Songs by a few bands with potential…

Skunkmello-Live at Arlene’s Grocery

A collection of strong garage-rock/bluesy covers and originals. I especially like their choices (Jesus Just Left Chicago is probably my second favorite ZZ Top song, right after I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide). If you like this one, they’ve got a more recent bootleg also available free on Bandcamp and several other releases. Watch these guys, they’re cooking and ready to boil.

Irie Idea

It’s like quiet punk reggae blues. Like when Sublime would break into one of their more accessible acoustic moments. The songwriting isn’t quite where it needs to be yet, and the vocals need to get some heft (sing from the belly, not the head), but you can see there’s definitely something here. It’s a band worth watching.

Simon Adams

And I’ll close with the most traditional of the three bands I’m reviewing today. A nice, sweet, quiet EP by Simon Adams.