The Claudettes {DEBUT} @ The Mission!
THE CLAUDETTES
“Holy Mackerel! I think Gruppo Sportivo died and came back to life as The Claudettes! You remember Gruppo Sportivo, don’t you? That late-seventies, early-eighties band out of Holland which would have turned the record “industry” on its ears if the damn “industry” had had ears? The band which threatened to breathe life back into music but weren’t mediocre enough? The band which tiptoed around the ways music was being created and opting out? Which gave us such classics as “Beep Beep Love” and “Blah Blah Magazines” which the “listening public” kicked under the rug in favor of so-called classic bands like Journey and Foreigner and… zzzzzzzzz.
Well, the musical gods have given us a second chance! The Claudettes, in fact, are taking the spirit of GS and pushing it over the edge. No borders. No genres, kind of. In fact, Johnny Iguana hates the very idea of genre. When I approached him about the album, he said “I know it’s important to fall neatly in a genre, but I can’t help but just make music that expresses exactly what I want it to express at that time. I hate having to pick one of 10 genres from blogs for tags. Maybe you can tell me what this record is.” Okay, Johnny, I’ll tell you. I don’t f**king know! That’s why I asked you!
I’m kidding, of course. But I really do not know. I’ve listened numerous times (and am listening right now, in fact) and hear so much but understand so little. I do know that every song on the album gives me a jumpstart, that the album is way too short (probably means that I just don’t want it to end), that I hear so many levels of what I consider amazing creativity that it is hard to dissect, that The Claudettes give me that same rush I get every time I hear GS, and that this album will end up on a very special list at the end of the year. Yep, these guys are so over the top that I would not even consider them for Album of the Year. They are way too original for that.
I hear touches of Jerry Lee Lewis at his most manic (which fits, considering that Johnny sometimes pounds those keyboards to freaking smithereens), of cinema (some of the vocal overlays are freaky as hell), of rock ‘n’ roll (and not the standard rock ‘n’ roll but the rock ‘n’ roll you might have heard at some of them house parties Chicago and the Deep South are famous for), of multiple genres wrapping around one another until you cannot recognize any one of them. It must be fun as hell to play in this band. I mean, sometimes there is a common purpose but at others you are free to go crazy. So it seems.
Johnny has played with musical monsters— Junior Wells, Carey Bell, Koko Taylor, Hymie Shimansky. Okay, maybe not Hymie, but plenty of topnotch blues and rock musicians. The Claudettes are the culmination of it all, at this point, and he could stop here and have a legacy others would kill for. But I don’t want him to stop. I want him to slow down just a bit so I can retrace and pick up on The Claudettes first two albums (Infernal Piano Plot… HATCHED! and No Hotel) before moving on for what I hope will be a long and glorious ride down Claudette Trail.
You may have heard something like this before but I haven’t. I mean, the title alone (Dance Scandal at the Gymnasium!) should give you a clue. These guys are the B-movies of the music world— maybe not understood now but in the future, the kings and queens of the universe!
Claudettes… I know it seems like I am putting Johnny Iguana out there like he is the band but he and I both know better. I am just so excited about the album that I wanted to get this written before any calamities struck (like winning the lottery or getting hit by a bus, like Bobby Messano). I will get to you soon, if you are amenable. Be expecting a decoder ring in the mail (you will need it to decode my messages) and a crudely drawn map which, if you follow it closely, will lead you to treasure. Me? I already found mine. This album.
To read more about Mr. Iguana, click here. Oh, and if you’re of a mind, Yellow Dog Records has a number of other artists you might want to explore. Meet you there!
By the way, if I ever get one of those Alexa things, I am going to substitute Berit Ulseth’s voice. Maybe even have her sing the messages. Yeah, that’s the ticket.”
—the late, great Frank Gutch Jr., for No Depression
FRANK GUTCH JR, NO DEPRESSION Holy Mackerel…I hear so many levels of what I consider amazing creativity…The Claudettes give me that same rush I get every time I hear Gruppo Sportivo…this album will end up on a very special list at the end of the year…I hear touches of Jerry Lee Lewis at his most manic…of cinema…of multiple genres wrapping around one another…These guys are the B-movies of the music world—maybe not understood now, but in the future, the kings and queens of the universe!
FRED MILLS, BLURT The quartet…musters more per-capita energy across these dozen tunes than most any garage combo you’d care to mention…epic in feel…cinematic…a kind of cross between Dr. John-styled N’awlins rock and Krautrock-laced psychedelic punk….a musical magician’s act, primarily based around hi-nrg blues-jazz compositions for piano, bass, drums, and vocals, and a helluva lot of fun.
BILL BENTLEY’S BANDSTAND, THE MORTON REPORT They’ve got firepower to spare, a bushel of original songs…that can be detonated at will, and in lead singer Berit Ulseth someone that sounds like they’ve been waiting their whole life to front this band. There is simply no way to lose…a place not often visited these days by rock & rollers….These are a dozen songs played for keeps…guaranteed to turn everything from a gymnasium for juveniles to a geriatrics ward into a hothouse of delirious delight. Wear it out.”
