Chickenpox Party
Chickenpox Party
(self-released)

I’d venture to say Chickenpox Party is going to knock you out. “Scabby the Clown (Intro, featuring Ethan Gabriel Jack)” opens with a hoot of child party sounds and plucked, nutty piano that flows into the heavy “Dumbentia.” (You gotta love a heavy record like this that opens with a clown goofing at a children’s party.) This first real tune on Chickenpox Party is a stomping riff of a thing, showing off the trio’s lock step-heavy, country rock instrumental chops. A tight, high ending horror movie organ and flick-a-pick guitar opens “Fair Weathered Friend” before Brodie David rumbles his drums into a big, bluesy beat with lots of space under Greg Smith’s talking/singing vocals. “Mamacita” sways with the trio taking it slow and very jazzy. Davis’ rim shots, Smith’s clean, Jimmy Page-like expressive leading and Joey Jones walking his bass-masking riffs make a nice, heady, restrained instrumental brew here. The wha-wha effected guitar and Davis getting nuttier near the end is just so well-timed. The over-the-top stomp of “Blues for Jesus” is another nasty moment where that slight effect on Smith’s vocals (and the backing vocals too) feed into quite the commercial-heavy tune. The boys even tackle “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World” with a loose drum, echo-y vocals (and again some fine leading from Smith). Chickenpox Party says “So Long” as their last tune here. Another riff-tastic, heavy yet commercial tune, this one with nasty lyrics and high wailing from Smith.

It might be in your best interest to infect yourself with Chickenpox Party here.