Praise For Wallflower.com | Indie Music Blog

Where do I start? Okay, lets look  at the beginning.  If you live in Central Jersey (it exists - lets not get on that subject) and you consider yourself a show-goer, then you'd be hard pressed to lie and tell me you haven't seen or heard of these guys.  This includes their recent, former persona: Forrester, which were around years before TCR was even a festering idea.  Well, they've ditched the old name, a few members, changed their outlook, grabbed some horns, studied their instruments, went on tour, played Rutgersfest, put out two albums, and are making girls weak in the knees all in the same breadth.

The Command Radio, a six piece from South Plainfield, NJ, formed in mid 2006.  They quickly put together what's easily my favorite independently made record of all time: The Electric War Demos.  Gizacked, Browntown Rock, and Kansas City Shuffle are sincerely awesome songs (listening to Joe's nasty bass is as indulgent as eating cream cheese out of the foil wrapper).  Recorded mostly live in a basement in South Plainfield, the record was a testament to how they'd matured since Forrester.  I'd hate to label this album or their music in general, but to give you an idea, it reminds me of a mesh of The Fall of Troy and The Jimi Hendrix Experience.  Unfortunately, it seems they've stopped advertising this record, since the addition of horns into their lineup.

Lets get more current:  Taylor Mandel (trumpet) and Ike Ejochi (tenor sax) have joined the original TCR lineup that includes: Ryan Egan (vocals), Joe Scarpitto (bass), Paul Brasil (drums), and Matt Madurski (guitar).  Early in 2008, the group released full-length "Take Control" under producer and recording engineer, Jake Antelis.  Egan is grittier here than on the last record; he approaches each song with a stock of confidence that only began to peak through on the last record. Madurski , Scarpitto, and Brasil hold their own while the horns lay atop nicely without becoming the focus or being too upfront.  Something worth noting: Six guys playing at once doesn't allow for an easy, smooth, un-muddled sound, but they've got it; production is excellent.  (Look for a more in depth album review of Take Control, their latest release, here on PFW sometime in the near future. )

So, Ladies and Gentlemen, don't be confused, this is no ska band.  This lineup has shown the music scene that funk isn't dead, that jazz isn't for old men, and that a rock show doesn't have to mean Lenny Kravitz at the Superbowl (my mouth is watering too) - it's awfully refreshing to listen to a group of musicians that aren't writing boring, generic songs that sound like they belong on All Time Low's B-Sides .  After only 2 records and 2 years, The Command Radio have found their niche and claimed crown.