was convinced featured Ace Frehley’s guitar skills on the intro. Elsewhere the ’70's Glam rock feel also appears on “Ain’t Nobody”, the drums on “Last Goodbye” have Bonhamesque moments and “My Little Love” is straight up rock.

Overall “A Heartbeat Away From Disaster” is a good album that should appeal to a crossover of rock fans.

Nikk Gunns
3.5 out of 5

Reviewed on April 3.
http://www.hotdigits.co.uk/cgi-bin/diary2/journal?user=jason
- Hot Digits.co.uk

“A Heartbeat Away From Disaster” is the debut album from LA based band Dragstrip. The band is comprised of drummer Gary “Bulldog” Taylor (Tank, Streetfighter) and vocalist Kevan Overend, both from the UK, and American guitarist Tommy Norton (Space Age Playboys) with session bass player Brian Dobbs completing the band. Combining some of the more commercially accessible sounds of ’70's and ’80's rock to deliver a solid rock album with touches of ’70's glam and latter day sleaze, the band have packed each track with big backing vocals, catchy choruses and plenty of guitars.

Opening track “Thanks for the Memories” has a passing moment of that Foo Fighters sound but after that there appears to be a re-occurring KISS feel to the record with “Saturday Night (See My Baby Jive)”, “(You’re my) Main Man” sounding like the tracks most influenced by the band, whilst “She’s Alright” sounds like ’70's UK Glam rock meets KISS, “What I Need” being a straight ahead rocker that has touches of “Dr Love” and “Sophia’s Song”, which I was convinced featured Ace Frehley’s guitar skills on the intro. Elsewhere the ’70's Glam rock feel also appears on “Ain’t Nobody”, the drums on “Last Goodbye” have Bonhamesque moments and “My Little Love” is straight up rock.

Overall “A Heartbeat Away From Disaster” is a good album that should appeal to a crossover of rock fans.

Nikk Gunns
3.5 out of 5

Reviewed on April 3.
http://www.hotdigits.co.uk/cgi-bin/diary2/journal?user=jason
- Hot Digits.co.uk

The Mayfair Mall ZineMay 1st, 2011
Picture this:- You’re walking downstairs into a dark, sweaty club full of half-dressed women and leather n’ demin clad men. The music is deafeningly sleazy from the band on a tiny stage as you head towards the bar then back to the music, the adrenalin pumping through your veins as you get closer.

That band is Dragstrip, and they’re belting out tunes from their new album to everyone’s contentment, and that’s how ‘A Heartbeat Away From Disaster’ should be listened to. It’s a no-nonsense, non-fancy, sleazy rock album – full stop.

From the drum-tastic opening ‘Thanks For The memories’, you can tell what’s on the cards straight away, and you won’t want it to stop. This lot don’t want any fancy touches on the sound that some bands rely on, it’s a case of “plug on and here we go”. ‘Saturday Night (See My Baby Jive)’ is not in any way a cover of the Wizzard hit from the 107-’s, believe me! Vocalist Kevan Overend growls out the lyrics in his gravelly manner as the band seem to be in a “couldn’t give a toss” attitude the way they drag the music out of themselves. But it works well and quite effectively too.

A small shadow of AC/DC falls over ‘(You’re My) Main Man’, its bluesy / rock riffs befitting a certain “schoolboy” guitarist from faraway shores, ‘She’s Alright’ being a little of the same, and unashamedly so I’d think.

One thing you wouldn’t expect here is a love song of any sort, though with ‘My Little Love’ that’s more or less what you get. Its fiddly guitar moments quieten down the song as Overend rasps his lyrics of love which is sexy to a point, but you just don’t know …

“Band a gong” and “hey little sister”, two phrases straight out of the glam rock era belonging to Bolan’s back then. In fact, if he were still around now, he’d be well at home with ‘Sophia’s Song’. A simple guitar intro and its 3-4 chord melody, nice n’ easy to take in and “bus-stop” to. (It’s a dance). See 70's T.O.T.P.!!!

