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Generals & Majors
05.24.2007
The Annex :: New York City
Words by Michael Camaleri
A balmy night on Manhattan’s Lower East Side is the perfect setting for a band whose onstage antics are steamy, hedonistic, and downright dirty. Generals and Majors leave very little to the imagination, baring all for fans and unwitting onlookers. With a style of rock that was thought to have been left for dead by the likes of Guns N Roses, this NYC five-piece unloads on their audiences with a barrage of powerful anthems (namely “Every Night’s A Bust in NYC”) that feature killer guitar solos and roaring vocals.
It’s no wonder former GNR guitarist Slash has dubbed these young men “the best band I’ve heard in years.” There hasn’t been a band like this in years; a band that drives through their set with such tenacity, leaving everyone slain in their path.
Lead singer Derrick "Rat Bite" Karg has the stage presence of Iggy Pop, flaunting a muscular build, sexually charged facial expressions, and raunchy dance moves. Even his vocals, raw and powerful, recall the days of 1970’s Fun House, especially on fan-favorite “Drink From My Cup.”
In additon to Karg on vocals the band includes JD General (bass), Jesse Jones (guitar), Rich Majors (guitar), and Jimmy Majors (drums.)
Live performance is the best barometer of a band’s talent, and Generals and Majors certainly have what it takes to win over an audience (if they don’t destroy them first). If you’ve heard their studio recordings and aren’t convinced that this is a band worth your time, give them a second shot and let them thrill you live. If you’ve already fallen in love with them, be glad you have, because these guys won’t let you down.
They are New York City to the core, all dirt and sex and everything that makes rock n roll get up and go. On May 24th, 2007, Generals and Majors proved their own song wrong, as this night was not a bust in NYC. - Downtown Money Waster
Generals and Majors
By Shawn Donohue
June 06, 2007
At a breezy 28 minutes, the self-titled demo from Generals and Majors is a lo-fi high-time. The album itself should come presoaked in the brown party liquor of your choice as the booze and excitement crash from the start until the propulsive bass and drum finish of “Time Off For Good Behavior.” “Drink from My Cup” and “Every Night’s a Bust in NYC” crunch with AC/DC stomp, Guns and Roses wail and the chaos of the Stooges. Especially noticeable throughout are twin axemen Jesse “The General” Jones and Rich Majors who weave and soar around the low-end like an athletic stripper working a pole. It’s a tried and true formula (yet noticeably absent from modern rock), melodic high-powered dueling guitar solos, sing along chorus and a beat you can move to, rubbed down with some dirty lyrical flavor - these boys got it.
Calling you to arms from rock’s nether worlds, Generals and Majors swagger to the front lines of good ol’ fashion ass kicking rock and roll, neat, no chaser (well maybe a live “Mother” chaser). So strap on some cheap beers and a cheaper dance partner, the battle lines are drawn.
For more info see: http://generalsandmajors.com/
- Glide Magazine
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
In a stark, damp basement in downtown NYC there is a revolution brewing -- a long-awaited revival of a rock & roll sound missing from the underground for too long.
As each member of the five-person collective Generals & Majors prepares on stage, it's hard to gage exactly what you're in for during their live show. Then enter the punch-hard guitar riffs, driving bass-lines and a front man who puts any other guy who has said he's a front man to shame. Suddenly he's kicking, jumping and wailing powerfully but perfectly into the mike and you realize you want to kick, jump and wail too. This is the revolution; this is Generals & Majors. Real rock: the kind that made you even like listening to music in the first place.
The start of this collective came about in 2001 when bass-player JG General and guitarist Jesse "The General" Jones met while playing in alt-country band The Izzys. They remained band-mates on their next project Group Sounds; a NYC-area punk rock favorite that toured with Tapes n' Tapes, Hot Hot Heat and Radio 4, but they still hadn't found a way to channel the hard-hitting sound they craved. Finally, with fellow Group Sounds guitarist Rich Majors, they auditioned drummer Jimmy Majors and a man with enough intensity and voltage to command Generals & Majors: Derrick Karg aka Rat Bite (who incidentally was on antibiotics for a rat bite he got while sleeping on a friend's couch). One rock-out session later and they officially became the band that is going to take the rock music scene by crude assault.
Reigning in influences from the likes of MC5 and The Animals and tying it together with a subtle gothic lyrical style reminiscent of Steven King, Generals & Majors create lurking symbolic imagery to tell tales of the chaos and relationships we all experience. From adjusting to city-life, finding personal fulfillment or just trying to play rock without all the hype, there is a fervent rawness to each song that makes it all undeniably real.
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