| From www.ocreloaded.com Cowpunk Invasion - The Surreal McCoys Take Hold of L.A. |
| Written by Paul Lyons |
| Sunday, 05 June 2011 18:06 |
 Straight out of parts unknown, come The Surreal McCoys...a fun and exuberant five-piece country/punk band that goes all out in the name of joyful irreverence, and pure rock and roll. For the first time in five years, the band returned to Los Angeles to perform no less than two different concerts Friday night, at two very different venues...all part of their 2011 Endless Strummer tour. First up was a thirty minute set at the Foundation Room, a small VIP lounge located on the top floor of the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood. The intimacy of the room intensified The Surreal McCoys’ exciting set, which included original songs from their 2008 debut album The Bottle & The Gun (such as the surprisingly good-natured “$10 Hooker in a $5 Town”), plus a new song called “God and The Devil” from their forthcoming release “The Howl & The Growl,” as well as super-charged versions of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues”, and a Beat Farmers version of Neil Young’s 1979 classic “Powderfinger.” Standing less than five feet from the musicians, I got to experience the full power of the band. On the drums, keeping the groove strong, hard, and sometimes even funky on his three-piece kit: Billy Saul McCoy (aka Shawn Ryan). On bass guitar, the virtuosic stylings of Clinton McCoy (aka Clint Feddersen). On hard-drivin’ rhythm guitar and blues-inspired harmonica: Goat Boy McCoy (aka Patrick Smith). On lead guitar there’s Elvis McCoy (aka Tim Smith), armed with a Fender Telecaster and just the right licks to rival Scotty Moore and Duane Eddy. On lead vocals is Cletus McCoy (aka Erik Huey)...a punk rock star with a voice like Joe Strummer, and a stage presence and style akin to Mick Jagger, Michael Hutchence, and Jim Morrison. You put them all together, and you have one hell of a band. Cletus McCoy is not only the band’s frontman, he’s also the audience’s front man too. At every Surreal McCoy show, Cletus leaps off the stage to be amongst the crowd, handing the microphone to whomever is ready and willing to sing along and be a part of the show.  As a special treat for the packed Foundation Room crowd, The Surreal McCoys were joined on stage for their final two songs by Camp Freddy / Billy Idol guitarist Billy Morrison. In the spirit of the night, the band (with Morrison) broke out a rousing version of The Clash’s arrangement of “I Fought The Law,” followed by the 1978 Cheap Trick classic (and Camp Freddy favorite) “Surrender.” “We call it Johnny Clash” said Cletus when asked to describe his band’s sound. When you listen to their music, you realize Cletus is right on the money. I hear Johnny Cash in their sound, as well as The Clash. I also hear garage rock, rockabilly, and a good sense of humor. Cletus told me “The whole reason the band got together was because of The Beat Farmers, Mojo Nixon, and The Replacements.” When asked about his thoughts on performing in Los Angeles, Cletus said “It’s great to be back in L.A...the epicenter of the music industry. You can’t get up and fake it. You’ve got to deliver the goods.” “Deliver the goods” is right, yet The Surreal McCoys had no problem keeping up their end of the bargain at The Foundation Room, and chose to keep the momentum going with the late show at the second venue of the evening...Dragonfly. Nestled in a nondescript space in Hollywood on Santa Monica Boulevard, Dragonfly is more of a traditional rock and roll venue compared to the fancy, exclusive, ultra-chic Foundation Room. It’s atmosphere says “Grab a beer and party.” So to, The Surreal McCoys performed a completely different set than the intimate show they played earlier in the evening in West Hollywood. At 12:30am, the band hit the Dragonfly stage for a one hour set that began with “Brown Demon”...a four-to-the floor drinking song from their debut album. Keeping the energy high, the band blasted through another track from The Bottle & The Gun called “Words To That Effect.” Next up was the title track from their yet-to-be-released new album, “The Howl & The Growl.”  Reaching into their bag of tricks, The Surreal McCoys pulled out of nowhere the old Frankie Laine song from 1949: “Mule Train.” If that weren’t a surprise enough, Cletus brought out a song that he says “they would not let us play” when the band last performed in L.A. five years ago at the Viper Room: ”Hollywood Hills”...a 1987 underground classic from The Beat Farmers. Further wearing their influences on their sleeve, the band also played “Left of the Dial” by The Replacements as well as “Amsterdam” by Mojo Nixon. Just when you think you got The Surreal McCoys pinned down, they throw a curveball at you, such as the double-shot of Bob Dylan songs played that night: “Absolutely Sweet Marie” and the classic “My Back Pages.” Of course, the band played these songs in true punk style. Other highlights of the Dragonfly show included a gangbusters punk version of John Denver’s 1971 classic “Take Me Home, Country Roads”...immediately followed by a great take on The Replacements 80’s track “Can’t Hardly Wait.” For their faithful version of Looking Glass’s 1972 gem “Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl), yours truly was brought onstage to play cowbell and sing along with Cletus and the band on the infectious chorus of " Brandy, you're a fine girl" (you're a fine girl) "What a good wife you would be" (such a fine girl).” After burning through “Gun Sale at the Church” by The Beat Farmers, The Surreal McCoys ended their set as they had done at the Foundation Room... a full blast of Cheap Trick’s ‘Surrender” to close out the night. By the time the last note was played at 1:30am, it was hard to believe that The Surreal McCoys’ Los Angeles run had once again come to an end. Yet there’s a lot more ahead for The Surreal McCoys. After their brief stop at the Gold Mine Tavern in Las Vegas, they'll take a short break, then go back into the studio to finish up their long-overdue new album The Howl & The Growl. Also, Cletus told me they soon will release a live EP called “Freeways and Threeways.” After that, its back on the road for more shows. If you’re lucky, they’ll pay a visit to your town. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll catch The Surreal McCoys while you can... |
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