There’s another thing that stands out as the album goes along, and its the way the drums seem to be the driving force behind each song. Gary “bulldog” Taylor beings certain tracks, five in all, and is definitely the heartbeat of the sound throughout. It’s not too often that the drummer is as prominent, but here he is, and as a whole, the album is better for that, whether its intentional or not.

The anti-love song (if it can be called that) ‘Chase’ is on the same wavelength as Meatloaf’s ‘Two Out Of Three ‘ in a way. This bloke is at his wits end due to his feelings for a woman, but as he explains to her, “I want you, I need you, I feel you, I just can’t love you”, well if she doesn’t get eh message, poor lass hasn’t a hope in hell.

On the plus side, if he sang ‘Ain’t Nobody’ to her, then she’s in for a good time, no matter that he’d be calling her a “mother f****r”!! ‘Last Goodbye’ is another one of those half-arsed attitude tracks which again sounds good whatever the band seem to be trying to prove, the solo almost just flopping out of the guitar in a lazy motion, the bass alive and kicking … just!

They raise their game with the thumping ‘What I Need’, Overend sounding like Lemmy’s long lost brother via those rasping vocals that surely by now must be as dry as Ghandi’s flip-flops! Give that man a pint someone. He tones it down a touch on ‘The Game’, but not for too long, as it probably wouldn’t be the same if he came over all Barry Manilow, would it?

At a time when a lot of bands out there are going for that polished, perfected sounding album that they couldn’t possibly repeat live, it’s a breath of fresh air when a band such as Dragstrip come along and just do their thing regardless, feedback, sleaze n’ all. Thanks for the album chaps.

Review by: Bob Baldwin
The Mayfair Mall Zine
- The Mayfair Mall Zine

The Mayfair Mall ZineMay 1st, 2011
Picture this:- You’re walking downstairs into a dark, sweaty club full of half-dressed women and leather n’ demin clad men. The music is deafeningly sleazy from the band on a tiny stage as you head towards the bar then back to the music, the adrenalin pumping through your veins as you get closer.

That band is Dragstrip, and they’re belting out tunes from their new album to everyone’s contentment, and that’s how ‘A Heartbeat Away From Disaster’ should be listened to. It’s a no-nonsense, non-fancy, sleazy rock album – full stop.

From the drum-tastic opening ‘Thanks For The memories’, you can tell what’s on the cards straight away, and you won’t want it to stop. This lot don’t want any fancy touches on the sound that some bands rely on, it’s a case of “plug on and here we go”. ‘Saturday Night (See My Baby Jive)’ is not in any way a cover of the Wizzard hit from the 107-’s, believe me! Vocalist Kevan Overend growls out the lyrics in his gravelly manner as the band seem to be in a “couldn’t give a toss” attitude the way they drag the music out of themselves. But it works well and quite effectively too.

A small shadow of AC/DC falls over ‘(You’re My) Main Man’, its bluesy / rock riffs befitting a certain “schoolboy” guitarist from faraway shores, ‘She’s Alright’ being a little of the same, and unashamedly so I’d think.

One thing you wouldn’t expect here is a love song of any sort, though with ‘My Little Love’ that’s more or less what you get. Its fiddly guitar moments quieten down the song as Overend rasps his lyrics of love which is sexy to a point, but you just don’t know …

“Band a gong” and “hey little sister”, two phrases straight out of the glam rock era belonging to Bolan’s back then. In fact, if he were still around now, he’d be well at home with ‘Sophia’s Song’. A simple guitar intro and its 3-4 chord melody, nice n’ easy to take in and “bus-stop” to. (It’s a dance). See 70's T.O.T.P.!!!

There’s another thing that stands out as the album goes along, and its the way the drums seem to be the driving force behind each song. Gary “bulldog” Taylor beings certain tracks, five in all, and is definitely the heartbeat of the sound throughout. It’s not too often that the drummer is as prominent, but here he is, and as a whole, the album is better for that, whether its intentional or not.

The anti-love song (if it can be called that) ‘Chase’ is on the same wavelength as Meatloaf’s ‘Two Out Of Three ‘ in a way. This bloke is at his wits end due to his feelings for a woman, but as he explains to her, “I want you, I need you, I feel you, I just can’t love you”, well if she doesn’t get eh message, poor lass hasn’t a hope in hell.

