!!SEE REVIEW OF OUR FIRST SHOW FOR 2011!!
Transistor Tramps, Pinkish Black deliver daring double whammy
By Steve Watkins, Special to DFW.com Posted 10:27am on Wednesday, Apr. 06, 2011 "Pinkish Black rocks my fetus" -- Elle Hurley
It's been a long time since we had a Transistor Tramps show in Funkytown. Lead singer Elle Hurley and guitarist/husband Richard Hurley have been busy creating more than music. In about 10 weeks, Elle will be giving birth to a little backup singer. Elle was on strict bed rest early in the pregnancy, but with an OK from the doctors, the Tramps were back on stage as the middle act in a three-act bill at the Cellar on Saturday.
Opening the show was Jason Kutchma, a North Carolina musician who bills his act as gospel punk with spurs. The spurs were used as a percussion instrument, while he stomped, played guitar and sang with commitment and enthusiasm. Toward the end of the concert, he fired up a contraption made from half of an accordion and a vacuum cleaner.
Not sure how big a fan I was of that one, but his guitar and vocals were heartfelt, and I enjoyed those greatly.
The Transistor Tramps were up next. In addition to the Hurleys, we had David Sebrind on synth, Brian Shaw on drums and Jamie Myers on bass and vocals. The band has a pretty unique sound for the area, kind of a post-punk, new wave thing. It was a great show as usual, though in light of Elle's pregnancy, we didn't get to see the usual gyrations and weird hand gestures for which she is famous. Still, the applause and cheering were thunderous. The Tramps should have no problem packing them in again after maternity leave.
The surreal sight of the seven-months-pregnant Elle commanding the stage, however, was not the evening's main event.
Instead, we had the industrial/synth/metal band Pinkish Black. The duo consists of Daron Beck (keyboard) and John Teague (drums) -- the surviving members of Great Tyrant. The band formed two days after the suicide of Great Tyrants bass player Tommy Atkins. Teague says that the band's songs are about "loss, humor, frustration, and finding humor in loss and frustration."
The first word that comes to mind after having seen this band two times in as many weeks is LOUD. Like Disaster Area loud. Pinkish Black played through a massive stage sound system, yet it tried to run the vocals through the house PA, which was quickly overwhelmed. Heavy synths and explosive drums filled the room; if your ears weren't ringing at the end of the show, you already had some hearing loss.
After the show, they made a failed attempt at convincing me that they were some sort of high-energy Dionne Warwick tribute band.
"I'm a huge pop, Dionne Warwick/Burt Bacharach fan, and I like to try to transmit that through [our music]," he said. "All the vocal melodies I hear in most prog or metal music, they just don't do anything. They have no hook, no catch, nothing that moves me at all. But you get Dionne Warwick singing a Burt Bacharach song -- there's a reason those songs were Number 1 on the charts."
Well, their songs don't exactly sound like Say a Little Prayer for Me, but it's definitely not your dreary, run-of-the-mill prog rock, either. The band will be releasing two previously recorded Great Tyrant albums this year, as well as working on a Pinkish Black offering this month. Do yourself a favor and check them out. Just wear some ear plugs or something -- don't worry, you'll still be able to hear them just fine.
Review in the April 2010 issue of Lit Monthly article!!
Click here to go to the April 2010 Lit Monthly issue
“The female voice can wield way more power,” says front-woman Elle Chaos.
“We have the ability to soften ourselves and then turn it around and scream in your face. I’m a girl and I’m gonna rip your face off and you’ll like it!”
Ms. Chaos has been involved in several bands and incarnations over the years, but the Tramps are looking super-solid right now. Led by the seasoned pro, mates David Sebrind (synth), Richard Hurley (guitars), Jamie Myers (bass) and Brian Shaw (drums) deliver progressive goth-glam carried by 80s new wave dance beats. This outfit has totally professionalized their vibe - from the spot-on live show to expertly engineered recordings to a Hollywood-ready internet presence - the Transistor Tramps appear poised for the national stage. (They are opening for Sigue Sigue Sputnik’s U.S. Tour stop at Trees in May.)
The group is so talented that Elle has been able to tone down her typical “outrageousness” and still command attention. “I’ve been on stage in next to nothing and I’ve been up there fully clothed,” she says. “If you have the ability to wrap people up, they’re going to watch you whether you have clothes on or not.” (MySpace.com/transistortramps)
!!Review below from our March 20th show!!
Wednesday, Mar. 24, 2010
Concert review: Transistor Tramps steal spotlight at Fort Worth gig
Transistor Tramps’ singer once idolized Crystal Gayle, but she's since embraced her dark side.
by Steve WatkinsAt The Moon, 2911 W. Berry St., Fort Worth March 20. 2010
"When I was a kid I wanted to be Crystal Gayle. I wanted to grow my hair really long and sing songs like Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue. Then I heard Siouxsie, and it was all over. I had a mohawk, shaved off my long pretty hair, and the sweet little girl next door was no more."
-- Elle Hurley, Transistor Tramps
The Crystal Gayle Fan Club's loss is definitely our gain. On March 20, the Fort Worth bad girl took the stage at the Moon, fronting the Transistor Tramps in their first Funkytown show with their new rhythm section. The band has been together for two years, and according to Hurley, it prefers to play Fort Worth rather than a certain city to the east.
"Fort Worth has been so much more receptive to our music than Dallas. Dallas has kind of snubbed us, while Fort Worth has really embraced it."
The new lineup includes Hurley on vocals, husband Richard Hurley on guitar, David Sebrind on synth, Brian Shaw on drums and Jamie Myers on bass and vocals.
The performance was part of a Fort Worth Music Co-Op show at the Moon, and even with snow on the ground, there was a decent crowd. (You get the sense that when the end of the world comes, the Moon crowd will still be there, drinking beer and listening to good music.)
The Tramps weren't the headliner, but they played like they were. The vocals from Hurley were forceful but not overdone; she knows how to own the stage.
Perhaps most notable: With its new lineup in place, the Transistor Tramps have become an all-originals acts.
"We've tossed the idea of doing covers around," says Hurley. "Everybody comes up with a really cool song that we all like. But in practical application, would it work? Not really. I want to do Cheap Trick, but does our band really sound like a band that would do Cheap Trick?"
The music that the Transistor Tramps do put out combines post-punk and '70s New Wave with a harder edge. Keyboard player Sebrind brings to bear an impressive battery of synths and original sounds.
"That's all original stuff," Hurley says. "He doesn't sample anybody, and he doesn't use any presets. We're very into the organic electronic side of it as opposed to 'I can go get a copy of Reason 2, and I've got a band.'"
The proof is right there on the stage: Synth programming has become a dying art in recent years; I can't think of a keyboard player I've seen who put so much effort into his sounds.
While the sound during the set was perfect, the lighting left me flat. The entire stage was lit up green. What little you could see of the band made it look like it was from Mars. With the new multicolor LED spotlights now in common use, a lot of sound guys get pressed into lighting duty, and they tend to overuse all those bright colors. (It's sort of like reverb -- if you notice it, it's too much.)
Still, the Tramps' performance was a welcome deviation and a positive addition to the musical melting pot for which Fort Worth has become known. The band is in the process of finishing up a new CD with Jim King at Sonic Dropper Studio in Oak Cliff. It will play the Grotto on April 10. On May 30, it's set to open for New Wave legends Sigue Sigue Sputnik at Trees in Dallas. For more info: www.transistortramps.com