The Havishams - self titled CD

My old buddy and ex-Tommyknockers drummer Roger Ward is the driving force for the Havishams, joined by John Ebert on lead vocals and guitar, Mike Virag on lead guitar, and Tim Hopmeier on bass and backing vocals. This combo specializes in their own form of mid-west, fuzz-rendered garage rock'n'roll and this is a terrifically rockin' debut!

Roger pounds'n'pummels his drums behind power-chord rockers like "Everything's Going Wrong", "Tomorrow's Yesterday" (cool bass runs and feedback/sustained guitar work) and "Coming Back to Life". This group is a variation on former St. Louis combos that Roger has worked with, the Nevermores and Thee Lordly Serpents, and the tunes smoke with similar ferocity. "Real Cool Time" (not the Stooges tune) continues in this vein, "No Solution" is more power-pop in the style of the Creation, they bring in Sam Steinig for keys on "Stella"(great guitar and organ solos!), fuzz riffs dominate "Out With the In Crowd" (kind of a variation on Sam the Sham's "In With the Out Crowd"), "No No No" is a cover that I don't recognize but fits in perfectly here, "All Night Long" is a hip call'n'answer number, there's an ode to absinthe in "Green Fairy", Roger takes lead vox for the 60's cover "So Sad" and they close by rockin' out Otis Redding's "Security".

More great garage rock'n'roll from Roger'n'John - definitely grab this or download it and if you're in the mid-west, be sure to check 'em out!