Rawles Balls
It's no wonder someone shouted out "Rawles Balls! You're a genius!" after the opening song. Here's a guy who demonstrates the true spirit of punk. A guy who put "New" in "New York Groove". Performing mostly songs from the self released masterpiece "Live Wire" it's obvious from the get-go Rawles Balls is about a lot more than just another night of bacchanalian revelry. If any proof of his crude technique were needed, he offers it immediately. as the band takes to the stage his guitar is feeding back and, in a moment of frustration, he boots the amp over to the cheers of the crowd. I smile as I see for myself what the insane recording session must of been like for the "Live Wire" cd and realizing what a great job the engineer did capturing the rawness of a band causing this amount of trouble on tape. Whatever he may lack in subtlety and pitch, he more than makes up for in sheer passion and, perhaps more importantly, playfulness. When he sings "I Will Always Love You" he sounds so sincere that chills run up and down your spine, that is, until the second verse when he lets out a big burp and laughs as he can't believe he made it that far into it without getting any on him. Where else can you hear that kind of honesty on a record these days? Is it a sarcastic piss-take? Is it a genuine and touching nod to the original writers? Thankfully Rawles Balls is not precious about the songs and, accordingly, they are often sloppy but always endearing. they may not be well-rehearsed, but the band plays very much as a band rather than just providing backup. The covers of the Temptations ("My Girl"), Bon Jovi ("Living On A Prayer") and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs ("Maps") are all given an airing, before someone produces a 4 foot set list containing over 100 songs! After kicking the bass player off stage, Rawles Balls' "mean drunk" comes to the fore and he resists the crowd's increasingly desperate pleas for "Dang Me" instead leading the drummer, Monica, into a semi-rehearsed romp through'"When The Saints Go Marching In" (sung in his worst Louis Armstrong) The cut-off time has passed, Balls departs from the stage with a wry grin. Rock and Roll is here to stay.
-Edward Hootch (New Musical Local)
