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| Date |
City |
Venue |
| Sat 6/7/08 |
Cleveland, OH |
Beachland Tavern |
| Wed 7/2/08 |
Detroit, MI |
Comerica CityFest |
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Mike
Latulippe – Drums
Tim Purrier – Guitar
John Szymanski – Farfisa
As you step onto the front porch of the "Hentch House"
in Hamtramck, Michigan, notice the quaint wooden sign announcing
"The Szymanskis": this is the family home of John,
the Hentchmen’s organ grinder. Ladies and gentlemen, enter
the Hentchmen. Inside, the walls are plastered with pop culture
paraphernalia such as authentic 60’s movie posters, pirate
flags, and even an autographed picture of Richard Kiel. You
quickly confirm that there is nothing pretentious about this
house or the musicians who spend their time here; the Hentchmen
are the real thing, originals, and they will rock your ass off.
This fall, the Hentchmen will release their album, Form Follows
Function on Times Beach Records. The album was recorded at Rustbelt
Studios in Royal Oak, Michigan, and produced by Al Sutton, who
engineered tracks from 2003’s Three Times Infinity, the
Hencthmen’s critically acclaimed release. Form Follows
Function is the Hentchmen’s first album on Times Beach;
with the exception of one mini-LP on Italy Records, their previous
albums came out on the highly-regarded Norton Records.
The Hentchmen began playing together a dozen years ago, when
they met in high school. The original lineup was Tim Purrier,
John Szymanski, and Chris Handyside. When Handyside moved to
Chicago, the band called on longtime friend Mike Latulippe.
At this point in their story, one can easily label the Hentchmen
an anomaly: beyond the one drummer exchange, there is NO "rotating
cast of members" in the Hentchmen’s bio! Despite
(or because of?) years of traveling the globe in a station wagon
(yes, they even drove a wagon in Europe), they remain close
friends.
The rapport among the three Hentches is evident in their live
show. Tim jumps around, strumming aggressively, looking like
a bleach-bottle Buddy Holly. He shares vocal duties with John,
who plays the Farfisa with aplomb. Mike "in the center"
beats the skins with the enthusiasm of a two-year-old who has
just discovered the peal a spoon makes on a saucepan. Standing
still at a Hentchmen show is impossible.
Not tapping your foot while listening to the new album is equally
as hopeless. The energy from the Hentchmen’s live shows
is accurately and wholly captured on Form Follows Function.
Their first single, "Love," is a fun tale of puppy
love growing up ("It was love to the Nth degree/ It was
love most definitely"); in the accompanying video the Hentchmen
take their act underwater, complete with vintage tuxes and bouqets
of flowers. On "Mike in the Middle," John introduces
the band members, and with the lo-fi jangly sound, you can almost
imagine ? and the Mysterians doing a Beatles-esque "Sorry
girls, he’s taken!" kind of TV scene. The hip-shaking,
head-bobbing sounds of "Perpetuate" are undeniable,
from the opening bars to the driving drum rolls to the especially
delicious high-pitched keyboard riff.
Everything on this album is catchy as hell: the lyrics, the
addictive guitar patterns, the tasty beats, the dance-y strains
of the Farfisa. The Hentchmen have reached a new high mark with
Form Follows Function, and they will soon bring their act to
a town near you. Whether seeing them on stage or just listening
in your car, you can’t help but shake your body to the
Hentchmen’s music…..so put on your Hush Puppies,
grab your Parliaments… and prepare to be rocked. |
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FORM
FOLLOWS FUNCTION
TIMES BEACH
2004 |
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