Nuke the Soup
Lutherville-Timonium, Maryland, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2014 | INDIE
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Nuke The Soup’s “Makes Waves Not War” CD Review
Posted by Losillë - August 10th, 2009 - 1 Comment
Published in CFM CD reviews
Nuke The Soup's "Make Waves Not War" CD review.
Nuke The Soup
“Make Waves Not War ”
CFM’s music reviews is one of my favorite parts of the website for two reasons. One I get free CD’s and two as they climb up through the ranks I can lie and say I know them…personally.
“Make Waves No War ” asks the big question, “Are you filled with dread”? “Make Waves Not War” answers today’s concerns and growing uncertainty over social problems with a simple solution. ”When She’s With You. You know where you are” The solution is love.
The very easy to listen to “Make Waves Not War” has something for just about everyone. The beach and surf crowd have “Ocean”. The lovers have “Our Song” a nostalgic ballad that looks back on a life long relationship. Then there is one of my favorites from the CD, the playful “Finger of Friendship” aka “Dolphin Song” a definite car dance track. The best song on “Make Waves Not War” is “More To You” it has a dreamy feel that I find very relaxing.
Nuke The Soup’s Mark Davison, singer/guitaritst/songwriter surrounds himself with an extraordinarily talented group of musicians. Keyboardist Brian Simms, bassist Mike Mennell, guitarist Rennie Grant and Chester Thompson on drums make up the current lineup.
Nuke The Soup's "Make Waves Not War" CD review on CFM Music and Entetainment News
The CD liner notes says about Mark Davison,”Cubic Feet has had a successful run of four albums, the last being the critically acclaimed Superconnector. Nuke the Soup is looking to expand upon that fan base with great new material and a top notch band. ” Expanding on that fan base should not be a problem with “Make Waves Not War” it is a group of catchy, upbeat, infectiously happy songs that compel you to sing along.
You won’t be “filled with dread” when you listen to this CD.
Listen to tracks from “Makes Waves Not War” on Nuke The Soup’s MySpace Page. Wondering about the band’s name, Soup is “The after affects of a breaking brave. Especially evident on a closeout. Synonym: Whitewater” (Definition from Riptionary Surf Lingo Lexicon.) Learn more at Nuke The Soup’s website.
- Losille
Great Indie Rock Music With Nuke the Soup
Bruce Von Stiers
There is this guy named Mark Davison. No, not the photographer. The guy I’m talking about is a rock
musician who used to be the front man for a rock band called Cubic Feet.
Now Mark is the front man for another band. He restarted his career with a new band in 2006 and has now put out an album. The name of this new band is Nuke The Soup. What’s in a name? In the press release for the album, Mark explains that the name comes from a cold bowl of soup that his sister had sent back at a restaurant. She told the waiter to “nuke the soup.” It was such a unique
request that Mark took it for the name of his band.
As for the title of the album, it is Make Waves Not War. Again referring to the press release, Mark indicated that the title came from a surfer phrase used during the Vietnam War era. The theme of the album is to be positive in this world of constant doom and gloom.
The first single from the album is Filled With Dread. A sliver of reggae can be heard along with a Todd Rundgren styled of 70’s music. Mark’s vocals are lyrical and heartfelt. It is the second track on the album.
The album was produced by Pete Solley who has worked with both The Romantics and Oingo
Boingo. In fact, Pete is a quasi member of the band, playing keys for the songs on the album. Brian Simms plays the keys, Hammond B3, accordion and does a bit of backing vocals. Ronnie Grant is on guitar. Mike Mennell is the bass player and Keith Cronin is on drums. Keith has worked on
albums by Thursday’s Child, Clarence Clemens and the Pat Travers Band. Mike has worked on
albums by such groups as Everlife. And Brian has been a member of the Junkyard Saints.
