Court Jester

Court Jester "Gina" (Cellar Records)
By: Paul Autry

When I saw the album cover for this release, I knew this was gonna be a band that I could get into...and I was right. Court Jester refers to themselves as "whiskey rock," which is, as explained in the press material, "the more you drink, the better they sound." While I do have to admit that the album is a little rough around the edges, the band does have a lot of potential to become a big name in the music business.

I know a band or two that's kind of in the same vein as Court Jester and, let me tell you, this style of music does interest me a great deal because, well, let me explain. Court Jester is probably the kind of band that comes off really well in a live setting. I think it's safe to say that they put on an aggressive show that's down 'n' dirty with a lot of energy. But, the problem with that is, when it comes to putting that same feeling on record, you usually come up short and I think that's the case here. I'm not saying that "Gina" is a bad release because it's not. Court Jester is a band that shouldn't be confined to a studio and that's what the fourteen songs on this release say to me. They scream to be heard in front of a live audience, where they can be transformed into a whole different monster. Some of the more obvious examples of what I'm trying to say include "Stand Up," "Revenge Of The Innocent," "Is It Wrong," "Black Widow" and my personal favorite, "Welcome To Hell." After going through the entire disc, these were the songs I was drawn to. Yeah, they're the best. That's what I think.

I also think this is a band that's worth keeping your eye on. I believe they're gonna move on to bigger and better things. Mark my words, this album is only the begining. The best is yet to come. I just hope they continue to use the model who appears on the cover of the CD. She's hot...and I'd like to see more of her.
- bandsbackstage.net/spotlight

Thursday, November 04, 2004

Blast Magazine reviews "GINA"

By: Darryl Finley

TRACK BY TRACK:
1.) "Gina" -The vocal arrangement of the verse has an older rock feel. The choruses arrangement is set up fairly simple. Underneath the musical arrangement of the second verse there is a very simple but cool music effect being played that really sets the song off. Between the second verse and through the second chorus is a very small lead guitar arrangement. The backing vocals are very simple but effective.

2.) "Stand Up" -This track opens with a lead guitar scales over the top of a 38 Special style musical arrangement. The vocal lines of the verse section also have a very 38 Special feel to them. The keyboard arrangement is turned up through the second verse to fill in some of the empty spaces of the arrangement. The twin guitar rhythm arrangement of the song makes the musical arrangement of the second chorus real heavy. There are little lead guitar scales scattered throughout the song. The song has a very cool but short solo section.

3.) "Realize" -This track opens with a drum and bass intro section. The main guitar rhythm underneath the vocal lines of the verse is done in a lead guitar style. The musical arrangement underneath the chorus is simply structured. The highlight of the song is the very laid back bass line. The keyboard arrangement has a very Deep Purple feel. The breakdown section has a vocal overdub that was done with a vocal effect.

4.) "Do We just Surrender" -The intro to this song has a very early heavy metal feel. The guitar tracks of the verse section have a very heavy feel to them. The choruses of the song are very short and simple. The solo for the song has a very abstract metal feel to it.

5.) "Give it up" -This track opens with a very Iron Maiden influenced intro section. The vocal lines of the verse have a very demo feel to them. The vocals of the verses follow along with the guitar arrangement. At times the vocals have a very demo feel to them. There is a very cool bass line underneath the musical arrangement. The solo has an almost Eddy Van Halen sound to it at times.

6.) "Ugly" - This track open with a huge guitar arrangement. The 'F*ckin' section of the first chorus is edited out so at times it sounds like the CD is skipping. The choruses arrangement have a very early punk feel to it. The verses are very influenced by Billy Joel. This is a strange mix but the band finds a way to make it work.

7.) "Low Down" -This track opens with a huge bass line. The duet vocal lines of the verse gives the song a very progressive sound. During the chorus there is a couple very cool lead guitar scales. The solo to this song is very short but has an Eddy Van Halen influence to it.

8.) "Revenge of the Innocent" -The vocal; lines of the chorus on this track are set up in a duet style. The verses musically are not nearly has intense as the chorus sections are. The solo section has a very heavy metal feel to it. The main highlight is the bass line of the song.

9.) "All Hallows Eve" -The intro to this track opens in true horror movie fashion. This is another track on the release where the vocal lines are set up in a duet feel. The heavy vocal line of the verse does not really suit the song well. The musical arrangement is kept fairly simple. There is several places where the band could have placed a guitar solo, but they chose not to have one on this track.

10.) "Is it wrong" -The intro to this track opens with a heavy metal/blues arrangement. The keyboard arrangement through the verse really fills in a lot of the empty spaces. The backing harmonies of this song are very tight. The song is very short.

11.) "You are the one" -This track opens with a bass line intro section. The musical arrangement of the verses have almost an eighties modern rock feel to them. Without the B3 harmmond this song would have been very barren sounding.

12.) "Black Widow" -The opening guitar riff of this track has almost a Vixen feel to it. There is a huge musical hook within the guitar arrangement of the chorus section. The solo section has a very abstract metal influence to it and doesn't really fit the song well. But at least there is a solo.