GARY GRAFF, BILLBOARD The Claudettes begin a whole new era with Dance Scandal at The Gymnasium! The 12-song set showcases a different lineup of the band…but that’s only made the Claudettes’ distinct and idiosyncratic blend—punk, blues, R&B, rockabilly, some jazz—more potent.
BILL KOPP, MUSOSCRIBE They look like a jazz trio and vocalist; they sound not at all like that…I can’t think of another group that combines barrelhouse piano and female chanteuse vocals with heavily-effected electric guitar and slamming drums…draws as much from hard and psychedelic rock as it does from N’awlins piano boogie…you must listen to the Claudettes…I liked these guys when they started out, and I think I love them now.
THE SECOND DISC The Chicago group…introduces vocalist Berit Ulseth’s smoky stylings….blends crunchy riffs with rhythm and blues, sixties-style pop and soul, and plenty of attitude….The sound is raw and immediate….This Scandal boasts punk spirit, earworm melodies, and a neo-retro sound that’s loaded with appeal.
THE VINYL DISTRICT The Claudettes have been tagged as punk-blues, but on this CD immediately connect as something other/more than growled-out Willie Mabon covers slathered in amp gristle. If steeped in tradition, the Claudettes aren’t a replication (or, as said, a mere dirtying up) of it, instead exuding comfort with contemporary motions (Mark Neill produced) as new vocalist Berit Ulseth shines, especially on ‘Pull Closer to Me’ and ‘Death and Traffic.’ Iguana’s skills are fully showcased on the title track. A-
TROY MICHAEL, INNOCENT WORDS The first album for the Claudettes to feature their touring band…pays off handsomely….featuring raw and unencumbered musicianship…the 12-track album features the soul of the ’60s, psychobilly punk of the early ’80s and vaudevillian blues. Like an angel’s voice hovering over the music is one of the band’s multiple singers, Berit Ulseth. (She) has a booming voice, but is able to reel it into a soft sensual tone as she commands your attention….One of the most entertaining and unique albums of this year.
DETROIT METRO-TIMES Psychobilly might be an unfamiliar term to some, but when describing Chicago cabaret rockers the Claudettes, it’s pretty damn accurate….The sultry, retro moodiness captured on the band’s latest record sums up what makes the Claudettes’ twisted ragtime vibe stand out from your typical revivalists….The Claudettes are well versed in whimsy, and throwing listeners for a loop.
BLUES MAGAZINE (THE NETHERLANDS): Soul, rhythm & blues and heavily fuzzy, sometimes psychedelic, sound walls. Garagesoul!….The Claudettes have succeeded in mixing this catchy ’60s pop and soul sounds with their quirky bluespunk sound!
LOUDER THAN WAR (Manchester, UK) A magnificent melange of masterful musicianship and multifarious melodies…as infectious as it is eclectic…start with some Delta blues, add a bit of old-time jazz/swing, sprinkle on some rockabilly guitar here and there and add a smattering of punk attitude….The music is joyous, a celebratory fusion of the best of the different styles that make up the melting pot that is “Dance Scandal at the Gymnasium!”
CONCERTO MAGAZINE (Austria) Chicago piano blues-punk, spiced up with a pinch of jazz, psychedelic music and soul…quite an unusual listening experience…eccentric…Ulseth is an extraordinary singer…Blues, but of the extraordinary variety. (4 out of 5 stars)
BLUESBUNNY (Glasgow, Scotland) Manic barrelhouse mania…a search and destroy mission….’Pull Closer to Me,’ with the intoxicating voice of Berit Ulseth out front, soon becomes the song that will steal your heart…An album with hipster appeal but, for those of us with a heart, it is what resides beneath the fast-flowing waves of musical energy that will make our day. That, in case you haven’t guessed it already, is soul.
EMERGING INDIE BANDS (UK) Welcoming and warm dirty blues that grinds its way through the speakers filling the room with music that invites the listener to tarry in its company, like an invitation to share a drink in a ramshackle bar offered to a stranger in town—and long before the first song has run its course the audience feels The Claudettes are long-time travelling companions.
THE GINGER QUIFF (UK) “There were moments in Twin Peaks (when) I sat and wondered what the hell I had just seen. I had similar experiences listening to the Claudettes—what on earth did I just hear?…A joy to behold….From first song to last, the whole album is masterful….If you aren’t shattered with a huge grin on your face after listening to this album, you haven’t been listening hard enough.
SOUL AND JAZZ AND FUNK (UK) The intriguing new album from off-the-wall Chicago band the Claudettes….The foursome steadfastly refuses to categorize their music…though you might detect vaudeville, punk, blues and ’60s soul influences…interesting attempts to marry the classic girl-group sound of the Brill Building Era with Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound.
DISCO CLUB (ITALY) These Claudettes intrigued me…a cross between rock, diverted R&B and instrumental virtuosity…complex and fascinating melodies…also the vocal harmonies, almost like the Beach Boys, are formidable….If you want to do an experiment in a parallel world where pop is out of any pattern, try this ‘Dance Scandal At The Gymnasium.’ I do not know if they make scandal, but good (and strange) music, surely.