Record Label:
Genre: Rockabilly
Band Link: link
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The Marauders are from the same little Western Pennsylvania town in which I live in…a little one-horse town called Ebensburg. In fact, I’ve been able to walk to a couple of their shows, which is a pretty big deal for me considering that most of the time I have to drive an hour and a half to catch a good show. I’ve been fortunate enough to catch the Marauders a handful of times last year and most of the songs from this release were on those setlists. I had yet to pick up any of their CD’s so I was looking forward to purchasing this disc after hearing the songs live. My wife picked this up for me for Christmas and I immediately popped it in before I opened any other gifts. Let’s just say that I was instantly blown away.

The Marauders play good old-fashioned rockabilly roots music. They are surely influenced by the Stray Cats, but you could mistake them musically for Bobby Darin or very early Johnny Cash at times. I’m going to do something different for this review by giving a run down of each of the 11 tracks.

I Don’t Mind
I love the way that the album starts off. There is a little bit of radio static and you get the impression that someone is tuning their AM radio. You get a brief snippet of a couple of punk songs and a ska song. Then you can hear the Marauders’ song come in very low as it continuously gets louder. The song itself has some great background vocals that weave right into the chorus parts. Starting off strong, “I Don’t Mind” is one of my favorite songs on the album and it manages to catch your attention with great riffs and haunting background vocals.

We Are The Marauders
This is a short little diddy about the Marauders that was written by Stray Cats front man Brian Setzer for and about the Marauders. It’s a pretty good anthem type of jukebox rocker. The Marauders give it their own life with fast guitars and booming bass.

Rumble On The Rocks
With “Rumble On The Rocks”, the Marauders slow things down with a song that gets you snapping your fingers but drags on a bit too long. At just about four and a half minutes long, this song is more jam session than it is a foot stompin’ dance tune. It does have the best guitar solo on the entire album though.

Johnny Don’t Like It (When You Call Him Elvis)
After slowing things down briefly, “Johnny Don’t Like It” picks up the pace with a classic rock and roll storytelling song about losing your woman, drinking your sorrows away and just trying to make it, man. I could picture this song playing in the background of a James Dean movie. The lyrics are very catchy and the guitar parts keep the song driving hard and rocking loud.

New Tattoo
Yes, the Marauders do play fast and this song proves it. Think “Psychobilly Freakout” fast if you’re familiar with the good Reverend Horton Heat. That may be exaggerating just a bit, but “New Tattoo” will have you stomping your feet in no time.

Hell On High Heels
This song reminds me a lot of some of Buddy Holly’s songs. It’s similar in sound to “Rumble On The Rocks” but is half as long. It’s probably my least favorite track on the album but the classic ending riff makes up for it.

Nothing To Prove
I think that this track is the most distinct sounding and has the catchiest vocal lines on this disc. The vocal part reminds me of something from one of those 30’s era swing songs. Musically, “Nothing To Prove” is probably the strongest showing song from these Western PA boys. I love the bass line throughout and the drumming really dictates the direction of the song.

One Of These Days
On “One Of These Days”, the Marauders wear their country bluegrass influences on their sleeves. There is twang in the guitar, the bass moves from high note to low note and back again and the drums show up just enough to add some flavor to this song and provides a strong backbone to the track. The song title does reflect a good ol’ country song only without any references to boots.

Alibi
“Alibi” fits the mold of a modern day rockabilly song. It’s faster than most of the songs on the album and has a slow breakdown that builds up to a crazy fast ending. Lyrically, there isn’t as much content as the other songs but the varied sound stands out from the rest of the tracks.

Lookin’ Forward To Leavin’ You Behind
Here we are with another toe-tappin’ treat that tells of a relationship that’s gone sour and the relief of getting out of it. The pace of the song fits the lyrics well. “Looking Forward” is a strong song to show up near the end of a record.

Rhythm Fix
Now one would think that on most albums, the closing song is probably one of the weakest songs on said album. “Rhythm Fix” is the exact opposite. It’s very catchy and has a sound unlike any of the others. The guitar sounds different, not like it’s going to bust loose with a wigged out solo but is very driven and riff oriented. Once again, I’m reminded of an older country song in a way even though it doesn’t really sound like that particular song. As the man in black would say, “Get Rhythm.”

And then it’s over. Now I’m not one to continually whore out any particular band, but it’s a rare occasion when a band that is this good tears shit up in my backyard. I don’t have the luxury of living in or around a big city like New York City or Los Angeles where new up-and-coming bands are a dime a dozen. To be quite honest, there isn’t that much around here musically at all unless you’re into mainstream rock bands that cover crappy songs that you hear on modern rock radio or if you just can’t get enough KISS cover bands. To me, the Marauders are one of the best bands…not just a local band…that I have ever heard and I’ve listened to a lot of shit over the years. And for a band from around here to put out a self released CD that sounds this good (kudos to Mr. Smalls sound studio), it’s a pretty amazing accomplishment. Now I’m going to start the disc over again and listen to it for the 400th time so far. Here’s to 4000 more listens.

Bottom Line: Downhome gritty rockabilly from my neck of the woods.
Notable Tracks: I Don’t Mind, Johnny Don’t Like It, Nothing To Prove, Rhythm Fix
Overall Rating: