ROCK
'N' ROLL KAMIKAZE (RE-ISSUE) - The Dragons (Gearhead)
Had a
review of this all but written when the bad news came through: The Dragons are
R.I.P. Thirteen years and seven albums ain't a bad run, and three of the four
members will work on singer-guitarist Mario Escovedo's solo 
album.
Meanwhile, soak up all the back catalogue you can...
"Rock 'n' Roll Kamikaze" is the album that hooked me and sent me searching
for the rest of them. The original tip came from former Asteroid B612 member
Leadfinger, who'd shared a stage with Mario and Co. I was lucky enough to be
in their hometown of San Diego to see The Dragons play in their lair, the character-laden
Casbah. They blew the more widely-known Toilet Boys offstage - and my tour guide
that night, Steve Gardner of NKVD Records, reckoned he'd seen them better. If
that's the case, he's very fortunate.
The Gearhead re-ish of their second-mots recent album is a fantastic legacy.
A radical (read: raw) re-mix and five (count 'em) bonus tracks, one of them
the wonderfully emotive "Still Pissed Off", makes for a real value,
no-risk purchase.
There's no great secret in what the Dragons do - unless you've never heard passionate
vocals, firestorm guitars or a rhythm section like King Kong on 'roids (although
not without its subtle side). The songs mostly soar and roar, the guitars sear
and assault you. It's more often than not completely over-the-top in its embracing
of Stones/Dolls/Heartbreakers-imbued Rock Action, with more than a little onstage
posturing in the live setting. All part of the charm, I reckoned. These boys
knew how to put on a show. Their music was also a massively well-kept secret.
No fault of them or their label, just the luck of the draw.
All the outtakes here hold their own with the songs on the original album, although
"Breakdown", "Time Keeps Slipping Away" and "Still
Pissed Off" deserve high marks. There's not much more to add to the reviews
appearing below, except The Dragons are worthy of attention, even of the posthumous
kind. - The Barman
1/2
SIN
SALVATION - The Dragons (Gearhead)
This
is Album Number Six for San Diego's Dragons and they just keeping upping the
ante each time. You thought "Rock 'n' Roll Kamikaze" kicked 'em out? Sure did,
but this one (to borrow the title of an earlier disc) rocks like fuck.
The pace is a little more frantic, the solos a fraction more overdriven. There's
still an economy of notes and lyrics - unlike some of the New Garage Breed,
nothing's wasted - but "Sin Salvation" clearly recognises there is no real salvation
for The Dragons and their ilk, and all the would-be challengers and imposters
should get the fuck out of the way. The formula is thus: Lead guitarist Ken
Mochikoshi Horne plays at stun volume while on rhythm guitar, Mario fills in
the spaces just right. Steve Rodriguez (bass) and Jarrod Lucas (drums) pump
the boilers with maximum consistency. It's as tight as it needs to be. Pity
someone already used the album title "Ragged Glory". It's raw and rough but
walks around with a hip flask in the back pocket and a swing in its step.
A Barfly whose opinion is worth hearing reckons the Dragons' songs are a little
samey. They're certainly not big on textures or subtle degrees of light and
shade. But it's the dynamics of the songs and the way there's always one (and
usually more) memorable song on each album that wins the day. There's been a
linear improvement in the tunes since 1996's debut LP, "Pain Killer", but Mario
Escovedo's sometimes world-weary, often roof-raising vocalising and the sheer
sense of abandon in the guitar attack have been consistent winners throughout.
The Dragons rip the soundscape to shreds with a sense of grim determination
that the Heartbreakers had in their best, clear-headed moments, yet their roots
remain firmly planted in NY Dolls and Stones territory.
Recording at Clear Lake in North Hollywood, the band more or less fired out
their new songs one after the other, eschewing overdubs or other studio tarting
up. The aim was to capture the energy - and they did. If CDs came with realistic
packaging you'd feel the stickiness of the Jack and Cokes they'd spilt along
the way.
"Dirty Bomb" is the single but for mine "Chosen One" is the killer rock monster
with its chugging, staccato guitar intro cascading into a big beat and red raw
chorus. "Sin Salvation" pins you to the wall like a back street hood with a
switchblade, skidding along on the dual axis of another pounding backbeat and
Mockikoshi Horne's guitar.
"Claire" is the closest thing to a ballad, fired by a nagging guitar figure
and muscular bass line. "Kiss Me ('Cause Life's Obscene)" is a rave-up in the
vicinity of "Needs", while the closing "Tragedy" is all ragged vocals and stunning,
whisky-soaked lead guitar. The Dragons deserve world notoriety, fame and fortune.
They probably won't get the last two in the degree they and real bands deserve,
but buy this and help 'em on their way. - The
Barman
1/4
ROCK'N'ROLL
KAMIKAZE - The Dragons (Junk)
This fell out of the Magic Mailbox today and I shook my head as I inspected
the tracklist: "Life Is Cheap." "Greyhound." "Kamikaze."
Fuck, I thought, I have to stop reading the news...it's enough to take all the
joy out of living, not to mention reviewing rock'n'roll rekkids.
Heard good reports on these guys before SXSW this year, but wound up getting
my car towed from a restaurant parking lot on Cesar Chavez Blvd. in Austin and
missing their show. Feh. Front Dragon Mario Escovedo is, of course, the younger
sibling of Alejandro (Nuns/Rank and File/Buick MacKane and solo underground
stardom) and Javier (Zeros), not to mention Pete and Coke (uh, Santana) and
cousin of Sheila E. And the title and World War II/Rising Sun imagery can be
forgiven 'cos lead gtrist Ken Mochikoshi Horn was born in Yokohama, mama. It's
not like they're a buncha Thee Michelle Gun Elephant wannabes or anything like
that.
Diehard Rolling Stones fans though these San Diego-based boys might be, they
play punk rock'n'roll with the emphasis on the punk (meaning fast tempos, pummeling
rhythm section, thrashing dual gtrs - you know the drill). On this, their fourth
full-length, they keep things short and sweet - 10 tunes, about 40 minutes,
each one a short, sharp shock to the synapses right up until the "hidden"
track, which mellows down easy like something Mott the Hoople might have essayed
on "Mad Shadows" or one of those.
These Dragons claim the heritage of the sloppy-drunk Replacements and Johnny
Thunders' lurching-out-of-control Heartbreakers, but in addition to the chaos
factor and gtr damage, you also get the kind of pop-smart songcraft that marked
both of those bands at their best. Dig the "woo-hoo"-ing backing voxxx
and the barfly's singalong chorus on "Three Steps from the Bar" ("You're
my Brigitte Bardot, I'm your Errol Flynn," indeed - waitaminute, wasn't
he the one who used to play the piano with his dick?), on which Escovedo sounds
like nothing so much as, uh, Bruce Springsteen channeling Tom Waits, or the
classic descending riff of "C'mon" (and the call-and-response chorus).
No anal-retentive precision for these guys - "Keep it rollin', keep it
rollin'," Mario yells after the false start on "Don't Waste My Time."
He knows the secret of all great rock'n'roll: cut it live, fast, and hot.
This will definitely blow the roof off your house, apartment, vehicle, or any
structure where you happen to have your disc player set up. Sound like a live
band to be reckoned with, too. Be warned.
- Ken Shimamoto
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