Federation of Horsepower

FEDERATION OF HORSEPOWER

'Stay Down'

(Kafka the Dog) | by Tim Finn

The Feds is a rock band like Olympus Mons is a volcano: When it goes off, it alters the universe. Without a whiff of pretense or a dab of cosmetic polish, it unleashes a bone-cracking pummel and convulsive vocal/guitar roar.

Yet it sustains enough groove and tune (with some harmonies!) to give listeners something to grab onto during the wild, rollicking ride.

The sound is decidedly Motor City gutbucket rock, but it has some AC/DC ("Sin Wagon") up its sleeve, too; and "Dog," its idea of a "ballad," is sweet and grimy, like something killed and grilled by Aerosmith and Ted Nugent.

Gregg Todt is the singer, and he squalls like a few other "Killa City" screamers, including Ernie Locke and R.J. Mattes. He has a bruising rhythm section and a lead guitarist who can play whatever role is needed, sniper or rocket launcher.

So here's a proposal — our music scene's version of an UFC throwdown: Put the Federation, the Architects and the Last of the V8s in the same room and see who brings down the first load-bearing wall.
- Kansas City Star

FEDERATION OF HORSEPOWER These guys are heavy. So heavy, in fact, that organizers actually asked them to turn down the volume at a North Texas biker rally—a biker rally with Ted Nugent on the bill, no less. That’s friggin’ heavy. Somewhere between Fu Manchu and AC/DC, Kansas City, Mo.’s Federation of Horsepower rock the riffs fantastic with a minimum of polish and a maximum of raw, testosterone-fueled thunder. And the best part—after this show at Nashville’s favorite dive bar, they play the next evening at...you guessed it! A biker rally. Let’s see how many dBs the Ton Up biker club can handle. —JACK SILVERMAN - Nashville Scene

Kansas City Click: I used to catch rides to school from a guy who would crank UFO and Judas Priest every morning. Federation of Horsepower remind me of that dude. - There Stands the Glass Music Blog

"Justin Timberlake brought back sexy. We're bringing back sweaty," says Federation of Horsepower's lead singer and guitarist, Gregg Todt. One of Kansas City's more ferocious quartets, Federation makes visceral rock that lacerates ears with loose, loud sounds and grips the imagination with refreshingly audible (for metal) lyrics. These days, this workhorse band includes the fresh, goateed face of guitarist Troy Van Horn, a beef who sports a mop of smooth, jet-black hair and shreds like an old-school thrash hero. After four years of steady labor, the foursome promises a debut album by Mother's Day, tentatively titled Stay Down and filled with all the juicy, slicing rock these boys were made to serve up. Join the sweatfest for an early Boozeday Tuesday matinee at the Brick. - The Pitch