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Rock and roll, in its conventional hard-rock form, seems to have all but disappeared. Who practices this archaic type of musical expression, with its earnest guitar-bass-drums-vocals format and no acknowledgment of irony or speed metal, alt country, world music, hip hop, emo, or any other musical fashion of the past 20 years except grunge? Pearl Jam seems the last vestige of this noble tradition with both credibility and market presence.
Trend-chasing is less prevalent at the local level, of course, and Kewanee's Drunk Dead Gorgeous - playing at Penguin's Comedy Club on March 16 - creates unapologetic guitar rock that's heartfelt and played with passion. With its emphasis on acoustic guitars, the band's new-ish album, The Great Disillusion, sounds a lot like a collection of power ballads.
I don't meant that derisively. The power-ballad problem basically arises when bad-ass rockers want to (sell more records and) show you their sensitive sides. There's nothing wrong with the form itself, and Drunk Dead Gorgeous gets it right most of the time. Singer Ian Moore emotes effectively, Jesse Wagner's keyboards work overtime to express inner turmoil, and the percussively strummed guitars underscore the ache.
"Nostalgiaholic" is the most nakedly emotional song on the record, and guitarist Nicholas McClelland takes some of the expressive burden off Moore with a simple minor-key solo that draws most of its power from variations of tone and volume; when McClelland and bassist Derick Kapteina lock together, it taps into some of the primal power inherent in synchronous cock rock.
And on "Odd Little Song," Moore breaks out his best Eddie Vedder, and it's pretty damned good, slightly scorched with an angry tremble. "This Moment & Death" has the escalating, self-important pomp of "November Rain," but thankfully gets to its business a lot more quickly.
The CD's sound quality is basically that of a good demo, and the songs err on the side of the formulaic. This is a band that knows what it does well and seems somewhat afraid to break out of it.
But what The Great Disillusion lacks in polish and variety it more than makes up for in enthusiasm. Drunk Dead Gorgeous seems to know that a power ballad only works if you sell the hell out of it, and this quintet does that.
- River Cities’ Reader - March 2007
Discography
"The Great Disillusion" 2007
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Bio
In only a matter of two short years, The Midwestern small town act "Drunk Dead Gorgeous" has already made an impact on the vast music world: opening shows for acts such as Hinder, Papa Roach, Finger Eleven, and Hed(PE), to name a few, as well as securing nominations for four Grammy Awards.
The bands eclectic pop rock sound is a product of several genres meeting at a metaphorical fork in the road. In the age of countless carbon copy nu-metal acts, Drunk Dead Gorgeous stands alone high above the redundancy spilling out of speakers today.
Drunk Dead Gorgeous is comprised of Ian Moore, Derick Kapteina, Nicholas McClelland, and Jesse Wagner. Ian leads the band with his unique and captivating voice, and mature acoustic and electric guitar stylings. Derick adds harmony to the soulful lyrics of this band, and also gives the music a great foundation with his big bass lines. Catchy hooks, lavish textures, and beautiful counter melodies are layered into these timeless songs with Nick on the lead guitar and Jesse on the keys. The band also puts on an entertaining, and animated live performance. "The Great Disillusion" is the bands debut album which has ensured them a concrete, loyal following as well as strong recognition from fellow musicians throughout the industry.
The group has never required gimmicks to induce emotion from its listeners. The music alone has done that. From a broken heart, to a middle finger aimed at corporate America, DDG's messages can be empathized by all. That is what real talent...real music should do once you remove the head banging and oscillating lighters: It should leave you satisfied and inspired. Drunk Dead Gorgeous does just that.
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