Mighty High
….in drug cityMint Deluxe Tapes
Fucking deciduous guitar, guitar, drums, bass drug-punk riff shift combo veering between 1971, (MC5 ‘s “high time”,) and unh… 1971, (Grand Funks , “e pluribus funk”), from guys who‘re exactly as beautiful as Blue Oyster Cult when Nixon’s boys were breaking into Watergate. As tots/post-tots they most certainly slapped AC DC, The Dictators, The Nuge, Motorhead, The Damned, Riot, The Dead Boys and other worthies on the turntable during ye olde “parents are away- house party !”, ruining any possibility of congress with the “fairer sex”. Ah…art over society, n’ shit;--cool move, that not getting laid thing does give you a ton of frustrated energy. Trust me, first hand knowledge there.
Then as the late 70’s back broke, (’81 ish), and hardcore reared up to chew its way through arena rock and post- punks soft white underbelly I bet they liked it; esp. those great early SST bands/tours and vicious Australian rock-punk, (Cosmic Psychos, Celibate Rifles), so yeah lets redefine’m as grub-drug punks; armed with a wah-wah , picture of Eddie Hazel taped on every amp, ‘n’ Stooges and Black Flag tapes blasting in the van.
What separates’m from the more expansive, (here’s where I think the “hardcore” influence is), free wheelin’, soulful stuff their influences chucked up is a get at it barking, surly stomp mimicking kickin’ in the door of some fuck who’se “holdin’ yr dope and money, cuz, “he thought you wanted it tomorrow”. In this respect they’re like the masterful Green River, a churlish mid ‘80s band of miscreants whom shit smeared 70’s kick-ass and sneering thug punk into a regenerated hard rock labeled grunge. I saw’m w/ Decry and Raw Power in’87, they were great.
The disc has a loose garage hard rock feel, not unlike some of the early NWOBHM* units, (as 1980 surfaced), before they got recording budgets and completely metalized. The tunes are grunty and straight up, the lyrics are declamatory and funny; “(you couldn’t roll a joint to save your life”), and when the guitars break off a solo its classic Lizzy, buck-shuckin’ like Shame Club or Bible of the Devil.
"...in drug city" is more “rock” than “metal” the funky churns not far off Aerosmith/Rose Tattoo/G ‘N ’R minus the arrangements and niceties. This one really belongs on wax people. Gatefold, so the seeds can bust up the spine after yr done cleaning that ditchweed your cousin brought back from Meigs county:- like Billy Jack woulda said, “hey man when its wild, its free”.
Chase’m down at mightyhigh.net and on myspace. I always recommend a couple covers to round out the set so how about MH step the fuck out with, “drinkin’ dark whiskey”, (Gary Allen), “banned from the pubs“, (Peter and the Test Tube Babies), “you got me high”, (Greenleaf), “speed girl”, (Electric Frankenstein), or “stoned believer”, (Firebird). Drop’m on a C--60 Cassette w/ The Deviants/Pink Fairies, Motorhead, Nixon Now, Federale, Union Carbide Productions, The Meatmen, Valiant Thor, and real old Mudhoney/Monster Magnet, ‘n’ the cool stuff I just talked about.