Press...

Goodbye to the commercial music industry, hello to the rock stars next door 

“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

Read more

SHUT UP! (STOOPID BRUTE) 

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…

Read more

Shut Up!  (Stoopid Brute Records) 

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…

Read more

Swingin' for the bleachers 

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…

Read more

This Crazy Culture That Is "Rockabilly" 

"The Gorillas have their own unique twist on things. From Crusher Carmean, in a kilt, shredding the upright bass to their one of a kind front man, a gifted throw back from times gone by Rick Fink."

Rich Beaumont - Out On The Town - August 5, 2015