The Electric Boa

Great review from our St. Patty's Philly Throw-down at the Electric Factory with Octane. Thanks to Alex & Cupcake!!! teb - Alex & Cupcake

The Electric Factory is one of my favorite venues to see some great original national and international talent. This all age venue itself is historic and has been around longer that I have. Before it moved to it's current location, great original musical pioneers like Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Mothers of Invention, & The Muddy Waters Blues Band played at the old Electric Factory location. Back then the artists even played two complete shows a day. After The Electric Factory moved to it's current location, those 21 years of age or older can go upstairs to enjoy an adult beverage, while those who are younger stay down stairs. Everyone of the 2,500 - 3,000 capacity (depending on the stage size or layout) can experience the same live show by artists like The Black Keys, Sonic Youth, and more recently the current line up of Guns N' Roses (not to be confused with GN'R's other line up or the most famous G N' R line up ). A few years ago, Axl and the other - other Guns N' Roses line up, was a no show in Philly, so... it was my turn to be a no show, the other week. Sorry, Axl. Maybe next time you should bring Slash & Duff. I will pay to see that show.

Over the years, at the Electric Factory, I have enjoyed a bunch of good original independent or unsigned talent open up for national and international acts. I have been lucky to be back stage to see Abolish open for Iron Maiden, B Bar open for Pete Yorn, Blacken open up for Judas Priest, and this past Saturday night, The Electric Boa open up for Octane.

I first heard about The Electric Boa a few months ago when we received a CD titled Candy Coated Cyanide which was submitted for review. Truth be told, we never even listened to it because, at the time, it did not fall within our guidelines (go to the Top of the Home Page & click "How to submit" for more info). Then an old friend of mine said something about seeing them and then later that same week I had a another friend who happens to work at WMMR also mentioned the band during a causal conversation. Then their is the talk about a Movie Star named Jesse Jane who has been seen at two different Electric Boa shows over the past year, including their CD release party for Candy Coated Cyanide. Nobody seems to know if she is a Fan of the band or a Flame of one of the band members. Maybe she just "happened" to be there both times for business. The interesting part, is that their is a picture of her wearing one of The Electric Boa's concert shirts floating around on the net. I don't care much about gossip. Rock Stars & Movie Stars have always gone hand in hand. Who cares ? However, all of this buzz did get my attention. When I hear more than one person at different times talk about band, group, musician or singer I admit it, I get interested to check it out myself. I caught The Electric Boa buzz and now it is my turn to share it with you.

NOT the average...
Last Saturday Night was St. Patrick's Day. I am not one to crawl from bar to bar drinking warm green beer. Bands NOT Booze is what I enjoy. I rather be out and about checking out new original music. A couple of weeks ago, I heard about this show with The Electric Boa playing at one of my favorite venues. Since the largest challenge for any original band is to play in front of a large audience who is hearing them for the first time, I had to see and hear for myself if this band is the real deal. I had to go.

When a newer band opens up for a national act, after the first few minutes one can tell what level of music performance maturity they own. If there is a break in the crowd's attention, you might as well here the audience think to themselves "ok, I saw the new band, I'm gonna talk to my friend now... let me know when the headliner hits the stage." One cause of this is what I call the “Tree Experience.” What is the Tree Experience ? When the audience EXPERIENCES a musician or singer standing there on stage like a TREE. No movement, no enthusiasm, no artistic expression. When an music artist does this, it causes the audience to LEAVE mentally and sometimes physically. Why do I bring this up ? When the average band gets the opportunity to open up on a large stage and in front of a large audience, some bands get caught in the spotlight and freeze like a statue or a tree. NOT The ELECTRIC BOA, on this night. They are not the average band and this was not an average show. This performance was more like a bolt of Lighting striking and splitting a tree. Powerful, Bright, Loud, and exciting to watch.

