Music
Press
Our second song to be reviewed at Garageband.com was "Hothead." Here's what they had to say about this tune:
"I like the guitar tone on the intro, and the fast hitting section that follows...the lead vocals are very nice. I dig the singer's voice, and his style both...The vocals are unique and I really like them...Billy Idol-ish...this song gets off to a rocking start and keeps it up throughout the song. This song has a slight early U2 vibe to it and I am really into the lyrics...this is one of the few songs that I've reviewed that I actually listened to twice before I wrote one word. The lyrics are smart and easy to follow, the singer has confidence in his abilities and the guitar solo fits the song perfectly...some record label will be picking this up soon and will make gobs of cash off of this band... Really sweet intro, the guitars pack a punch...Original sound, hard to pinpoint the influence...Very cool lyrics and a fun sound make this song a keeper...Impressive melodies and a continuously interesting groove throughout...Great work!" - Garageband.com
Our first song to be reviewed at Garageband.com was "As the Door Slammed." Here's a composite of their remarks:
"This one comes at you right off the bat...The vocals are quite original...I like the energy (and) guitar riffs...kinda reminds me of the band X...The song kicks off with high energy...Good rock song. Fun lyrics. I like the guitar, nice tone for this song...Great lyrics...There's a nice melody and clever lyrics here...a fine effort indeed...Love the guitar solo, my kind of thing 100%. Simple, melodic, punchy and short. Excellent, I want to hear it again...I love your voice...I like the line, 'that girl only loved me for my paycheck!' Genius...Very cool song, if your other songs are like this, I'm sold." - Garageband.com
"Oftentimes, there's a serious rift between intellects and rockers. Usually they're separate crowds, and commingling is frowned upon. A handful of bands (Seattle's Bloodhag comes to mind) bridge that gap and prove that rockers can be intellects, and vise versa. Another band bringing the two worlds together is Seattle's Sugarcane Mutiny, who will play First Night's Theatre on the Square Stage." - The Weekly Volcano (Tacoma)
Each time I've seen Sugarcane Mutiny they've reminded me of the Smithereens if Pat DiNizio and crew ran a dilapidated gas station with a black and white TV in the office. This Seattle quartet plays rootsy, jangly pop with an emphasis on songs as opposed to the requisite instruments and haircuts. Don't get me wrong, these cats look and sound classic, I just don't think it's their top priority.
This rag stamped intelligent on their foreheads before. It’s still true. Tarantino-like stories with five fingers on the bible and two crossed behind, baby. Yeah, they’re cool.
These seasoned cats found a common thread -- smart songwriting, stringent, catchy melodies and a dose of twang -- on their four-song, self-titled CD that is spinning right now next to my black and white TV.
By Brad Allen - The Weekly Volcano (Tacoma)
Our fourth song to be reviewed at Garageband.com was Detective Novel. Here's a few comments:
"Sounds like George Thorogood...Good song (with) interesting lyrics. I like the story line. The lead vocal is also very good...The hook at the beginning was very catchy...i like how this started -- a heavy melodic guitar riff right into a catchy vocal line. Sounds like the Fabulous T-birds...Interesting lyrics -- what a night in a hotel huh?...The lyrics tell a good story, create a good picture...This song reminds me of the Cars and Iggy Pop...Sounding for all the world like a latter-day Thin Lizzy...The singer has a good rock voice...Vocals remind me of Mark Knopfler...Reminded of the 80's band Timbuk 3." - Garageband.com
"Great guitar rock/power pop done up indie style. You can hear the Texas twang in the guitars and the blues backdrop in the buried keys...This is bar band story telling at it's finest." - Radio Free Seattle
The third song we entered at Garageband.com was Your Town. The reviewers had this to say:
"rockabilly-ish...haunting and straight ahead. Super good effort...The melody is strong and singable, which is always a plus for a pop tune - actually you might argue, a necessity for a pop tune...the bass is the best part of the song... I get an REM/rockabilly influenced crooner vibe...I liked the lyrics the most, straight-forward but not cliche...Nice guitar sound. I was reminded of Midnight Oil for a brief second. Nice harmonies, the bass player is really doing it right...I love the guitar solo!...This dark-hued tune is pleasingly simple in structure and aim, and it calls to mind at various points, Bowie, light Pixies, Joy Division, and the sort of Billy Idol 80's fare, among others. The western-showdown vibe I get here is cool and could be exploited further...Dark and secretive...I like the feel of this: dark and moody. The vocals are perfect for the tone of the song, low and a bit forlorn...The bridge at 2:45 lend a nice change of pace...Well done. Nice polished sound - initially sounds like REM..." - Garageband.com
Discography
Your Town (7-song CD)
As the Door Slammed
Hothead
Just in Case
Detective Novel
Addressee Unknown
Bad Boy
Your Town
Recorded at Big Rock Recording in Woodinville, WA. Co-produced by Jess Grant and Mark Hopkins. Released in the Spring of 2008.
