Gone Hepsville – Gimme!
13 songs time-39:15
Gone Hepsville are six wild and crazy guys from Brno in the Czech Republic that pattern their jumpin’ music after fifties rock and roll like Bill Haley And His Comets and other bands of that ilk. All their material is original and they have the sound from the fifties down to a “T”. With a rockin’ rhythm section, swinging guitar, piano and two sax men, they are sure to get you tapping your feet, if not getting up to dance across the room. If you like music that harkens back to the fifties American Bandstand era, you’ll find much to like here.
“Gimme Gimme” is pretty much the title tune. The band comes right out of the box sounding like a hit from Dick Clark’s American Bandstand show broadcast from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the fifties. Honking saxes lead the way. The only give away that the guys aren’t American is the vocalist’s slight accent. They surely have the groove of this era down. “Boogie And Bop” includes piano playing ala Jerry Lee Lewis. “Darn That Rhythm” is the first of four instrumental selections. This one has a brief vocal section near the end, but it is essentially an instrumental. A swinging one at that.
A slap bass is prominently featured in “Brainwasher Boogie”. The accent of the singer on “Got No Time” has an accent that detracts from the song a bit, but this music is about the groove. “Horn At Dawn” is another nifty instrumental featuring the saxes and piano. Surf-y guitars are set against the usual sax onslaught in “Just A Little Hepsville Surfbeat”. The brief use of a Theremin is a nice touch. The upbeat instrumental “Jam Or Bust” is a dance floor natural. It also features some swinging guitar as found throughout the CD. The CD ends appropriately with “Legs Gone Mad”, a song about dancing, closing out on a swinging note.
The band achieves a retro sound quite nicely. It takes you back to a simpler time. The guys are quite talented and are abetted by excellent production qualities. The only minor quibble is the occasional thick accented singer. It’s no easy task to come up with an entire album of original songs that capture the feel of a bygone era.
