The Hot Rollers – Unicornucopia
Flotation Records – FR 205 [2004]
Outta Control – You Don’t Satisfy – Heard About Him
The Hot Rollers formed in Seattle around the charismatic person of Lori Campion (formerly of The Poontwang) on guitar and vocals.
In 2004, with Starr Harris on drums and Suzanne Sweeney on bass, the Hot Rollers released their debut single titled Unicornucopia for Flotation Records (FR 205)
Outta Control opens with a hypnotic bass riff à la Funnel Of Love, then the fuzz guitar kicks in, supported by a heady bell, before the song evolves into something powerful à la Sonics. Lori Campion’s detached yet aggressive vocals would convince even the most skeptical (if there were any).
On the flip side, You Don’t Satisfy is pure Garage bliss: think the Groupies mixed with the Headcoatees flooded with fuzz guitar and some girl screams to boot. Perfect! The third track is less Punkish and Garage sounding but nonetheless catchy. It leans more toward power pop and sixties girls bands with backing vocals, yet it features a mean guitar solo.
The production deserves a special credit. It maintains to keep the energy of the instrument without burying the vocals under layers of guitars.
The Hot Rollers- Got Your Number
Sweaty Betty Records SB002 [2005]
You Don’t Do It – Black And Blue – Mileage – Hooker – Got Your Number – Casper Guido – Wild Man – Hello Vapid – You May Be Right – Ice Princess – Bad Word For A Good Thing -. I Wanna Go Home – Wrap Your Heart
This girl band comes from Seattle and includes Kirsten Ballweg from The Donettes and the Black Crabs on bass, Lori Campion from The Poontwang on guitar and vocals, and drummer Heidi Jessup. Their music mixes 60’s garage with some Billy Childish influences (Headcoatees, Delmonas), punk rock, power-pop, and a touch of Pixies. Engineered by Kearney Barton (who worked with The Sonics), their sound is wild and powerful, yet they maintain a good balance between the bass and the guitar distortion while emphasizing melody. Lori’s versatile voice can shout, scream, and sing with scorn when needed, as you can hear in “Got Your Number.” Talking about The Pixies, this one has a bit of Kim Deal style in the bridge (and a direct reference in the lyrics).
“Casper Guido” has a nice Farfisa played by bass player Kirsten, and I’d love to hear more of that. As I mentioned, Billy Childish and the girl bands he led are also apparent influences. That’s why they cover The Tamrons’ “Wild Man,” also covered by the Headcoatees on Girlsville. I’m still trying to figure out which version inspired them, but theirs is the best. But the best cover is yet to come, as they play Billy Joel’s “You May Be Right.” If you’re a Rock’n’Roll geek, you can’t help but turn the volume up to 11 and play it repeatedly. Their cover of “I wanna Go Home” by Holly and the Italians is equally good, with excellent backup vocals and handclaps.
Beware, this album is very addictive, and once you’ve finished listening to it, you just want to hear it again.
Debbie & Jackie
