When Voodoo Glow Skulls announced they were starting a new label dubbed, California Street Music, which is the same name as their latest album and that their new label was releasing the 2nd full length, Another Wasted Night from the Riverside cohorts Knock-Out, I thought it would be worth a listen.
I can definitely see why Voodoo Glow Skulls would be interested in this band. The trio comprised of Jared Palazzolo on guitar and vocals, Anthony Marquez on bass, and Hoss Scholz on Drums. That’s right, their drummer’s name is Hoss.
The band comes right out of the gate with a song called Same Ol Thing which could easily be found on a Voodoo Glow Skulls B-Side Album. The songs ominous beginning leads to a fury of snare hits and the thumping bass similar to Voodoo Glow Skulls’ unique blend of Punk & Ska. The band continues with a solid punk performance until they mix things up on Track 4, a song called Fade Away. On Fade Away the band slows things down to a reggae like jam. At first this may seem like an awkward transition but the band is equally effective on the slow jams on the record like, Fade Away and Free Yourself as they are with the furious punk rock tunes like One Night in Paris, The Tank, and the title track.
As I listened to the album a 2nd, 3rd, and 4th time, I became more and more impressed with the singing of
Palazzolo. His voice reminds me of a blend of Brad Nowell of Sublime and Chuck Robertson of the Mad Caddies. Its not an overpowering voice mind you but Jared delivers a strong vocal performance that shows his versatility when the songs go from straight up punk rock to the laid back reggae vibe.
Another stand out track that I must mention is the bonus track on Another Wasted Night where the band covers Roberta Flack’s, Killing Me Softly. This unexpected jam was the perfect way to end the record. The band takes this classic song and gives it a fun, ska jam sound.
On the Rocket Fuel gage for albums, 0 being that the album is out of gas, 5 being that the tank is half full or average, and a 10 being that the album is full of gas and ready to blast off, I give Another Wasted Night by Knock-Out a “7″. The collaboration with Eddie and the boys from Voodoo Glow Skulls was a good one and I look forward to seeing what it will yield in the future.
Jeff
Rocket Fuel – Tallahassee, FL
