Bio

At a time when most things purporting to be emotive feel about as inspired and sincere as a belated hallmark card, Chooglin' is an invigorating, aneurism inducing plunge in the water following twenty minutes in the sauna. Their brand of ragged but right, primal and propulsive rock n roll evokes images of a semi on Georgia Overdrive; that is to suggest the musical equivalent of 18 wheels precariously careening and barreling down a hill in neutral to increase velocity. Chooglin' does not so much as thumb their collective noses at the poindexters and bean-counters often masquerading as 'the man,' but instead bellows a caveat that the road runs both ways, so don't let the door hit you in the ass.

The core and foundation of the group is a reminder that cracking the proverbial egg is sometimes the impetus for a brand spanking new omelet. After reaching a musical cul de sac of sorts in the critically acclaimed and equally potent Midnight Evils, guitarist/vocalist Brian Vanderwerf and drummer Jesse Tomlinson felt it was time to reshuffle the deck by adding Fuck Yeahs drummer Shawn Walker and former Blame bassist Jeff Johnson to the mix. Tomlinson in the meantime added fodder to the belief that all drummers secretly want a spot in front of the riser, and traded the cans for six strings; effectively serving notice to Jack Butler that his days as the Devil's own guitar player are numbered. Not since the between song banter captured for posterity on Kiss Alive I & II has a front man been heard working a room like Vanderwerf sans the disingenuous innuendo. Without a doubt Vanderwerf has spent some time in the ladies room, and I'm reasonably certain he likes his gin cold, but he doesn't feel the need to resort to extended braggadocio. Johnson and Walker keep things hopping at a tight gallop, while leaving enough space for subtle vacillation, keenly cognizant that what doesn't bend breaks.

During the prohibition, Cabaret laws in New York City prevented most nightclubs from among other things allowing brass sections in musical aggregations. The equation is clear of course; brass is an invitation for lewd and lascivious behavior. So the question remains, did Chooglin' choose to augment several songs a night with The Horns of Eleganza despite, or due to, the moral decadence that was sure to be invoked. Regardless, like a certain larger ensemble from Illinois before they decided to drop the Transit Authority from the marquee, this band has an assemblage of bombast at its disposal, allowing Chooglin' to unleash the fury on unsuspecting fans like Robert Duval dropping Wagner (and Napalm) in Apocalypse Now.

With their high-energy live performances generating a great deal of buzz locally, and subsequent critical accolades from the likes of the City Pages and the Minneapolis Star & Tribune, it was simply a matter of time before the band headed for the studio. Armed with a new self-released, eponymous, debut recording produced by Dave Gardner (Hold Steady/Melvins/Dillinger Four), Chooglin' is taking it on the road. Like the bumper sticker that proclaims "Without Trucks, America Stops" Chooglin' understands that in these dire times of musical attrition, it is imperative to bring the goods to a town near you, and in the process, finding out if the road really does run both ways.

Jon Morgan