His Mischief

His Mischief is a 3-man band hailing from St. Paul, Minnesota. Summer's Eve, the group's first release, is a six song melange of garage rock, 60s rock fuzz, and a dash of Clash-like punk.

The tracks have a very distinctly retro sound; lead singer Sheridan Fox has an uncanny knack for sounding like Britt Daniel (of Spoon) and Roger Daltrey (the Who). Fox, as well as Jeff Quinn (bass) and Jeff Brown (drums) have played with several other bands in their past, and came together to form His Mischief in 2005.

While the music itself is pared down and not overly complex or orchestrated, this group definitely has a laudable sound. Whether anyone would consider it groundbreaking and new is another question; however, it seems as though the rat race to create and re-create new genres has become a circular endeavor-it is clear that this band has simply found a sound and style that they do well and enjoy, genre be damned.

All pigeonholing aside, this group is off to a great start. The EPs last track, "Shalom, Shalom" is perhaps the strongest, with minor arpeggios in the beginning, leading into a simple, but well structured chorus and outro. This is the kind of record you want to listen to while playing beer pong or working on a car engine- you know, garage-type activities that require that the volume be up and that good times are had by all.

www.hismischief.com

-Anne Vickman, August 8, 2007

original text at:
http://www.kaffeinebuzz.com/musicreviews04.php - Anne Vickman

At other times, one might be glad when a band moves slowly with its debut EP, but in the case of His Mischief from St Paul, MN, I wish there were more songs. This three piece plays humor-filled and fresh garage rock, pleasing enough on the ear and catchy enough to stay hanging there. Fortunately, the band shows itself to have a popular sound as well, bringing their genre out from the garage and into the daylight. In other words: His Mischief are rough enough to be considered punk rock while at the same time, stylish enough to lift a polite middle finger in that direction. Thus, please demand more from this mischief! (Translated from German)

Original review at:
http://www.ox-fanzine.de/reviews/rid/56644/ftcol/his+mischief/summers_eve_mcd.23.html - Christian Meiners

His Mischief describes its music on its myspace page as "Spoon playing Queen." That's a pretty fair assessment. There's a lot of similarity to Britt Daniel's Austin quartet in terms of the band's ragged whiplash chords and power muttering. Songs like "Shalom! Shalom!" and "Rock Song (Hyperopia)" rip with squelching distortion and spit-stained vocals. The latter has a catchy-as-hell chorus that is equal parts punk and underground. The bunched-up guitar, rip-roaring chords, and bouncing ball bass of "Captain's Ship" careen to forge a song fit for slow-motion skanking. His Mischief plays indie the way indie should be played: stripped down, raw, and largely incoherent. The guitar sounds like a beaten Fender Jaguar hooked up to a garage sale amp and there's little in the way of studio refinement on Summer's Eve. That's a good thing. There's a limited catalogue on this EP, but what is there stands firm with solid rhythms and catchy misfit melodies. There's some potential in this Saint Paul addition to the rollicking indie guitar rock library.

Original Review can be found at :
http://amplifiermagazine.com/reviews/cds/his_mischief_cd.php - Matt Wendus

The members of Twin Cities based trio His Mischief definitely have good senses of humor. From the cover art of their debut EP, Summer's Eve, to the info they supply about themselves - such as the fact that "Sheridan is not a girl's name" and "Jeff and Jeff are not related, even though they have the same name" - let you know that these guys don't take themselves too seriously.

This attitude is perfect for the retro garage rock sound of Summer's Eve. If you are going to play a style that has been done so many times by so many bands over the years you might as well have fun doing it. That's not to imply that this threesome aren't competent musicians - they are - but rather, it's a nod to their approach. Nothing's worse than a run-of-the-mill-at-best band that takes itself way to seriously.

His Mischief open the Summer's Eve EP with a number called "Rock Song (Hyperopia)" that earns singer/guitarist Sheridan Fox accolades for perfect 60s rock style vocals. The Jeff "twins" (Quinn on bass and Brown on drums) aren't too shabby themselves. In fact, Quinn and Brown are the driving force of this track - the bass line is nice and thick and the drums have that perfect, slightly tinny sound that makes the hipsters swoon.

"Captain's Ship" and "Codependence" are slower tunes, but neither is lacking that just got off my shitty day job vibe - the hallmark of any good garage band! The final song, "Shalom! Shalom!", is absolutely the catchiest of the bunch. This track has a slow-burning, seething feel that opens with another great bass line. The guitar and drums each have their moments in the spotlight here as well, not to mention Sheridan's slightly muffled vocals. I can just about hear all the kids yelling along to "Shalom! Shalom!" at a show.