From the beginning, there was an energy in the building. Within the first few moments the crowd seemed to feel it too. I kept watching the band and watching the audience keep their eyes and ears on The Electric Boa. Many in the audience never heard of them before, but after this night, they sure know of them now.
Great showmanship by all members. They were so much fun to watch. Higgsy is Boa's vocalist. His movements are wild and artistic but not spastic or over done. Watching his flawless execution is like watching a talented skate boarder at the X-Games. He twists, he turns, and jumps. Thrilling to watch but should not be attempted by the average lead singer (I threw my back out just watching him). Both Morten & Joe have their own guitar style and stage presence. Greg was on point with his Bass playing. He was all business, tie and all. The Electric Boa line up also includes Veteran Drummer Johnny Dee. You may have seen or heard his skills before with the band DORO and other groups. Does this guy ever take a day off musically ? I guess that is why he is that good. The band as a whole showed why they were picked this night to warm up the crowd for Octane. They are good at what they do. They ROCK !

Musically, Live, they use no special effects. No keyboard, no sequencer, no click track, no frills, or fillers. Just good old in your face guitar driven Rock. Straight for the gut, with toe tapping rhythms. A bunch of tunes caught my ear: "Tweekerville Blues," "Ace 1-3-5," and "Terror on the Reservation" stuck out as my favorites. What seemed to be a crowd favorite was the song "Cut Offs." A few in the audience seemed to know the words well. The lyrics include: "Cut Offs & Camel Toe..." "Down in the Valley Below..." "Oh Baby, give it to me." Pretty good original sexy lyrics, yet safe enough for Radio Play. Kind of racy in the way The Rolling Stones and others sometime push the censorship envelope. Yet, I did hear a good amount of female voices sing along.
Take the energy of Buckcherry, the cool G N' R attitude, and add the musicianship of the Stone Temple Pilots… yes I will put The Electric Boa’s talented Live performance from this night in the same category as those bands without any hesitation. On stage they ruled the room. They could steal your girlfriend and convince you that it was ok for you to pay for dinner, drinks, and the hotel. They possess a ton of charisma and raw energy that could power one thousand major cities. It moved from the band, through the audience, and back to the band. One complete circuit. I could not tell who was having more fun, the band or the crowd. It was a good time by ALL.

??After their Performance, Cupcake and I were able to spend a few minutes with The Electric Boa's Vocalist Higgsy and Bassist Greg Cornwell in the venue's backstage lounge. An interesting observation about these guys: after they just killed a good set on stage, like a bunch of veteran Rock Stars, here they were backstage very approachable, gracious, & friendly. The Rock Star that is inside them, was left on the stage and was not out to show up the other band members or whoever else was around. Higgsy told me that as a band they have "no fights." If they can continue to master this talent, it will help them in their climb up their musical career ladder and avoid the pitfalls that have hurt many other bands like Guns N' Roses. I asked about the song "Cut Offs." Higgsy explained that people either "love it or hate it." I dare you to find someone who hates the song or anything else about this band.

What is next for The Electric Boa ? The guys told me that their album CANDY COATED CYANIDE was just repackaged and reissued. They are currently writing for their next album. No title or release date as of the time of this blog post. This weekend they will be playing a benefit concert, next week the open for Skid Row & Kix, and in May they hit NYC (more concert info below).
As we were chitchatting I found it interesting that we were talking near statues of American Icons Humphrey Bogart and John Wayne. Also present was a statue of a camel (I swear, that I didn’t look for the Camel Toe). I thought that the way these guys played on this night, nothing can stop them from becoming better than the average rock band.

Boggie, Duke, Axl, & Slash meet the guys from The Electric Boa.

-Alex & Cupcake

A few highlighted up & coming Shows

Benefit Concert Sunday, March 25
@ Scottish Rite Theatre, Collingswood, NJ.
They go on at 8:15.
All info can be found at www.rockforhopenj.org.

