Miss Argentina

So I get into Northstar Bar in Philly on January 15th to see the Razorlight show at a truly intimate club, one that holds less people than you could fit into some SUVs these days. But that's cool with me. I'm gonna have a great view of Razorlight, and more specifically, their megalomaniacal frontman, Johnny Borrell. Since Razorlight is destined to be the greatest band ever by Borrell's estimation, this should be a historic show when we look back on it in 30 years, right?

As I attempt to hand over my ticket for the show, the well-pierced doorman tells my buddies and I that Razorlight has cancelled. Something about Borrell being under the weather. So I paid up my $5. cover charge to get in any way, since I could see the bar from where I was, and I was pretty thirsty. Still on the bill were Philly local band Miss Argentina and Tennessee bred group The Features. Both bands were now responsible for picking up for Razorlight's considerable slack, which they accomplished in spades.

Miss Argentina came on first. They are a four piece local Philly band with a nice loud, rocking sound. The are led by Mercedes, who looked and rocked like Gwen Stefani if she had a genuine edge to her. The rest of the band is smart to let their leading lady take the majority of the stage presence from them. She's sexy, and she can flat sing. Her on stage antics included some up close and personal moments with her chest, which certainly was more welcomed than anything we would have gotten from Razorlight. Miss Argentina has a nice full, rocking sound, and their live show was quite energetic. The set included tracks from their self-produced album Yes I Am, No You Can't, including " No One Will Know" and "Beretta".

The Features were next. These guys are from Tennessee, and were the supposed warm up group to Razorlight. Instead they played headliners on this night. The band looks like your garden variety alt rock band until they start playing. These guys brought some keyboards with them, and it makes for a dynamic sound and show. Lead singer Matt Pelham was kind enough to actually let the audience know what the names of the songs were. This may not be important when you're at a Springsteen concert, but when you're seeing a band for the first time, song titles help. Particularly kick ass tunes included "Me and the Skirts", "There's a Million Ways To Sing The Blues", and "Exorcising Demons". The Features put on a very consistent, no frills show that made everyone forget about Razorlight's absence. A review of The Features' latest album Exhibit A is here on blogcritics. Between Pelham's unique voice, the emphatic drumming of Rollum Haas, and Parrish Yaw's keyboard work, The Features' music succeeds on levels that Razorlight's debut album Up All Night can't quite compete with. - matthew egan - blogcritics.com

There were a good seven years where the music was lean for me. It started when Kurt Cobain decided that he'd rather burn out than fade away, and it ended when I got my hands on The Strokes debut album, Is This It in 2001. In the middle I was forced to play Nirvana's Nevermind and rediscover my Beatles collection. Anything was preferable to the ear bleeding efforts of post-grunge hacks like Creed, Three Doors Down, and Fuel. Whether you are a fan of The Strokes or not, their much-hyped introduction opened the door to a bevy of new rock acts that were influenced by The Velvet Underground and Joy Division, instead of Soundgarden and Collective Soul.

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It's hard to keep track of all of the new groups recording, touring, and generally making rock interesting again. Which is why it was a nice surprise to stumble along Miss Argentina in January. I reviewed their live show here last month. Their debut release is titled Yes I Am No You Can't, and I can only hope that the title is some dirty little secret of lead singer Mercedes, whose sex appeal is matched only by her stage presence and Chrissie Hynde-esque vocals.

The album is more EP than LP, but Miss Argentina is going for quality over quantity, and the result is 20 minutes of sexually charged punk rock music with plenty of hooks. The songs are driven by lots of chunky guitar riffs backed by considerably weighty drumming. The album opens with "No One Will Know", which is good enough to nearly carry the album on its own. It doesn't need to. Other memorable cuts include "Playboy", "Beretta" and "Dance With Me".

But the band is driven by its muse, Mercedes, formerly of Havalina Rail Co. Havalina's loss is Miss Argentina's considerable gain, as Mercedes has the moxie necessary to take Miss Argentina from smoky rooms in the Mid-Atlantic to wherever else they'd like to go. Throw in a cover of any Pretenders classic and I'd be completely smitten.

The Miss Argentina disc is available at www.interpunk.com. Definitely worth multiple listens. The Web site for the band is www.missargentinamusic.com. - matthew egan - blogcritics.com

Philadelphia’s rock band Miss Argentina has finally released thier debut record “Yes I Am, No You Can’t.” The band features former members of Havalina, Run to Lynea and Veronica. As of now the cd is available at their site and at local Philadelphia record shops including Repo Records and even some Tower Records locations. I wrote a review of the record and you can read it here.

Miss Argentina �Yes I Am, No You Can�t�
By Jeremy Ritch

The ultra sexy sounds of Philadelphia�s Miss Argentina flow from this seven song audio peep show. The subject matter ranges from the naughty �No One Will Know� to the narcissistic yet tongue and cheek �Vanity� and even the life of a Playboy bunny on �Playboy.� Mercedes, the singer, brings forth an assault of sultry yet confident rock diva-like vocals and provides rhythm guitars on the record. Backing her up is an all male 3 piece of groovy and raw layers which compliment Ms. Mercedes sexually charged lyrics. The music is a mix of 60�s influenced rock and late 70�s early 80�s punk/new wave. On certain tracks, vocally, you can hear bits and pieces of Blondie and Souxie Soux as well as a dash of Gwen Stefani. Though this over sexed and very pop driven record seems almost egotistical in nature, you can easily sense the sarcasm and cleverness of these tracks. On �Stalker� Miss A puts a turn on voyeurism by inviting her �clandestine lover� to feel free and even leaves the key by the back door for him. The production quality is very good, but it should be, it was done by Don Zientara (Fugazi, Q and not U) at Inner Ear Studios in Virginia. Overall this cd is one for the rock n roll renaissance man or woman, with a slightly perverted mind. �Yes I Am No You Can�t� is a musical wet dream for the lonely scenester, or simply a good one night stand for the lover of leather clad rock and roll. This record sticks to the age old formula that made rock music a controlled substance in some people�s minds. Miss Argentina should be written on a bathroom wall next to the words �For a good time call�..� - Jeremy Ritch - buzzgrinder.com