Cheater Pint

2003 — Cheater Pint has an appealing edge that grabs your attention and keeps you interested. Lauran O'Neal's vocals succeed in being both coy and engaging. The band has a happy and energetic punk delivery which I can see transferring well onto the stage. - The Noise: Rock Around Boston

2003 — Despite it's brevity, "Three For Nothing" carries its weight as a thematic work. Lyrically, the CD offers something of an existential stance, with each song an apology of sorts for the unintended outcomes of life. From the disc's opening question, "If I grow up would we still be friends?" to its closing surrender, "You know your right…Yep, you're right," lyricist Lauran O'Neal explores a world of uncontrollable circumstance, and voices efforts to resist, cope with, or simply survive in, that world.

With a playful approach, "If I Grow Up" and "Ballad of Cathy Mall" wrangle with the inevitable— not aging per se, but submitting to the pragmatic and passionless necessities of being "grown up." Lines like "If I end up so far gone/ I could never come back again/ End up Republican" and "Waiting on townies every Saturday morning/ they're holding up their coffee cups/ They're bottomless, sixty cents/ Don't wanna end up like them" bring sarcastic wit and comical imagery to these upbeat songs.

"Heartbreak," which makes study of a famous suicide, leaves the humor behind, but maintains its critical edge, and descends emotionally in what could be called an empathetic cynicism. The intensity of the subject matter is matched by the textural richness and emotional delivery found in the band's developing sophistication in songwriting. Its more progressive arrangement takes them into new creative ground with dramatic effect. - Nothing Major: The Indie Music Review

June 2007 — A tease single from their upcoming full length, "Control Freak" sounds like the Go-Go’s on massive steroids. Loads of pop hooks crammed into four and a half minutes with ten-foot tall drums, hand claps, climbing choruses, and oodles of sonic chocobliss. If the rest of their new album sounds as good as this single, my eargasm will never cease. Fuck, Yeah! (Joel Simches) - The Noise: Rock Around Boston

Thursday September 13, 2007 — Having a bad day? Do yourself a favor. Listen to the songs from Cheater Pint's new CD, 'Dark Side of the Pint.'

Turn it up loud and listen to "Control Freak," "I Quit You" or "Self-Medication." LOUD. Lie down with the headphones or dance around the room and sing along with Lauran O'Neal.

Your day is instantly better.

"It's always funny to me when I hear about bands that don't have a good time playing music," O'Neal said. "I mean, you're never really make any money at this so why not have fun?"

Although it took a few years to get the CD put together, O'Neal said she and her band mates -- Lauran and Mark on guitars, Meaghan on bass and Dan on drums -- are ready to hit the road and play them live.

"The CD is good, but it's always a little more perfect when you record," O'Neal said. "You know how some bands are better live and some aren't. I think we're better live. I don't think we're perfect players but I think we bring it across better live." (John Black, BostonNOW) - BostonNOW

Wednesday, September 12, 2007 — As their name suggests, CHEATER PINT is a bar band — but a bar band in a great Boston tradition that stretches from the Charms and the Dents back to the Lyres and the Real Kids. Call it garage punk if you must, or find some new synonym for the kind of ragged power pop that boasts too many hooks and too much heart for a gang who couldn't give a shit about playing sober.

On "Control Freak," which is already getting local airplay, frontwoman Lauran O'Neal nails the Fastbacks' sugary grit and the Go-Go's beach-grrrl harmonies while former Barbaro toughie Meaghan McLaughlin, on bass, anchors a Throbbing Lobster–ish rhythm section.

Check out the release party for their debut, Dark Side of the Pint, at T.T. the Bear’s Place on September 14 with the Figgs and the Gravel Pit.
- Boston Phoenix

October 2007 — Cheater Pint "Dark Side of the Pint" (Kinger)

The cover art is great (light refracted through a full pint glass, a slight variation on a certain Pink Floyd cover), and the sloppy, poppy punk that pounds through the speakers is similarly pleasing. Not complicated and not particularly refined, these easygoing tunes slide right down. Just like a solid bitter down at your local.
- Aiding & Abetting

October 2007 — Cheater Pint, "Dark Side of the Pint" (Kinger Recordings)

The cover is a nice spoof on Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" except instead of a prism we have a pint of beer.

Cheater Pint isn't quite beer punk, though. The band features 2 girls and 2 guys; the girls singing most vocals and providing guitar and bass. It's clear from the first couple songs that the girls can harmonize quite sweetly together, and when they don't it's an affectation. You get either an off-key, look-ma-I'm-singing karaoke Courtney/Brody kack or something that flows like the Watson Twins.