Opening for Skid Row & Kix Friday, March 30
@ Havana, New Hope, PA TICKETS

The Electric Boa w/STAR II SUN Thursday, April 4
@ Upstairs at Club Risque Philadelphia, PA

The Electric Boa Tuesday, May 8
@ The Bowery Electric, New York, NY TICKETS - Original Music Reviews

The Electric Boa is the name of a band. Get ready to hear alot about them, they are starting to make a lot of noise and draw good sized crowds to their shows. "We were bouncing around names to think what sounded good, electric this, boa that", said Morten GP, a founding member of the Boa and lead guitarist.
The band has been together for about a year. Musically, it's hard for local acts to break. "We're not music industry defined, we're not metal, we're not pop", said John Higgenbottom or Higgsy as he is better known. He's the bands front man and promotion machine. "I'm constantly on Facebook , talking to people, trying to get them out to see us play", he said.
The Electric boa is winning over skeptical club owners. They will book screaming children if it would make people come to eat and drink. For a band t ohave a dedicated following it's much easier for them to get gigs. "We're not rock stars", Higgsy said after a show at Redz on the Roosevelt Blvd. "We all talk to people after the show to find out what they liked", he said.
That is not entirely true, their drummer,Johnny Dee is a rock star. His main gig is the drummer for Doro Pesch. He tours all over the world with her and people wait for hours outside a venue to meet him. Should any of his fans come into the Philly club scene, they can find him at a table chatting with friends and fans. "I joined the band 'cause of the music,first, Dee said. I knew Higgsy andMort, they are great guys but the music they were making really impressed me.
The band is rounded out with Greg Corwell and Joe Fortino. All play a part in promoting the band . It's paid off. They are starting to fill clubs by themselves and their indy pressing of the CD called Candy Coated Cyanide has sold out. "We had 1000 copies and they are gone, we have to re issue it. We may re do it , I mean we have new songs already", Morton said. The web site http://www.theelectricboa.com
has a lot of info on the band. The Electric Boa has merchandise for sale that helps support the band. Less than amonth ago, they took delivery a brand new box of t shirts and hoodies. Within two shows, the band just about sold out of $22.00 hoodies
The Examiner has teamed up with The Electric Boa for a contest for a free t shirt and two tickets to their next show at Redz, on ther 8200 block of Roosevelt Blvd which is on March 17 2012. To enter you must comment on the article below. The first comment wins it. Comments must appear on this Examiner.com article. Simply liking this aricle or posting on YOUR Facebook page is not acceptable. Employees of Examiner.com, The Electric Boa and Redz are not eligible to enter. - examiner.com

Q: If you could use a tagline of less than 20 words to describe your music and who you are what would it be?
A: Music thats deep as a river and shallow as a piss puddle. 3 chord bathroom poetry. Gypsy hobo loser.??

Q: What is your musical background?
A: I have no musical backround. I am just in love with music.??

Q: How was 2011 for you?

A: 2011 was a learning experience. We busted our asses on a record, and found out that nothing is ever gonna happen over night or “ever” for that matter. LOL. We found out who our friends are, and who our enemies are. (Sometimes even in your own band.) We lived, loved, lost, cried, and made changes. 2012 is lookin’ great. I feel stoked about this lineup. These guys are truly my friends and they are there to play the songs because they are players who just enjoy playing music and ain’t about the mindfuck. I mean, there’s no music industry so I’d rather have some fun with some good guys while I waste my life. LOL. We can waste each other’s time and lives without a care in the world. ‘Cause we are diggin’ each other’s vibes. There’s no fighting with these cats. They don’t wanna fight, they wanna play. We don’t fight with each other, we fight for each other. Very lucky.??

Q: Who inspires you musically?
A: Anything rock n roll. Rock n roll is my steady, though i do cheat with other kinds of music on the side. LOL. Too many bands to mention. I’m into a lot of stuff.??

Q: Which modern day artists do you look up to?
A: We don’t play music like them but I love Kings of Leon. They are brilliant. Every record is fantastic. Loved them from the beginning when they looked like Creedence Clearwater Revival. LOL. They can do no wrong. Lots of people were mad ’cause they cancelled their U.S. tour. (I had tix, too.) I’m not mad. Those guys been burning non-stop for almost a decade straight. Springs were bound to eventually pop. To me, they are a very special band because they got their own moxy. No one sounds like them. Genius. My ears and heart shall never grow tired of those moxy-ridden jams.?