Aside from those guys, Mark had some other help on the album. Chester Thompson was on drums
on three of the songs. Andy Thurston played the mandocello on one song and the manola on
another. Mark St. Pierre was on percussion and Greg Hatza was on tabla for a song. Then there
were some backing vocals by both Meritxell Negre and Elena Martin. Elena has performed with
Ember Swift, who I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing before. As for Meritxell, she has performed with Teddy Pendergrass, Patti LaBelle and Carlos Santana and is the new “Peaches” in the duo, Peaches & Herb besides her own group the Meritxell Project.
Ocean is the first song on the album. Slightly haunting, it is an indie rock song that had parts of it reminding me of Gordon Lightfoot. Blind has a Tom Petty feel to it. Yin and Yang is a toe tapper and Big Green Jungle has a ‘70’s funk
rock feel.
More Than You is an aching tune with great vocals and guitar.
Head For That reminded me of Canned Heat. Another Reggae sound can be found in Seeds.
Finger of Friendship (Dolphin Song) is yet another toe-tapper.
Mark brings things back to a slow ballad with All A Dream.
The album ends with a solid alt rock anthem called Our Song.
Nuke The Soup is a unique band and the music on Make Waves Not War makes them a front runner
to be the next top rated indie band.
Check out the band’s web site at http://www.nukethesoup.com/ You can hear songs from the album
there. They can also be heard on the band’s MySpace site at http://www.myspace.com/nukethesoup
http://www.bvsreviews.com/nukethesoup.htm - Bruce Von Stiers
MAKE WAVES NOT WAR
Reviewed by: Duke
I've been around a long time. When folks ask my age, I usually
reply with something along the lines of, "Well, I'm not a rustedout
antique, but I am old enough to remember watching Elvis
make his first television appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show
back in '56."
Music still gets me off as much now as it did in the Elvis years.
Maybe it's my age, though, that makes my aural taste buds
more discerning than they were in the past. Music has to have
certain qualities to really get my attention. Those special,
intangible qualities that scream, "E=Fb" and beg an answer to
the question, "Is this music or is this MUSIC?"
Nuke the Soup's debut CD, MAKE WAVES NOT WAR, most definitely got my attention. It's overflowing with the
E=Fb factor and it gave me what I crave most in this life...MUSIC!
MAKE WAVES NOT WAR offers a truly great listening experience. Eleven tracks give you more than forty minutes
of aural pleasure. The offerings exemplify a band of substance. A band that fully understands E=Fb: The Musician's
Theory of Relativity — the hallmark of musical excellence, encompassing everything from composition and
arranging to lyric structure and musicianship.
Nuke the Soup features:
Mark Davison:
Brian Simms:
Mike Mennell:
Rennie Grant:
Chester Thompson:
Singer, Guitarist, Songwriter and founding member of Cubic Feet
Keyboardist
Bassist
Guitarist
Drums (Genesis, Zappa)
MAKE WAVES NOT WAR was produced by Pete Solley (Romantics, Oingo Boingo and all Cubic Feet albums). He
also contributes on the keyboards.
The one thing that really stands out is their musicianship. They are smooth. We're talking Chet Atkins smooth. Man,
NOHO Lofts Suite 106, 5355 Cartwright Ave • N. Hollywood, CA 91601 • (818)760-8077 • Fax (818)760-7399 • info@luckmedia.com • Luckmedia.com
Steve Levesque Tasya Swisko Jen Onsum Chrissy Sutphin
President Acct Executive Online Publicity Publicist
can they play!
All songs were written by Mark Davison. "Seeds" was co-written by Arthur Lissauer. Mark is a master at weaving
great storylines. He engulfs the listener in a tide of musical exhilaration and introspection. One of the things I love
about Mark's lyrics is that they let you interpret each song, and create its individual world, in your own mind. The CD
package includes lyrics to all eleven songs. Very cool!
MAKE WAVES NOT WAR is an album with crossover potential. It definitely has cuts that could firmly place it in that
category. The diversity is apparent throughout the eleven tracks.
:: :: :: :: :: ::
Ocean is a dreamy song that tells us of a man who worships the ocean, but needs to get to solid ground so that he
can find his way in life. It compels your imagination to hold out your hand and help him reach the shore. A very
beautiful number.