On the plus side, if he sang ‘Ain’t Nobody’ to her, then she’s in for a good time, no matter that he’d be calling her a “mother f****r”!! ‘Last Goodbye’ is another one of those half-arsed attitude tracks which again sounds good whatever the band seem to be trying to prove, the solo almost just flopping out of the guitar in a lazy motion, the bass alive and kicking … just!

They raise their game with the thumping ‘What I Need’, Overend sounding like Lemmy’s long lost brother via those rasping vocals that surely by now must be as dry as Ghandi’s flip-flops! Give that man a pint someone. He tones it down a touch on ‘The Game’, but not for too long, as it probably wouldn’t be the same if he came over all Barry Manilow, would it?

At a time when a lot of bands out there are going for that polished, perfected sounding album that they couldn’t possibly repeat live, it’s a breath of fresh air when a band such as Dragstrip come along and just do their thing regardless, feedback, sleaze n’ all. Thanks for the album chaps.

Review by: Bob Baldwin
The Mayfair Mall Zine
- The Mayfair Mall Zine

Dragstrip
A Heartbeat Away From Disaster

In my view, 70s vintage Hard Rock is one of the top foundations of Heavy Metal, particularly the Hard Rock spikes that began in Great Britain. Besides the loud vocals, killer bass, and strong drums, the wonderful crunchy sound of that old 70s guitar was probably the best one ever heard in those days, and even today, and it brought Metal one of its greater powers. Those attributes were almost shown in full with the brand new release by the American based band, DRAGSTRIP, that a while ago released its debut album, “A Heartbeat Away From Disaster”, via the UK label of Riff City Records.

This debut album is the result of the co-working between Americans and Brits that shared their unified appreciation to 70s British Hard Rock. Among those guys there is one of the ex-drummers of the British Metal monster, TANK, Gary “Bulldog” Taylor, that once participated in TANK’s self-titled album back in 1987. In addition to a well done drummer and a solid bass player (Brian Dobbs), the band proved to have a profound lead section. The amazing British talent of a vocalist, Kevan Overend, has the ability to be the next thing in present Hard Rock while reminding some of the famous names of the 70s along with some of the early 80s. This guy has a true Rock voice. Alongside him, the lead guitarist and also the ex-player of SPACE AGE PLAYBOYS, Tommy Norton, showcased his high skill on some artistic Rock type solos while providing a well done, and rather dominant, backing vocals. Those two guys together made quite an impressive vintage vocalic harmonies that there are surly missed in several of today’s Hard Rock outputs. In the bottom line, DRAGSTRIP, as you can see, is an experienced band that tried to capture the spirit of the 70s, and I can say that they did it good with some cool tracks in the same vein.

However, “A Heartbeat Away From Disaster” was a only a heartbeat away from being a better release. There were something that I think that should have been a little different and others that could have been left out in the first place. First, I think that the main theme of the album, all the stuff that was made out of relationships, girls and such ,could have been a little more lyrically intelligent. Although we are talking here about a kind of free spirit lyrics, banality should have been avoided to some extent because you can reach a smooth line without it. Check out the plots of “She’s Alright” or “Thanks For The Memories” or “Ain’t Nobody” or “You’re My Mainman”.

Under the same page with the lyrics, I noticed that banality also paid its wicked visit on the several of the riffages that were displayed here. Some of DRAGSTRIP’s material has its peak moments as on “Saturday Night (See My Baby Jive)”, “Thanks For The Memories”, “The Game” and “What I Need”. Nevertheless, they composed some stuff that seemed to be too obvious or used lots of times over. I like the classic feel of the genre yet I don’t believe that recycling is a sort of a tribute or keeping the heritage in tact, far from it. Secondly, there is that small production issue. Although the band chose to broaden their admiration for the 70s with a type of production that will fit the era, something like old BLACK SABBATH albums, what about the sound of the drums? The usual sound of 70s drums is way fuller and definitive than what I heard on this release. I really don’t think that the addition of tons of reverb to the mix helped the snare sound that much.

