January 12, 2006 The Chimpz Blast Paladinos Christmas Party '05 / All Access Magazine
By Maya Dawn Henderson Photos by Mike Cavanaugh Photography
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Blazing full of energy and the sound of a band going places, The Chimpz took the stage at Paladino's in front of packed house. It was Paladino's Christmas show on December 30, 2005. They opened up for their friends, Eating Alice. What a line-up this was, just incredible. The Chimpz are; Art Rivera/ vocal, guitar duties, Mario Cadenes/ lead guitar, Sean Topham on his own signature Topham drums and that would be "Cuzzit", with the waist-length hair, on bass.
They started with Ya Yeah, a great opener with a sort of Henrixy, "electric butterfly" groove. I loved how the drummer threw his head back on the one's and the three's...ala Steven Sweet. Grinding right into To The Beat Now, this song showcased Art's enthusiastic singing with punk-inspired guitar lines. Won't You was next. This song has a real notable introduction and interesting lyrics. Cuzzit (Bass) and Sean (Drums) give The Chimpz beyond-suitable rhythm backing, with the bass heard loudly in the mix.
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While some bands sound tired and force out their songs, The Chimpz come across as being able to blast out their songs effortlessly; their spirit is in place and their attitude isn't too calculated. Lies was next. This tune has a great build up. It's just a great song in general. The crowd obviously appreciated it. I thought it was especially driven by its rumbling bass line. Jump Up Now is a super high-energy tune, complete with "Cookie Monster-voice" and "distorted-on-purpose" guitars. The distorted guitars just rip through the amps. Impeccable sound, by the way, thanks to sound man Rob Gainey, working the board.
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Who Do We Be comes mainly down to the really catchy chorus, as if the band were connected to electrical mains! It summed up the band's purpose ~ to deliver head-bopping tunes, infused with incessant guitars and indie ethics. It's Alright seemed a bit like more like a SKA tune, and was just that to me, just alright. Some commentators have compared them to Rage, and it's easy to understand why the connection is made, both are noisy and edgy with emphasis on catchy hooks rather than playing chords for noise sake.
Next, they performed Break It Down, which is a lot of tightly packed melodies, performed with plenty of confidence. Last but not at all least, they rocked the house with SFV. This is my personal favorite Chimpz tune. A true classic. This is The Chimpz' tribute to the Valley. A cover of "Sweet Home Alabama" but it's "Sweet San Fernando Valley". It's kind of a strange cross of Lynard Skynard meets Enimen.
I heard a definite "Metallica" influence in some of The Chimpz music. This band is built for speed....I would love to see these guys 'go all the way'. I can already hear them on the radio. This is most definitely "cross over" music. The young, the old, metal heads, punks, surfers . . . they will no doubt all agree, The Chimpz completely shred.
Look out for their CD, "On Parole" (gotta love that title). It's due out in late February. DD Ehrlich, who edited the Slipknot Subliminal Verses, produced and engineered this CD. Be sure to check out their website for upcoming show dates. www.thechimpz.com
~ Maya Dawn Henderson ~