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We all owe Twisted Rico a little round of applause. Alright, take your seats now folks. Born Steev Riccardo, Mr. Rico has taken it upon himself to dig through the musical dirt in search of the should-be-heard, the dirty little diamonds adrift on the cold sea that is the local rock underground. The former A&M guy gone indie is now a Boston-area Promoter/Booking Agent/Producer/Manager/animal rights advocate...shit, I'm not sure exactly what he does, but he's got a small label and three compilations under his belt. The first two, from 1998 and 2000, feature obscure Boston-based bands that fit into a handful of rock sub-speciations, from punk to pop to punkified blues to- uh, you get the picture. Let's just say there are no lite-jazz licks on these tracks. His third release from 2002, 'Twisted Rico's Coolest Cats', utilizes the same philosophy: find unsigned bands that rock and line 'em up on the laser disc. Except this time around Senor Rico's plugged in with the broadband and, in addition to a solid core of Boston bands, has plucked choice mp3 cuts from all over the world. Places like the Netherlands and Jersey. He's done the dirty work, and all you have to do is sit back and enjoy a wide variety of electrically-fed, glittering jewels. One must commend Rico on his selections: there's variety, flair, and that ragged inconsistency that is the hallmark of every great mix. Let's face it- only YOU can make the ultimate mix, the perfectly eclectic mutt of selection perfection. 'Coolest Cats' comes close to this ideal: it's got that homegrown stink, which is good. The transitions tickle the senses: one minute you're rolling through a Midwestern hayfield and the next you're brain is smoking on some back alley thrash. Juxtaposition and dichotomy direct the flow. I'll say all the tunes have that distinct fungal potential: all of them are growing on me right now. Here's a quick rundown of some early favorites: Aviso'
Hara - Bradley Wake Up. This Jersey Band was the only non-Boston
outfit on the 2000 edition, and they're back in 2002 with the first
track, a sticky pop number with a juicy chorus and ravenous guitar.
That's every tune on the album so far. So much for picking favorites. Beyond these first tunes there's more magic: balls-to-the-wall teenage girl rock of G.I. Jill from Edmonton Canada, Sexy Dex from the Netherlands, Jerk Alert from Brooklyn, The Bobfields and Elemae from New Jersey, the Wound Girls from LA, and Boston little-bigshots Kristian Montgomery, John Surette and the Deniros, Jimmy D'Angelo, Ashera with Chilly Kurtz, and the Kitty Kill featuring Sandy Merhy and Jenn Dagger. Jimmy D'Angelos acoustic version of "Saved by the Bell" is particularly haunting. All in all, a damn good mix. Now go get twisted. - JR
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