Photos
Bio
Seattle's SUGARCANE MUTINY takes two shots of single-malt rock and adds a dash of twang. The band's lyric-driven songwriting and power-pop beats blend the dark humor and storytelling of a Cracker or Wilco with the loud jangly pop of the Smithereens and Fastball. Whatever you call it, it's original Seattle rock -- wet and quirky.
SUGARCANE MUTINY's 7-song CD "Your Town" is available in stores around Seattle or online at CD Baby, Napster and a dozen other e-retailers. The band took 2nd place in Roy's Battle of the Bands last year and their song Your Town won "best bass in pop rock" at Garageband.com last fall. SUGARCANE MUTINY has appeared at NW festivals including Hempfest, Tacoma's First Night Celebration and the International Pop Overthrow in Portland this summer.
SUGARCANE MUTINY has played in Seattle at Jules Maes Saloon, the Sunset Tavern, the Skylark Club, Redline Music, the Comet Tavern, Chop Suey, the High Dive, the Nectar Lounge, the Bamboo Bar and Grill and the Blue Moon. The band has also played regionally at the Red Room (Portland) the Wild Buffalo (Bellingham), the Swiss Tavern (Tacoma), Big Daddy's (Woodinville) and Flights Pub (Everett).
Singer-songwriter Jess Grant has migrated northward ever since fleeing his hometown of Los Angeles, where he was influenced by LA acts as diverse as X, the Doors, Joni Mitchell and the Runaways. While a rocker at heart -- he fronts the world's only tribute to Joan Jett, Jett City -- Jess' acoustic music has been heard on NPR's Car Talk and at the NW Folklife Festival.
Bassist Casey Allen has played with The Life, a Seattle pop-rock band that released two records on Green Monkey Records and made three Bumbershoot appearances. Next up was Jimm and the Boxes, a local band signed to Blue Rose, where they released a CD on Ptarmigan Records. His most recent project was Cats On Holiday, Cleveland Ohio's Favorite Mardi Gras Party Band.
Lead guitarist Travis Hartnett spent ten years in Austin TX, playing with Britt Daniels in his pre-Spoon band, composing soundtracks, working with dance and theatre companies, and performing at SXSW three times. He has studied with Robert Fripp and is a former member of Seattle Guitar Circle. His local bands have included David Bavas and the Down Comforter, Electrochakra, Tableland, and the Steve Ball Roadshow.
Drummer Scott Nordell spent ten years in No. California playing in comedy marching bands, theatre show pits and drum circles, along with bands that played everything from punk and country to blues and Motown. Later he moved to So. California where he played with Blue Cheer, The Coasters, The Shirelles and Fuzzy Logic, and opened for The Fabulous T-birds, The Stray Cats and Bobby Bland. Scott moved to Seattle in 2006.
Official website: http://sugarcanemutiny.com
You can also link up with us at www.myspace.com/sugarcanemutiny.
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