If the recent wave of rock bands hasn’t satisfied your cravings for 70s style rock and you love local music, pick up the new album by the Hot Dogs immediately. Otherwise, save your money.
With flailing guitar riffs and babbling, mostly incoherent lyrics, the Portland band the Hot Dogs play in a style akin to many early punk bands like the Ramones and the Sex Pistols. Featuring Tom Abercrombie on bass, Jeff Badger and Adam Bean on guitar, and Pat Corrigan on drums, the band performs like a well oiled – albeit loud and obnoxious – punk rock machine. All the band members provide their vocal talent except Corrigan.
The Hot Dogs have a number of catchy songs on this CD. The first track, “So Long,” opens things up with a distortion-laced breakup story. After that the songs range from the punk rock rollercoaster “Feed Me Breakfast” to the ska-influenced anthem “Running Out of Things to Do.” The Hot Dogs’ unique sense of humor graces the priceless “I’m So Drunk,” a delightful ballad about – you guessed it – being completely sloshed, and the band even dons a haunting bluegrass fa?ade on “Your Pretty Face has Gone to Picasso.”
As far as punk rock bands go, the Hot Dogs are just a few inches short of a footlong. A lot of tracks on the album lack distinction. They are the same tiresome, standard issue punk riffs that are heard in every modern faux 70s punk band. The solos thrown in are decent and mix things up a bit, but the formula remains the same for nearly every song. Another problem is the lyrics. If you listen closely, you will notice that the Hot Dogs have some humorous things to say, but the vocals are often hard to understand amongst their frenzied playing style.
The brief length of their songs makes the Hot Dogs hard to swallow. Some tracks on the album don’t even crest two minutes, and they rarely break the three and a half minute mark. While this is common for punk bands, it poses a problem for the Hot Dogs, who don’t have much substance to begin with. If more time had been spent perfecting a few of the songs that had promise instead of tacking on a few extra one or two minute tracks, the result would have most likely been beneficial.
All in all, the Hot Dogs are a rocking group that needs some work. So, if you buy one local rock album this year, buy Jeremiah Freed’s latest CD, but if you buy eight, make one of them the Hot Dogs’ new self-titled album. It is available at Bull Moose Music in Portland and online at www.thehotdogs.com.
Editor’s note: The Hot Dogs are having a CD release party at 8 p.m. on Nov. 14 at SPACE Gallery, 538 Congress Street, Portland. Admission is $5 for ages 21 and over.
Jon Blood can be contacted at [email protected]