“I’m twenty years old and the tribe is done / I may not live to see twenty-one.” As long as there are American garages reeking of oil, gas fumes and no heat nor air-conditioning there will be bands such as Nebraska’s mighty Brimstone Howl which belt out raw, unadulterated blue collar rock ‘n’ roll for the unwashed masses. Produced by Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, Guts of Steel is unfettered by modern technology, sounding as if it was actually recorded in a …garage. Singer John Ziegler channels the ghosts of Jim Morrison and Rob Tyner with reverence and aplomb whilst his able bodied mates: guitarist Nick Waggoner (Brian Jones lives!), bassist Austin Ulmer and drummer Calvin Retzlaff rip and tear the roof off the joint. Akin to all great rock poets, Zeigler’s capacity for self examination is expansive, as evidenced in the blues dirge “Six and Seven” wherein he confesses “I am cracked / I am insane / what kind of rot / do I have on my brain.” “I’m A Man” takes its cue from the Muddy Waters’ classic, copping the master’s attitude and m-a-n libretto. Highly recommended for old-school (MC5 / Stooges) rockers and modern (Strokes / White Stripes) rockers alike.
--Tom Semioli
