Zac Schulze Gang – Straight To It
Invigorating set from this debut studio set, but not exactly Americana/roots music. This British band interprets the heart of American mid-70s rock, ala London’s Foghat, the American Black Oak Arkansas & Germany’s Lucifer’s Friend. Crossbred. It’s good, but it’s more of an orange drink than an orange juice. The musicians are gutsy in their playing. The vocalists, while not distinguished, have a unifying vocal proficiency that’s a typical signature of this type of musical preponderance.
“Betterland” charges with a chiming riff & electrifying display. There was an audience for this music decades ago & with new ears being born, it may just be the right time to rediscover this incessant & once popular rock foray. The Zach Schulze Gang certainly understands the gears & pulleys of this genre. They do perform with passion. Not quite grunge, not quite metal or hard rock – but somewhere between.
11 ass-kicking tunes get Straight To It (Drops Sept 26/Ruf Records) produced by Ian Sadler (bgv) & recorded in England. It’s not rootsy blues, but blues filtered through a porous musical lens. A blues purist won’t find Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, John Mayall, or Cream in these numbers. There are too many additives. Now, those additives do have a likable showcase that many people enjoy. So, it’s not entirely inferior as diluted. Its authenticity is more in the showcase than the music itself.
There’s no denying that vocals are energetic with genuine enthusiasm. The entertainment value is convincing. It’s rock n’ roll but not pure – it’s a sub-genre of the R&R pantheon. What do I mean? Well, the gang is not The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Canned Heat, or The Who. That’s rock ‘n’ roll. It’s not Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Duster Bennett, or Paul Butterfield. This isn’t the brand. This is a brand developed in the early ‘70s & was indeed based on a blues persuasion.
“Damaged Man” is Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Travelin’ Band” on steroids with a wall of stabbing guitars & the landlord on the first floor hitting the ceiling with her broom. “Lower it!” More creative riffs decorate the cliché-rich “High Roller” & “Turn To Stone” that both recall Germany’s Lucifer’s Friend.
This UK gang with passion does an admirable job of refining the quality of this genre in a modern shape. They persuade. It’s good beer drinking music, an embedment into a youthful memory along with pizza, Jello-shots & ripped jeans. Play it loud. We paid the rent.
Highlights – “Betterland,” “Damaged Man,” “High Roller,” “The Rocker,” & “Turning To Stone.”
Musicians – Zac Schulze (guitar/vocals), Anthony Greenwell (bass/vocals), Ben Schulze (drums/ vocals), Nigel Feist (harmonica), & Lee Wilson (Hammond organ/keys).
Color image courtesy of their press kit. CD @ https://www.zacschulzegang.rocks/