Music Review: Banditos, Banditos

By Melissa Bratcher

When was the last time you heard a kick-ass kazoo solo (or even a bad one)? On the Banditos’ self-titled debut you’ll find one, and realize that you don’t hear enough kazoo in your daily life. And while that’s an interesting moment on Banditos, there is so much more to dig. The band is tight, taking disparate influences and deftly weaving them into a sound that is completely their own. It’s an incredibly assured, fully formed debut featuring smart songwriting and three vocalists who each add their own flavor to the songs.

Things kick off with the grungy, Diddley-beat of “The Breeze.” It’s down and dirty, with perfectly garagey vocals from Corey Parsons and fuzzed-out guitar. Even with Stephen Pierce’s banjo peeking through, it’s not breezy at all, but instead, rauco and pounding. It sets the tone for the rest of the album nicely. “Golden Grease” is bolstered by Pierce’s banjo married to Randy Wade’s solid drumming. That banjo is insistent like raindrops on a windshield on this sinuous ZZ Top-style boogie.

When Mary Beth Richardson steps up to the mic, things change. An old school belter, Richardson has a variable, rich voice and a killer range. “Waitin’” is rollicking and swinging, a bit lighter and more open sounding than the previous tracks. Richardson’s vocals are testifying and HUGE here, but “No Good” may be her tour de force. The instruments are pulled way back to showcase her awesome, soulful vocals. She wails, she pleads, she provokes goosebumps. “Old Ways” feels as if it was pulled from an Irma Thomas record. Richardson’s vocals are beautifully nuanced on the bluesy track, and the guitar sound is massive and heavy.

“Ain’t It Hard” is a seductive number with lead vocals from Parsons, with lyrics about drugs or perhaps alcohol. The production is dreamy and sleepy, until Richardson comes in like a vengeful spirit. It’s followed by “Still Sober (After All These Beers),” a rambunctious ode to excellence in boozing, sung by Stephen Pierce, with a epic guitar line. It’s an interesting juxtaposition.

“Long Gone Anyway” features the kazoo, and it’s a welcome addition. It’s layered and propulsive, and the nimble guitar, paired with piano and banjo, gives it a ragtime feel, only heavier. Pierce’s vocal delivery on the rockabilly flavored “Can’t Get Away” is oddly reminiscent of Buck Trent’s ditties on Hee Haw: a curio bit of rhythm.

Banditos is a marvel. It’s muscular, but melodic. Every song works, and works well. Every time it ended, I started it again immediately. It’s going to sound fantastic blaring from my car windows all summer.

Banditos was released via Bloodshot Records.

Tour Dates:
05/12/2015: Santa Fe NM, Santa Fe Sol
05/13/2015: Phoenix AZ, Alice Cooperstown
05/14/2015: San Diego CA, Seven Grand
05/17/2015: Los Angeles CA, Grand Ole Echo
05/19/2015: Crestone CO, Cloud Station
05/21/2015: Manhattan KS, Auntie Mae’s Parlor
05/22/2015: Kansas City MO, Riot Room
05/23/2015: St. Louis MO, The Demo
05/29/2015: Nashville TN, The Basement
06/05/2015: Bristol TN, Border Bash
06/06/2015: Knoxville TN, Preservation Pub
06/12/2015: Huntsville AL, Yellowhammer Brewing
06/13/2015: Birmingham AL, Saturn
06/18/2015: Louisville KY, Zanzabar
06/19/2015: Pekin IL High Note
06/25/2015: Golden CO, Buffalo Rose Bar & Grill
06/26/2015: Meeker CO, Holliday Bar & Grill
06/27/2015: Cedar City UT, Groovefest
06/28/2015: Cedar City UT, Mike’s Tavern
07/01/2015: Steamboat Springs CO, Schmiggity’s
07/02/2015: Crested Butte CO, The Eldo
07/03/2015: Dolores CO, Dolores River Brewery
07/05/2015: Flagstaff AZ, The Arboretum at Flagstaff
07/06/2015: Los Angeles CA, Harvard & Stone
07/08/2015: San Francisco CA, Brick & Mortar
07/09/2015: Reno NV, Great Basin Brewing Co.
07/11/2015: Chico NV The End of Normal
07/12/2015: Eugene OR, Sam Bond’s Garage
07/14/2015: Seattle WA, Tractor Tavern
07/15/2015: Cottage Grove OR, Axe & Fiddle
07/16/2015: Portland OR, Duff’s Garage
07/17/2015: Sheridan OR, Wildwood Mic Festival
07/20/2015: Chicago IL, Jay Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park at 6:30PM
Downtown Sound Series (FREE SHOW)
07/24/2015: Berwyn IL, FitzGerald’s
07/25/2015: Kankakee IL, Merchant Street Mic Festival
08/04/2015: Gatlinburg TN, Sugarlands Distilling Company
08/06/2015: Philadelphia PA Bourbon and Branch
08/08/2015: Rehoboth Beach DE, Dogfish Head Brewery
08/09/2015: Harrisburg PA, Stage on Herr at Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center
08/10/2015: Belmar NJ, 10th Avenue Burrito