Filled With Dread is a kick-ass tune about wanting to live in the past. Lively and bouncy, it makes you want to tap
your feet, bounce around the room, climb into your car and bob your head as you cruise the boulevard searching for
a time tunnel to the past. Filled With Dread, alone, is worth the price of admission.
Blind delves into the reality of true love by realistically expressing one man's tendency to forget why he loved, only
to grasp glimpses of it now and again. This one punched me between the eyes...been there, done that. Cool,
introspective piece.
Yin And Yang really hits home with what most of us experience at some point in our lives - temptation, flirtation,
frustration. It could easily - very, very easily - become a hit on country charts. It has the feel and the lyrics to appeal
to today's country music fan.
Big Green Jungle is a very cool rock tune about working hard just to survive. I can see this track hitting it big and
being played on everyone's iPods in gyms across the nation. It's the perfect kind of music you want to have playing
when you're working out or busting your hump for the straw boss.
More To You speaks of difficult times. How do you let someone know that you're on their side, that you care about
them? If you remember love beads, a flower painted VW bus and Dylan crooning, you'll flip for More To You. The
vintage sound, updated for the new millenium, is crisp and meaningful.
Head For That is about a man who has had a life of wandering, is growing older and is ready to settle down with the
woman he loves. Head For That is another very cool tune that could easily cross over into the world of country
music.
Seeds tells us of a man who was looking for love in all of the wrong places only to discover it was right in front of him
the entire time. It's much like the guy who finally realizes that the perfect woman is the one with whom he grew up -
the girl next door. Wow, he could have had a V-8!
Finger Of Friendship is too cool and makes me wish I was a dolphin! The liner notes say it best... The storyline is
that, apparently, male dolphins excite easily and are known to offer a certain - Surf Rock Music
Friday, July 03, 2009
Nuke The Soup – Yin And Yang
“We moved all summer like separate spirits dancing in the sand, and we moved into another gear never knowing when we’d land.” The story moves along at a steady pace. The poetic trick is to take a word, define it in terms of the relationship the narrator is pursuing, and playing it with a medium dance beat. Very cool. The individual words could become a game – like those email games – define your relationship in terms of temptation, frustration, elation, flirtation, trepidation, and inspiration. The narrator seems confused about the reality of the relationship – on the one hand he’s saying “we fit like yin and yang”, then a line later he’s saying “but I don’t know what you want.” In other words, it sounds real – no easy answers here. Gotta work on it, no matter how good the fit.
I’m shouting out Big Green Jungle for the same reason – no easy answers. We all have to make the decision – chase the mighty dollar, or live from day to day. The narrator here is encouraged to go for the jungle, but he is quite realistic in reciting the fact that “in the big green jungle there’ll always be disparity.” It’s a daily war. The intrigue here is – either choice is a war. Survive from day to day, paycheck to paycheck – daily struggle. Go for the con game of American finance, and it’s still a daily struggle. You can’t let up because the moment you do another will be considered more fit, and in this war only the fittest survive. Sure, while you’re on top you have the nest egg and finances are not your worry; but it’s a constant stress to stay in the game. Nuke The Soup says – no easy answers, but life has some interesting questions =:-)
Nuke The Soup
http://eartaste.blogspot.com/2009/07/nuke-soup-yin-and-yang.html - Eartaste.com
Discography
NUKE THE SOUP - MAKE WAVES NOT WAR
Photos
Bio
FILLED WITH DREAD ABOUT
HEALTHCARE, TERRORISM,
THE SHAKY ECONOMY AND
THESE CRAZY, CHALLENGING TIMES?
VETERAN ROCKER MARK DAVISON, LEAD
SINGER/SONGWRITER OF NUKE THE SOUP,
OFFERS THE PERFECT SOLUTION ON HIS NEW
BANDS DEBUT ALBUM:
MAKE WAVES NOT WAR
Produced By Pete Solley (Oingo Boingo, The Romantics), Nuke
The Soups First Single Filled With Dread, Was The Fourth
Most Added Track on FMQBs Triple AAA Chart Its First Week Out
Lets face itthese days, its scary just to pick up the morning paper or turn on CNN.
