photo courtesy of Smitt E. Smitty & The Fezztones via Knyvet

Single Reviews of Smitt E. Smitty & The Fezztones: “Big Ass American Car” and “Motor City Yankee”

This year so far, the incorrigible Smitt E. Smitty & The Fezztones have released a pair of loud, fun, in-your-face, catchy garage rock singles, “Big Ass American Car” and “Motor City Yankee.”

Both songs resonate with me, and for the same reason. The first release, “Big Ass American Car,” is the sort of song a Michigander like me can fully appreciate, while “Motor City Yankee” chronicles Smitty’s move from Michigan to Massachusetts, something that mirrors my own life history. So why don’t I get down to reviewing the songs themselves. OK, sure, I was just getting to that.

image courtesy of Smitt E. Smitty & The Fezztones via Knyvet

But first, Smitt E. Smitty & The Fezztones, on these recordings, are Smitt E. Smitty (lead vocals), James Melanson (guitar), Eddie Nowik (guitar), Andrew Padua (bass), Jonathan LaMaster: (violin), Johnny Sestito (drums), and backing vocalists JoEllen Saunders Yannis, Linda Bean Pardee, and Heather Rice-Fahey.

The first of the two singles, “Big Ass American Car” is a thumping, raucous ode to the American auto industry and Americans’ love of driving. Note also the shoutout to Kalamazoo, a neat but oft-overlooked Michigan city. As for the song, it’s loud, shouty, and obnoxiously fun, with some aggressively fun guitar riffs. It’s a high-production-value garage rock-styled anthem. It feels a little over the top at times, but in a lovable way, exactly what you expect from Smitt E. Smitty & the Fezztones and why you need their music in your collection, because there will be specific times when this is exactly what you need.

image courtesy of Smitt E. Smitty & The Fezztones via Knyvet

“Motor City Yankee,” next, is just as rowdy and stylistically similar. I’m not from Detroit, but it’s the biggest city in my original home state (and I was a member of the Detroit Musicians Alliance for a few years before I moved away), so to me, this Detroit-to-Boston story mostly rings true. I think, also shoutouts to city-specific locations and bands (Alice Cooper, MC5, for example) will appeal to those with roots in one or both cities. I’d love to have seen the band work Boston Coolers into the lyrics, but it’s hard to get Vernors in Boston, anyway, so I can deal with its absence. Musically, the song’s energy starts at 10 on a 10 scale, ramps up to 11, and stays there. A universally fun romp. Combined with the band’s preceding release, “Big Ass American Car,” it just serves to drive home that we all need more Smitt E. Smitty & the Fezztones in our lives.

Now, just like a ’90s/’00s romantic comedy, I’m getting to the end but find myself in a situation that I don’t know how to wrap. So I’ll just jump to the conclusion: Smitt E. Smitty’s two latest singles are great fun. You should listen to them!

photo courtesy of Smitt E. Smitty & The Fezztones via Knyvet

Single Reviews of Smitt E. Smitty & The Fezztones: “Bye Bye Sunday Afternoon” and “#1 Most Likely” (Rock Garden Records)

Smitt E. Smitty & The Fezztones released “Bye Bye Sunday Afternoon” last spring. It was the group’s first release for Rock Garden Records, an excellent selection and an outstanding introduction to the band, an eight-piece Boston outfit comprised of Subtle (JoEllen Saunders Yannis, vocals), Serious (Linda Bean Pardee, vocals), Smitt E. Smitty (vocals, drums, harmonica, keyboards, percussion), James Melanson (guitar), “Crazy” Eddie Nowik (guitar), Andrew Padua (bass), Jonathan LaMaster (violin), and John Sestito (drums).

image courtesy of Smitt E. Smitty & The Fezztones via Knyvet

Now, I’ve been racking my brain to figure out what Smitt E. Smitty & The Fezztones’ “Bye Bye Sunday Afternoon” reminds me of. It’s a kickin’, medium-fast tempo number with a completely fun vibe and clearly enunciated lyrics despite a seemingly somewhat raucous musical backdrop. There’s a timeless, somewhat old-fashioned feel to the music, which is best dubbed simply rock ‘n roll. But it took my probably too long to realize that the underlying musical vibe was very B-52s-ish. I could seriously picture the B-52s performing this. Not exactly, of course. Smitty & The Fezztones have a unique sound all their own, but “Bye Bye Sunday Afternoon” will absolutely appeal to fans of that light-hearted, vibey rock music style. Or, of course, rock fans in general. It’s a fun song that I’ve been digging for months now, and it never gets old.

image courtesy of Smitt E. Smitty & The Fezztones via Knyvet

More recently – just a week ago, in fact, on Valentine’s Day – the band released its new single, “#1 Most Likely,” sporting the very Valentinesy lyrics “You’re #1 most likely to break my heart.” The song sports an old-school mainstream alt-rock feel – I could almost hear Simple Minds singing this song, though not quite with Smitt E. Smitty & the Fezztones’ pizzazz. Still, this song would fit well on a John Hughes movie soundtrack. Sound interesting? Unlike “Bye Bye Sunday Afternoon,” which was an immediate favorite, “#1 Most Likely” actually took a few listens to grow on me, but now it’s stuck in my brain. I can’t necessarily explain why; it’s a great tune. See what you think!