Album Review: Beast for Love by Dance Hall Pimps
On Lakeshore Records
Remember the old time horror movies with Boris Karloff and Vincent Price, the old black and white skin crawlers that made it difficult to sleep but “hurt so good”. Picture an old laboratory with an evil genius, a big black cauldron and lightning strikes. The scientist tosses in some back woods boogie, some old New Orleans jazz and some Rockabilly beats with just a touch of monster mash. The lever is thrown and the sparks fly, what’s left is some hip and happening party music and something worth rising from the grave for.
Dance Hall Pimps, a popular group playing the underground cabaret scene in Los Angeles presents to you for your ghoulish pleasures Beast for Love, a collection of original tracks and renditions of classic rock and roll tunes that mix their incredibly unique vision of excellently composed music and emotionally driven vocals that have a dash of the macabre. Beast for Love, produced by Grammy Winner Matt Hyde and Rob Hill is a grand accomplishment of whimsical analogies and serious scores. Dance Hall Pimps is not a one hit wonder, but in this album, prove they have the potential to captivate and keep a crowds attention and leave them wanting more.
Meet the Monsters, Dance Hall Pimps are RJC, Jeff Jourard, Bruce Mann, Eddie Fish, Vic “Baron” Migenes and Steve Carr, a group of musicians with a flair for expression and a passion for their craft that shows in their creation, “It’s Alive” with what makes memorable music.
Beast for Love is 12 tracks that have references to the old style horror and sci-fi movie theme, but could easily be references to issues that are part of the real world, I reference “Mommy was a Zombie”, I laugh at the idea that mommy was a zombie, and undead creature of the night and daddy was the invisible man, a creature of eerie formulation, but it could be that daddy was a vagrant lout that spit when the baby was born and mommy was a drunk, overwhelmed with life’s troubles, which is equally horrible. Their renditions of “I Put a Spell on You” and “Take a Walk on the Wild Side” are simply perfect and well done, not trying to do it exactly the same as the original artists and not to drastic a tangent, the songs are strong and exciting.
I also liked “Heartbreak of Dawn”, “You’d Drink Like I Do”, “Beast for Love” and “Transylvania Girls”, the title track “Beast for Love” is a great dance track, it just has the power to move you, it has that Rockabilly magic in it and “Transylvania Girls” could put California girls to shame. “Underneath Your Stone”, the 2nd track on the album is very reminiscent of the Doors and the darker music of the 60’s, in fact the band has been referenced as having influences like Elvis and early Rolling Stones, but I would liken them more to early Pink Floyd, Arthur Brown, Vanilla Fudge and possibly very early Deep Purple for the lyrical composition and musically they have too wide a range to nail into a coffin, that is why I feel any true music lover would give a pint of blood ( or more ) to see this dapper and deadly group play live and dance the night, and possibly their lives away.
So dress to kill, dig up a date, sharpen your fangs and primp your paws…very simply put, show some love for the Dance Hall Pimps, Pet the doggie, he won’t bite… MUCH !
To find out more about Dance Hall Pimps, check them out at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DONDwTKTlw
http://www.facebook.com/DanceHallPimps
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