Who wants to read yet another gloom and doom story about declining home values, jobs disappearing left and right, corporate bailouts, terrorism, political extremism, you name it.
The big question is, are you Filled With Dread?
Maryland based veteran pop/rocker Mark Davison isntmostly because thats the name of the first single from his hot new indie band Nuke the Soup, and its already making a big splash on the radio charts.
The feel good, summery ska-fired song, a true emotional-spiritual pep talk if we ever needed one, was the fourth most added track on FMQBs Triple AAA chart its first week out of the box. Its a high energy intro to the exciting and eclectic mix of clever pop/rock tunes on Nuke The Soups debut album on Meteor Records whose title offers up the perfect surfing inspired solution for our crazy times: Make Waves Not War.
Davison credits the jangling, infectious final track Our Song to none other than Eddie Vedder, who sang its catchy refrain to him in his very low voice in a dream. I had been watching this fascinating documentary about a tragic couple that had a scene where Eddie joined a Neil Diamond impersonator during a live performance, he says, and later in my dream it was me onstage with Eddie and he was singing the chorus! I woke up and wrote down what I remembered.
Driven by his unique and optimistic vision as a singer/songwriter, the eleven track collection features a host of top flight East Coast musicians (keyboardist Brian Simms, bassist Mike Mennell, guitarist Rennie Grant) as well as drum legend Chester Thompson, who has played with Weather Report, Frank Zappa and on and off with Genesis for over 30 years.
Make Waves Not War was produced by Pete Solley, who is best known for his seminal work with Oingo Boingo and The Romantics and who produced several albums for Davisons former band, the popular Cubic Feet, which performed regularly in Baltimore, Washington D.C., NYC and Philly and scored numerous college radio, Triple AAA and Hot Modern Tracks airplay hits in the 1990s. Their last album was Superconnector in 2001.
Davisons fascinating musical transition to the unique sunsplashed vibe of Nuke the Soup began after the final Cubic Feet tour in 2002, when he and his new wife Sarah took off to explore the Southern Hemisphere and embark on exotic adventures on a wild itinerary that included many of the worlds most exotic surf spots. They hit Fiji before snow skiing and heli-skiing in New Zealand. Their Magellan-like voyage also took them to Sydney and Perth (venturing down the Margaret River into the heart of wine country) and Rottnest Island, where they cavorted with the wallabees and watched surfers off the coast hanging with the dolphins. This experience, coupled with a news item about a Brit who was on trial for lewd behavior with a dolphin, inspired one of Make Waves Not Wars more intriguing tracks, the crafty blues/rocker Finger of Friendship. The songs storyline is that, apparently, male dolphins excite easily and are known to offer a certain body part to swimmers as a finger of friendship.
Mark and Sarah Davison later stayed at a surf camp in the Maldives (in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka), then hit several hot surf spots off the East coast of Africa, where they went windsurfing and wave riding: Reunion Island, Mauritius and the Seychelles. Once they got home and started their familynow including four year old Jack and 20 month old Maddiethe singer limited his water activities slightly, but has always had time for windsurfing in the Chesapeake Bay.
I started getting more sleep once Jack was a year old, he says, and it was time to plan some sessions to launch the new band in 2006. I already had the idea for certain songs and the black and white logo of a soup bowl with a nuclear mushroom cloud. I thought it would look cool on a T-shirt and we could market the shirt and CD to surf shops. The name of the band came serendipitously when my sister and I were out at dinner and she sent a cold bowl of soup back. She told the waiter, Nuke the Soup. I extend the metaphor to tearing up the soupy snow when Im skiing and cutting through a big wave while surfing.
Along those lines, he did his first Nuke the Soup live performance at Delawares Dewey Beach Music Conference in 2006 and is currently planning a new record.
Band Members
Links