Q: Is there anyone you would like to collaborate or gig with?
A: David Bowie, Rob Thomas (yes), Bobby Durango, Kings of Leon, Jimmy Marchiano, Buddy Cash. Would like to do a 70s influenced glam record with those cats. Maybe have Gary Glitter or Brian Eno produce it. Maybe Andy Wallace or Jack Joseph Puig. I really dig Angelo Petraglia, too. We would gig with anybody. If they would be so kind to have us.??

Q: What songs are on your ipod at the moment?
A: I don’t have an iPod. I have a cassette player out in my truck. I make mixtapes and play them in my piece of shit ’89 Suburban. I got three tapes. Got some Thin Lizzy on it, Nashville Pussy, Kings of Leon, Iggy Pop, Romancing the 70s (70s love jawns), Motorhead, David Bowie and T. Rex, Silverhead, Stones, Crowes, Rock City Angels, Lou Reed, Roxy Music, 80s hair metal. I’m leaving out alot of artists. My mixtapes are symbols of my split personalities. I got a new cellphone and i might as well skip that fuckin’ thing across a pond and watch it jetski ’cause I don’t know how to work that either. I’m so lost. LOL.??

Q: What is your creative process for creating a track?
A: Well, I dont know how to read music or tune a guitar. So when it’s getting “channelled” down, I usually tell Mort our guitar player, “it’s time!” LOL. So he tunes my guitar and I get cracking. It comes from somewhere else. I am a no talent. I feel it gets “channelled” down. I don’t know if it’s god, or aliens, Elvis, or something unknown. They come out of nowhere. It doesn’t come from me. I can’t or won’t take the credit. I’m just the vessel, the carrier, and the mouthpiece. I wish my “provider” would send something down John Lennon caliber but that hasn’t happend yet. I get sent this goofy shit. But then there are times that stuff gets sent down that allows me to share personal experiences of my life in a song. But it’s still coming from somewhere else. It’s my experience, but the phrasing and melody lines i will never take credit for. It’s channelled. I’m glad I have no hits ’cause I wouldn’t know where or who to send the royalty checks to.

Q: What’s more important, melody or lyrics?
A: They are both of equal value. When they have an equal partnership, magic happens. And hooks are important. Ya gotta have the hook. I mean, if you go musical fishing and ain’t got no hooks, the only thing your gonna catch is the clap from shot-out groupies with terrible taste in music. LOL. Don’t take me serious, it’s just Tom Foolery, just jiving…um, no, I’m not.?

Q: Where are you based?
A: Philadelphia, PA, USA

Q: What’s it like being where you’re from?
A: Philadelphia is a great place to be. You can’t fool people here. Ya gotta really go the extra mile and work hard. But if people see ya hoofin’ and meaning what you’re doing and doing what you’re meaning, they take notice and respect that. Great people in this city. It’s Rocky-town man, they root for the underdog here. But you gotta earn your stripes and make them believers. You standing around saying how great your band is, then waiting for people to say “you’re right” and instantly start kissin’ your ass ain’t gonna happen in the City of Brotherly “Shove.” LOL. Philly is a hard sell. But if these good people buy what your peddlin’ and they know you ain’t jiving..then you got incredible fans for life.??

Q: What are you currently working on?
A: I’m working on being a member of The Electric Boa. I love these guys and our fans to death. Working on new Boa tunes. Working on my character defects. I’m a defective character. I’m a little off. Not throwin’-breadcrumbs-at-myself-in-the-park crazy, but I got some work to do on myself.??

Q: What’s been the highlight of your career to date?
A: The friends and fans are the highlight. Without them, we are lowlifes.

Q: What are you hoping to achieve in 2012?
A: A tour…please? Another record. And always keeping the peace in the musical union.??

Q: Do you have any gigs or shows that you’d like to tell us about?
A:
¦Friday, November 4 at JB McGinness in New Castle, DE.
¦Saturday, November 5 at Redz in (NE) Philly, PA (all ages).
¦Saturday, November 12 at The Note in West Chester, PA.
¦Friday, November 18 at Upstairs at Club Risque on Columbus Blvd. in Philly, PA.
¦Friday, November 25 at Legendary Dobbs on South Street in Philly, PA.

