The Gas House Gorillas Throw It Down At Robin’s Nest In Linden, NJ

Jazzville, NJ's D.A. Gutierrez caught up with Gas House Gorillas lead singer Rick Fink & outgoing drummer Angelo Merendino during a break.

So after listening to the smooth and refined Bobby Caldwell earlier in the day, we headed down to the Robin’s Nest in Linden to check out what is probably the most underknown band on the music scene today – The Gas House Gorillas!

JazzvilleNJ founder D.A. Gutierrez has been raving about these guys forever, but the timing and location never worked out. But when he heard they were performing so close by, he practically dragged me to the show. Boy, am I glad he did!

For those of you who’ve never heard of The Gas House Gorillas, their style is primarily jump blues with an eclectic mix of gypsy swing, Cajun, funk and rock & roll. The band consists of five awesome musicians – lead singer Rick Fink, guitarist Dean Shot, bassist Jerry “Chicken” Scaringe, saxophonist James White and the newest gorilla in the bunch, drummer David Moore, taking over for original member, Angelo Merendino.

So what are they like live? All. I. Can. Say. Is. Wow. The energy they brought to the place was absolutely intoxicating. They rocked out and had everyone practically swinging from the rafters. In fact, the only way you would not be dancing or jamming along is if you didn’t have a pulse.

All the gorillas attacked their instruments in a way that made the whole thing look effortless. If you could stop yourself from moving long enough to concentrate on each person, you could see he was playing every note with his entire being. Fink brought the house down with his powerhouse vocals and swagger as he climbed tables and slowly stripped from the suit he was wearing in the beginning of the evening.

I know my words here fall short of capturing the feeling of complete exhilaration I was left with by the end of the night. And beyond cool doesn’t even begin to describe the experience. So as I sit here recovering from the debauchery of last night, I strongly urge you to make time to see The Gas House Gorillas live. And if you haven’t been to the Robin’s Nest, then get there ASAP! Robin and the crew’s warm and generous hospitality no doubt made last night that much more enjoyable, about a hundredfold.

Maria Miaoulis - Jazzville, NJ (Jan 25, 2011)