Summer's Eve doesn't break much new ground, but that's OK. Fans of garage rock should take note of this nice little gem and expect more good things to come out of the Twin Cities very soon.

Original text can be found at:
http://www.adequacy.net/review.php?reviewID=8149 - Jennifer Patton

The perfect lover. For each individual those words are likely to conjure a variety images. One might dream of Burt Reynolds tastefully covered in Vaseline, wearing nothing but a Speedo and cowboy boots; another, Jamie Lee Curtis erotically knocking back single serving after single serving of Activia Yogurt. And while we may never know what those words mean to each member of St. Paul's His Mischief (the smart money's on the yogurt), The Perfect Lover encapsulates a dozen tracks that are highly unpredictable and uniquely inconsistent.

Opening with "Freaks Up Front," the band immediately takes a firm grip on a tight guitar lick. Lead singer Sheridan Fox dives in moments later, wailing like a Scandinavian Britt Daniels, slightly slurring the lyrics and tossing in "Oh! Oh! Oh!"s as necessary—it worked for "Howlin'" Pete Almquist of the Hives and it works here, too. The following songs distort any clear direction however, Fox's voice fails to rest on any clear sound, and the bassist Jeff Quinn and drummer Jeff Brown follow suit. Crossing between the overcrowded sound of "Don't Bother" to the deliberate guitar of "All That for a Limp Handshake" creates an immediate divide between the two songs, a pattern that is continued throughout. After "Towering Filth," the album's token grunge track, the band again changes directions as it does its best Ben Folds with "Roman Holiday." And though the song sounds out of place in context, the chorus to "Holiday" is a curious earworm that stands out as one of the album's highlights.

While it's not a deal-breaker, the problem that arises from having no fluidity among the album's tracks is that they tend to chop each other off at the knees. Just as it looks to build some momentum with "Veins," the song's energy disappears with the following "Trust or Love." The Perfect Lover is frustrating at times, but its songs refrain from bleeding into one bland sound, instead creating a distinct contrast with one another. It's unpredictable and inconsistent, but at no point does it fail to sound good. And that's probably what His Mischief had in mind when dreaming of the perfect lover; if you went the route of a greased-up mustache-wrangler, more power to you.
- City Pages

The Perfect Lover
Grade: A-
If God wanted young men to forever remain frustrated for the rest of their lives, then the Good Lord would never have given musicians garage-rock.

Though the genre has existed through various permutations —and practitioners range from bands as old as ? and the Mysterians and as green-eared as Be Your Own Pet—throughout the decades, there are several constants. Namely, loud, brash guitar-chords, crashing drums, and thumping bass-lines.

His Mischief’s new album, The Perfect Lover, is hardly unique in this regard, as it has all three elements in spades.

But The Perfect Lover also contains that mysterious fourth element that has both flummoxed and elucidated bands present and past, regardless of genre: great songs. Much like an actual perfect lover, His Mischief start slow, then build steadily, to the point where by the time the likes of “Let’s Be Friends,” a White Stripes-esque barn-burner, and “Towering Filth”, a more mid-tempo punk song reminiscent of The Ramones, show up, listeners are effectively like putty in the band’s hands.

And that’s even before the raw power of “Trust or Love” shows up. For the sake of professionalism, it’s best not to describe entirely the, um, heightened effect that The Perfect Lover as a whole has on listeners. Instead, its best to enjoy Lover as one great track after another, and hope that there’s plenty of mischief left to come.

- MFR

The Perfect Lover is a taut, exquisitely well contained pop record, one meant to be heard in good company, half-drunk on draft Budweiser.

- City Pages

His Mischief is the Minnesota-based trio consisting of Jeff Quinn (bass, vocals), Sheridan Fox (guitar, vocals), and Jeff Brown (drums). The tunes on The Perfect Lover have a great deal of personality...and they don't have that generic overprocessed sound that ruins so much modern rock music. These guys record music that is normal enough to be entertaining while having enough odd qualities to make it interesting. What probably stands out most about the tunes on this album are the vocals. Instead of over-rehearsed perfect vocals and layers upon layers of precise harmonies...these guys keep their vocals clean and simple. Using only one vocal or two (occasionally more), they manage to get their point across while retaining a nice live sound. Nice simple modern progressive rock tunes include "Freaks Up Front," "Limp Handshake," "Roman Holiday," and "The What." A nifty upbeat fun experience with a good raw feel. (Rating: 5)
- Baby Sue