So if you are a fan of THIN LIZZY, LED ZEPPELIN, UFO, early AC/DC and even a slice of the early American KISS, this album will bring you much pleasure. Even if Banality may come around knocking, DRAGSTRIP still has an edge by releasing a fine album with a vintage taste.

by Lior “Steinmetal” Stein at 11 April 2011, 1:48 AM
http://www.metal-temple.com/site/catalogues/entry/reviews/cd_3/d_2/dragstrip-a-heartbeat.htm
- Metal-Temple.com

Dragstrip
A Heartbeat Away From Disaster

In my view, 70s vintage Hard Rock is one of the top foundations of Heavy Metal, particularly the Hard Rock spikes that began in Great Britain. Besides the loud vocals, killer bass, and strong drums, the wonderful crunchy sound of that old 70s guitar was probably the best one ever heard in those days, and even today, and it brought Metal one of its greater powers. Those attributes were almost shown in full with the brand new release by the American based band, DRAGSTRIP, that a while ago released its debut album, “A Heartbeat Away From Disaster”, via the UK label of Riff City Records.

This debut album is the result of the co-working between Americans and Brits that shared their unified appreciation to 70s British Hard Rock. Among those guys there is one of the ex-drummers of the British Metal monster, TANK, Gary “Bulldog” Taylor, that once participated in TANK’s self-titled album back in 1987. In addition to a well done drummer and a solid bass player (Brian Dobbs), the band proved to have a profound lead section. The amazing British talent of a vocalist, Kevan Overend, has the ability to be the next thing in present Hard Rock while reminding some of the famous names of the 70s along with some of the early 80s. This guy has a true Rock voice. Alongside him, the lead guitarist and also the ex-player of SPACE AGE PLAYBOYS, Tommy Norton, showcased his high skill on some artistic Rock type solos while providing a well done, and rather dominant, backing vocals. Those two guys together made quite an impressive vintage vocalic harmonies that there are surly missed in several of today’s Hard Rock outputs. In the bottom line, DRAGSTRIP, as you can see, is an experienced band that tried to capture the spirit of the 70s, and I can say that they did it good with some cool tracks in the same vein.

However, “A Heartbeat Away From Disaster” was a only a heartbeat away from being a better release. There were something that I think that should have been a little different and others that could have been left out in the first place. First, I think that the main theme of the album, all the stuff that was made out of relationships, girls and such ,could have been a little more lyrically intelligent. Although we are talking here about a kind of free spirit lyrics, banality should have been avoided to some extent because you can reach a smooth line without it. Check out the plots of “She’s Alright” or “Thanks For The Memories” or “Ain’t Nobody” or “You’re My Mainman”.

Under the same page with the lyrics, I noticed that banality also paid its wicked visit on the several of the riffages that were displayed here. Some of DRAGSTRIP’s material has its peak moments as on “Saturday Night (See My Baby Jive)”, “Thanks For The Memories”, “The Game” and “What I Need”. Nevertheless, they composed some stuff that seemed to be too obvious or used lots of times over. I like the classic feel of the genre yet I don’t believe that recycling is a sort of a tribute or keeping the heritage in tact, far from it. Secondly, there is that small production issue. Although the band chose to broaden their admiration for the 70s with a type of production that will fit the era, something like old BLACK SABBATH albums, what about the sound of the drums? The usual sound of 70s drums is way fuller and definitive than what I heard on this release. I really don’t think that the addition of tons of reverb to the mix helped the snare sound that much.

So if you are a fan of THIN LIZZY, LED ZEPPELIN, UFO, early AC/DC and even a slice of the early American KISS, this album will bring you much pleasure. Even if Banality may come around knocking, DRAGSTRIP still has an edge by releasing a fine album with a vintage taste.

by Lior “Steinmetal” Stein at 11 April 2011, 1:48 AM
http://www.metal-temple.com/site/catalogues/entry/reviews/cd_3/d_2/dragstrip-a-heartbeat.htm
- Metal-Temple.com