13.) "Welcome to Hell" -This track opens with a pipe organ intro. The musical section of the verse is very laid back. The chorus is very basic just repeating the title three times. At times the musical arrangement of the song has an older metal feel to it. The small minor solo for this song is by far the best on the release. at times the song has an almost Metallica feel to it.

14.) "Court Jester" -This track opens with a very simple heavy metal musical arrangement. The guitar tracks for the verse section have an older speed metal feel to them. The chorus section is spoken more than sang. After the first chorus the song makes a drastic musical change. After the breakdown section there is a perfect spot for a guitar solo but once again the - Blast Magazine

"Gina" (Cellar Records; 2004)
Reviewed by Carter Moss, staff writer, of Illinois Entertainer March 2005

Though the five friends in Chicago-based Court Jester rarely take themselves seriously, they do take their brand of party rock seriously enough to ensure they won't be laughed off any stage. Bathed in overtones of staple party-rockers like KISS and Ratt, Court Jester laces each track of their debut, Gina, with solid metal guitar hooks and surprisingly melodic vocals. While the anthemic title track and "Low Down" may sound like B-sides from mythical Steel Dragon*, they show Court Jester at their best -- rocking and having a good time doing it.

*NOTE: "Steel Dragon" is the mythical band created for the movie "Rock Star" that was based on the true life story of heavy metal legends, Judas Priest and in particular, Rob Halford replacement, Ripper Owens. The band featured musicians Zakk Wylde (guitar - Ozzy, Black Label Society), Jason Bonham (drums - Bonham, Led Zepplin), Jeff Pilson (bass - Dokken, War & Peace), actor Dominic West (guitar), and actor/singer Mark Wahlberg (vocals). - Illinois Entertainer

BILL LEVERTY (GUITARIST, FIREHOUSE)
"COURT JESTER IS ROCK!!!"

DANA STRUM (BASSIST, SLAUGHTER)
"THESE ARE SOME KICKKKKINNNN' MOTHERF*CKERS
THAT STICK TO THEIR GUNS!"

CHIP Z'NUFF (BASSIST, ENUFF Z'NUFF)
"COURT JESTER WILL LEAVE YOU WANTING MORE!"

ERIC “THE DOORMOUSE” PELTIER (THE MUSIC SYNDICATE)
“…[COURT JESTER] IS THE KIND OF THING I GO HOME AND WAKE THE NEIGHBORS UP WITH, THE KIND OF THING THAT YOU CRANK GOING 65MPH MIDSUMMER DOWN THE SHORE!! IT’S A COOL LISTEN [WITH] GREAT HOOKS…IT’S GOT THAT MORE UPBEAT VIBE THAT HAS A FUN TIME FLAIR TO IT WITHOUT BEING, WELL, STUPIDLY CONTRIVED…”

BRIAN O'NEIL (CMC INTERNATIONAL)
"IT'S AMAZING THAT THE BAND MANAGES TO BE LOUDER THAN THEIR FANS, SINCE BOTH SEEM TO BE GOING NUTS! IT'S LIKE YOU'RE AT THE SHOW…"

JOHN BLOODWELL (MARKETING DIRECTOR, WLLI-FM JOLIET, IL)
"IF YOU WANT LIVE AND LOUD…THESE GUYS ARE THE LOUDEST AND THE LIVELIEST…BE PREPARED!!!"

DINA DAMATO (REP., FUTURE ENTERTAINMENT)
"COURT JESTER...HMM, THIS IS A BAND THAT WILL NEVER STOP…."

MIKE JAKUBOW (MUSIC DIRECTOR, WCRX-FM CHICAGO, IL)
"HEY, IF THIS BAND DOESN'T BRING YOU BACK TO THE GOOD DAYS OF ROCK, THEN YOU'RE ALREADY DEAD!!!"

- courtjestermusic.com

TAXI Critique: Listener ID #91 - [4/29/04]
Court Jester - "STAND UP" [Gina, 2003]

STYLE:
I would say that this has a basis in Metal. it also seems to strive for a Pop / Main Stream formula.

MELODY:
I thought that this aspect was very solid. It reminded me a bit of Ozzy Osbourne's more pop oriented tunes. I do think that the verse and the chorus could stand a bit more nuance in range/melody from section to section as these aspects stay pretty much the same throught.

STRUCTURE: I liked the fact that this songs structure favors a quick transistion into the chorus section. This seems to arrive in a very timely manner.

LYRIC:
I thought that the lyric was very relatable and positive. This seemed effective to me because the chorus sums up the previous verse content and places a very "Hall Mark" statement within that is easily identifiable and simple enought o remember. It has a sing along quality that I think makes the formula very popular. It is solid enough in statement and melody to be considered Anthemic. Good Work!

OVERALL COMENTS: Overall I was very impressed with this song. I thought that the formula was very much in a popular vein. It may be considered slightly retrospective in its rendering due to some of the techniques utilized such as group vocal responses and heavy metal riffing, but I do think that the style would be considered very mainstream/popular but less than modern. I think what you have here is totally viable and well crafted/performed but please take into account that I am strictly speaking of the industy viewpoint. Please consider as this is only meant to be constructive and helpful. Good Luck!

OVERALL RATING: [1-10, 10=Best]
Music = 8
Lyrics = 9
Arrangment = 9
Production = 8
Engineering = 8 - TAXI.com