Q: What do you do to relax?
A: Cocaine…LOL -- jiving. I don’t like relaxing because when I relax I feel depressed ’cause I feel like I should be doing more. I do get in the sitting up Frank Sinatra power nap at times. For I’m not a robot. LOL.??

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to let our readers know about?
A: Yes. I’m not the best, but I have the best intentions. I have a dayjob just like you that I hate just like you but it pays my bills. I have a nightjob called music that pays my soul. I’m in a mess of a band called The Electric Boa. Please check us out. Oh, and Bobby Durango and Johnette Napolitano are unsung heros. Thanxxx so much!?? - Song Revelation

It’s probably hard to remember now, but there was a very tiny window of time—in between their feeding off the corpse of grunge and their lead singer turning into a drug-addled caricature of himself and running off to join Velvet Revolver—when Stone Temple Pilots actually made some glammy, kinda appealing rock ’n’ roll (admit it, you dug “Big Bang Baby” against your own better judgment). That’s the same window Philly quintet the Electric Boa has crawled through for their own glittery, arena-sized hard-rock spectacle, fueled by the unabashedly Weiland-esque vocals of singularly monikered frontman Higgsy and a crunchy, riffy swagger that finds the midpoint between G 'n’ R and T. Rex. -M.A.G. - Philadelphia Weekly

Tight Philly fivesome have a unique sound - one part classic rock (glammy Bowie, Dolls) and one part punk-rock that somehow arrives at a modern popp-punk essence. Brit-o-phile frontman Higgsy revels in wild wordplay that makes you wonder what he's going to sing next. "Cutoffs" is a sexy/tawdry paen to camel toe that revels in graphic sexual silliness ("I'll be your Count of Monty Fisto"). "Horse" trawls the depths of addiction. The melodic "Sissy" is an upbeat romp that might be the most appealing song from these rock & roll torchbearers. - Music Connection

Tight Philly fivesome have a unique sound - one part classic rock (glammy Bowie, Dolls) and one part punk-rock - that somehow arrives at a modern pop-punk essence. Brit-o-phile frontman Higgsy revels in wild wordplay that makes you wonder what he's going to sing next. "The Cutoffs" is a sexy/tawdry paen to camel toe that revels in graphic sexual silliness ("I'll be your Count of Monty Fisto"). "Horse" trawls the depths of addiction. The melodic "Sissy" is an upbeat romp that might be the most appealing song from these rock & roll torchbearers. - Music Connection

The Electric Boa is rock with an occasional Motown swing from a seemingly random, but wonderfully intertwined one-manned horns section. If that doesn't get your attention, it's hard to ignore a chorus that repeats, "cut offs and cameltoe." Candy Coated Cyanide beams with variety in each song, but offers consistent entertainment. From the first song on the album to the last, this group manages to hold your attention and take you from tracks that you can rock to, to tracks that come off as more like ballads to somberly groove to. Definitely try this- for the lyrics if nothing else. - Origivation Magazine

Produced by L. Derek Chafin. Higgsy-vocals, Morten G.P. and David James- guitars, Greg Cornwell-bass, Dalee Thomas-drums and backing vocals.
Take five Philly based musicians who grew up rocking to the music of Cheaptrick, Faces, The Stooges, David Bowie, Aerosmith and Judas Priest. Shake it up and out comes The Electric Boa. Rocking guitars, great hooks, horns and a great voice in Higgsy. This is a band to look out for. Thirteen songs rock this, their first CD. As noted the influence of the above bands meld the sound of Electric Boa. The mix of horns played by Jay Davidson weaves in and out on this recording also. Higgsy's voice has that great sound a la Pete Palladino; sweet, smooth, clean and distinct. The first six songs rock a fresh flair in this "new" music age, and is well accepted by this listener. Song #6 "Ma' Lawd" is a ballad that then hits hard with a great guitar solo bursting forth and harmony vocals to sweeten the pot.
All songs are dance ready on this new CD from The Electric Boa. Song #7, "Horse" is now rocking my player. Great music, fresh music from this band. The mix and production is spot on. A i r Records has a hit band here. Let's keep an ear out for them. - PA Musician