“The hand of fate has smacked my face and there’s no trace of you” is the emblematic lyric that begins “The Infinite Now & Then,” a solo album by Rick Fink, formerly of Gas House Gorillas. The album is a not-a-wasted-note knockout that mainly traffics in mainstream rock — even the old Lesley Gore hit “It’s My Party” fits in fairly well, though it’s transformed by Fink’s voice, which has a boyish ring but the heft and life-experience of an adult. And an angry one: Fink grabs mainstream pop gestures by the…

Bam! Hits you right between the eyes, this one. I mean a proper, full-on swinging punch of an opener in ‘Cookin’ With Gas’, with its doo-wop kiss-me-quick harmonies, full-fat horn section, whammy-bar lead guitar, thumping, jumping, finger-clicking double bass, and a roaring vocal that croons and yells and hollers like it’s standing on the table, your table, in a sleazy bar in a sleazy East Coast town (and I don’t mean Hull).  
   
Gas House Gorillas hail from New Jersey and wear leather caps and kilts…

Another daft name for a band, this time comprising Rick Fink on lead vocals, Crusher Carmean on bass, Oscar Rodriguez on guitar and Eddie Everett on drums.  
There’s is an interesting sound, as at heart they’re a jump blues band. But one that has a lot of aggression to it, and a rough and ready approach, which might put some people off.  But there is a vim and vigor which wins you over on tunes like ‘Party on the Second Floor’ and ‘The Things That Swings’.  
It’s a mix of jump blues, rock and roll, and even a…

Gas House Gorillas - Shut Up! 

Rick Fink and co. have always succeeded at translating their boundless live-show exuberance to studio waxings. So the hand-clapping/foot-stomping audio acrobatics here come as no surprise (though they are wonderfully welcome). The band's inimitable, punk-fuelled swingin'-for-the-bleachers jump-blues/jazzy/billy rages grinningly. 
As someone once said, "You gotta get hot, to play real cool!" Solid, Jackson. 
Recommended "Party On the Second Floor," "Chase the Moon," "Low," "Come…