Six Packs & Race Tracks
(Stiff Pole Records)
In honor of Richard "Big Stiff" Konwinski, who passed this past July in Tampa, I'll be juggling between the County Grind and Crossfade blogs doing my Blast From the Past thing on the record label that he founded, Stiff Pole Records, that, in my opinion, came to define an exciting era in Florida's punk-rock scene.
The Gotohells follow-up their debut for Stiff, Demolition, with the equally raucous and slightly harder-edged Six Packs & Race Tracks, expanding upon their canon of punk rock odes through beer goggles for muscle machines, late night boozings and scantily-clad Alabama cousins. Again on vocals and drums is Hunter Oswald, Darryl Marsicovetere leads on vocals and guitar, Edward McGrady twangs along and provides some vocals as well while cowpunk Tim "the Grease" Lynch rounds out the posse with his bass.
Another thirteen tracks scorch along clocking under the forty minute mark and the opening third of "Nascar Driver," "Shut Her Down," "Chevy II Nova" and "Best Damn Camaro" should let you know what's going on. If not, the opening line of "Shut Her Down" should, "her bumper sticker says, 'if you can beat me, you can eat me.'" Uh-huh.
The half-mark, "Searchin'" brings it down a notch before getting into the back half of the album with tracks that lean more towards forlorn loves for gals than for cars, although the line gets blurred a bit. "Queen of the Drags" and "Who's Your Boyfriend Now" might clarify it a bit, but still, must be that sweet St. Petersburg living. Oh, and there's a hidden track at the end!
This album appeared as a CD-only release bearing the SPR022 catalogue number and was recorded by the great Dan Destructo of No Fraud fame at Truth Studios in his former haunts of Venice, FL. Scott Burns handled the mastering at Morrisound and the appropriate cover art is by "Action" Mike Noble. A few copies are still available from Stiff Pole for twenty bucks, so don't miss the checkered flag on this one!
