three state famous - Suburban Street Trash

Three State Famous

Suburban Street Trash
Old Mine Entertainment; 2014

3.4 out of 5

By Jamie Funk 

In 2010 "Bad" Mike Badura (vocals/guitar) combined forces with Chris Robb (their founding bass player who is no longer with the band) to form Three State Famous. Initially they were a party band playing at weekly bonfires but it wasn't too long before Scott "The Doc" Lowe (harmonica/vocals/keys), Dick Newport (bass/vocals) and Will "Pinetree" Styles (drums) came aboard and they got a little more serious and released their debut album Plausible Deniability. They began touring that same year. Suburban Street Trash is their latest effort and it is a rock record that has more in common with ‘70s classic rock than anything else. The words “indie rock” from the urban hipster dictionary doesn’t come to mind here. No pretension just straightforward songs.

The album starts with a bona fide heavy-hitting song called  “Low Life.” The riffs, attitude and guitar tone come straight from 1972. There is also a badass harmonica solo that you won’t want to miss. I don’t mind swearing in a song when it’s called for but it seemed bit overused in this song. He says “fuck” and “shit’ more than enough times where I wouldn’t want my three-year-old singing along. This a song that could be pumping out of every biker car in the mid west.

The second track “Sleeping In Forever” is a catchy rock/pop tune. This track sounded a bit more influenced by ‘90s alternative acts like Candlebox. “No Love Lost” was one of the highlights of the album. The guys introduce the organ and have a vibe that sounds somewhere between reggae, blues and rock. Overall they sound tight and in the pocket and I am pretty sure would be a crowd favorite in a live atmosphere.

“The Drifter” is a song that has a good jam session between slide guitar, harmonica and organ while the vocalist speaks/sort of sings sounding like an alternative version of Tom Waits.

The closer “Not So Random Jam” features another talking piece during the verse before the vocalist shouts “cause I'm in a band” during the explosive chorus. Suburban Street Trash has some missteps but nothing too major. These guys aren’t breaking new ground but rather making solid tunes that have a classic sensibility to them. 

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