9 o'clock in the Afternoon is the latest release from Speedsters and Dopers a group founded and weathered in New York City. Greg DiGesu is the lead singer and main songwriter for this talented six-piece band. In addition, Greg is an accomplished producer and engineer who has worked with many respected musicians including Lenny Kravitz and John Mayer. DiGesu's production is first rate on this diverse rock collection that is touched by the blues and light punk. Their sound is full bodied with diverse textures, inventive guitar leads, funky beats, synthesizer accents and animated sometime haunting vocals. The fourteen songs plus the hidden track on this collection have vaguely familiar influences such as Lou Reed and early Bowie yet it is fresh and original. Greg and his fellow composers write strong visual lyrics and intriguing instrumentation completes the package. 'Desiree' is a prime example with poetic words blending with a lively captivating groove and a subtle beat melding with expressive vocals. It is followed by 'Therapy As Rock n Roll' with its restrained blues vibe combined with innovative guitar work, a rock solid beat and carried by potent piano notes. I am still trying to figure out the meaning of the lyrics but the hook line is catchy and the song has soul. 'Super Daddy' has depth with its dynamic guitars, intriguing keyboard work and storytelling vocals. Speedsters and Dopers are modern troubadours with a unique intriguing sound!
Recommended Tracks: (3,4,8) [USA/NY 2003 ] (Review by Laura Turner Lynch for Kweevak.com)
Speedsters and Dopers
"Hold For Air" 3 song 3" CD
Get Hooked Records 2002
I love this Speedsters and Dopers CD single...well there's 3 songs, so I guess it's in between a single and an EP. Lead vocalist and songwriter, Greg Di Gesu has been at it for a long time...17 years, I think, since he made his first studio recording. Anyone remember The Wooden Soldiers or Fishermen's Stew? Here, this little CD rolls out the most confident and mature songs I've heard from Di Gesu.
"What Can't Eat and Breathe" is a brief tune that begins with a chiming guitar part and syncopated Lou Reed-esque vocals. There are pretty little synthesizer accents throughout which kind of offset the disturbing lyrics (kind of like how Lennon's "My Mummy's Dead" was done to the tune of Three Blind Mice).
The next track, "Made To Suffer", reminds me of The Band, which is kind of amazing, because nothing reminds me of The Band. There's simple clean guitar, piano, bass, organ & drums, and a vocal expression like Rick Danko's...totally on the mark, yet haunting and fragile. I think there's some mandolin in the background too. This song is clearly the standout, and if this were a just world, it'd be getting major airplay...but more about that later.
The last song, "Son of My Father" is a dirty blues that builds to a small crescendo, with a vocal line reminiscent of Gordon Gano (Violent Femmes) and the instrumentation of early Yardbirds.
Y'know, I don't even know what they play on mainstream radio anymore, and I don't think I've cared since about 1979. But I know these songs will never get played there, and that's a compliment. If this CD single is any indication of what's to come from Speedsters and Dopers, I'm really looking forward to a full-length release. Not to sound overly simplistic, but it seems that the only thing that matters to these guys is the music...and that's heartening.
John Peluso
Radio JP, North Carolina