My band just toured through Buffalo and we were lucky enough to get set up with a great house show. And at this great house show we were lucky enough to meet a real down to earth, but balls out batch of strange rockers called JOHNS. In the live setting they came off as a bit of a noise rock band, with two lead singers and a fresh approach. Listening to their tape I’m hearing less noise rock, and more just plain rock, or really, glam rock. But some sort of twisted up brand of such. I can’t exactly put my finger on this band, and that’s probably a big reason that I’m attracted to them. Some of it sounds like the STOOGES or JAY REATARD, there’s definitely a defiant swagger all over this that pulls you right in. It’s familiar but not.

The unexpected lead guitar twists and the co-ed vocals are my favorite parts about this crew from along Lake Eerie (don’t let that Buffalo water touch you though). “House of Wrongheads” is some kind of mid-tempo punker featuring a lengthy and noisy off the wall guitar solo. Female vocal joins the initial solo male vocal in the song’s second half, and I recall hearing to vocals mesh so appealingly in a long time. The song ends with a lengthy chiming, nearly ambient outro. “Worm Wall” is a steady driving rocker, basically drone rock in places, with a killer guitar sound and infectious bass fuzz. They may not be quite as noisy on this tape as they are live but these songs rule, and theirs is an interesting sound. Check it out and look for JOHNS in Boston this fall.