Cheater Pint plays songs that are sort of a cross between the Soviettes and Go-Gos: not really rough enough to be punk and not smooth enough to be pop. But they do enjoy themselves, and on some songs the fun is infectious and covers up any flaws, like on "Self-Medication."

They succeed in getting their loose playing and exuberance into two minutes of noisy pop. I think they might do better to have sloppier, more lo-fi punk music and then the vocals wouldn't matter so much. Most of these songs are too musical to fit this singing.

"Drinkin' Days" is another tongue-in-cheek song that benefits from a cool guitar riff. Some elements need ironing out, like, are you going to turn into a vocalist or not, for this band to get anywhere. (Paul Leeds) - Culture Bunker

December 2007 — Cheater Pint "Dark Side Of The Pint" (Kinger Recordings)

There's nothing quite like a pint of crisp cold beer on a brisk fall day at the local watering hole. Evoking similar feelings of satisfaction is Cheater Pint's Dark Side Of The Pint, an album that has more similarities to The Breeders than Pink Floyd.

Cheater Pint falls into the category of bona fide garage rock, with some impressive hints of pop melodies sprinkled throughout the album. They are the type of band that punk rockers, pop lovers, and bar band aficionados will enjoy equally. Lead singer and guitarist Lauran O'Neal is voracious yet euphoric, and it’s obvious she has true talent as a frontwoman, sounding similar in attitude to Courtney Love or Brody Dalle. The best part about O'Neal is that she can write a power-pop melody, but also has no problem saying, "fuck you" with conviction. Additionally, Dark Side sports catchy rhythms and elating pop tones reminiscent of The Sinking Ships, but Cheater Pint seem to be a bit rougher around the edges, with the raw, beer guzzling attitude of a band that's played the Abbey Lounge multiple times.

Several songs stand out on Dark Side including the hit single "Control Freak," an immensely catchy song with a fierce rhythm, jovial handclaps, and searing guitar riffs.

The catchiest track on the album, "Ma I’m Tryin,'" features an up-tempo, singalong chorus, but the drums steal the show with their dynamic variations in the verse and undeniable tightness. Kudos should also go to Ed Valuauskas of Q Division, whose crisp, punchy production delivers just the right amount of shine and grit. Dark Side Of The Pint is glazed with crunch and bite — the real roots of this feel-good rock group. (Michael Aceto, NORTHEAST PERFORMER)

- Performer Magazine

Wednesday, November 21, 2007 — Cheater Pint "Dark Side of the Pint" (Kinger Recordings)

Considering the album cover, a not-so-clever Pink Floyd parody, I had relatively low expectations for Cheater Pint. It didn't take long for the music to change that though. Cheater Pint play raw tunes that at times conjure up images of X, the Replacements, the Ramones, Cheap Trick and late-Angry Samoans even. The common denominator is that all of these influences strip away the pretensions of more complex bands, exposing honest what-you-see-is-what-get music.

The simple melodies are delivered with an edge that is engaging and even angry at times, but never bitter. The musicianship isn't what comes from a book or a school, but from playing together and knowing each other and its loose ramblings must work even better live. Like the cover implies, there's a drunken, devil-may-care nature to Dark Side of the Pint, but while that's often shakey ground, Cheater Pint manages to stay on solid footing throughout. This isn't an album that will change the face of rock music, but it may just remind you of why you started listening in the first place.

Rating: 7/10
- Rock & Roll and Meandering Nonsense

CHEATER PINT
CHEATER PINT
KINGER (09/11/07)

The dark side of the brew, huh - the eponymous CD from Cheater Pint is a fresh breath of musicality. The cleverness of the CD cover design tells one that this quartet, two guys, two gals, have a sense of humor and are not too overly serious about their art, which makes it all the more attractive. Cheater Pint lay things out as they see them and then, as they express their feelings and observations, inject an effusiveness that goes well with their unique brand of irresistibly raw, non-nihilistic punk rock.

After releasing 2 EPs and one single, Cheater Pint have released a self-titled LP full of brash pop-core, to coin a phrase. Two songs that stand out are “Self- Medication” and “Three Sizes Too Small,” both of which are great examples of what to expect from the rest of the CD. The music is upbeat, power-pop; a swirling guitar & bass-driven indie-rock; danceable rock ‘n’ roll with a juxtaposition of introspective lyrics and extroverted music. Cheater Pint, not unlike the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion or Superchunk irresistibly make both performers and audience alike jump up and down and shake all around.

--Kent Manthie
- Amplifier Magazine