A Sound Like No Other

lashback: 1988, New Haven, CT- I can't count the number of weekend nights spent within the subterranean confines of the Grotto. It was New Haven's lone cool (read: non-mainstream) rock 'n roll club that is still sorely missed by all who were there. These are the same people who complained about the boring groups and atmosphere just before the club closed up that fall. For me, it was a place to hang out and drink way too much. I witnessed some killer sets by cool bands, saw the guitar "hero" from Rush get the shit beat outta him, and unwillingly subjected my ears to the lame dance music drivel that always followed the last band (watchin' my friend's pal try to scmooze unaccompanied girls two minutes before closing time was the typical night's highlight). After one such 'boring night at the Grotto, about six of us were on our way out. As we climbed up the stairs, Eileen mentioned that she had finally come up with the name for her first rock 'n roll group. The rest of us were talking about who-knows-what, and didn't hear her declaration. "I SAID, Price and I have come up with a name for our group!" she loudly announced so that we could give her our undivided (alcohol-induced) attention. I stood there outside the club next to Iggy (a New Haven legend worthy of his own article) as he asked, "What IS it, Eileen?" in the tone of voice one would use when answering an insipid 'knock-knock' joke. Eileen smiled while proudly proclaiming, "The BOTSWANAS". This was immediately followed by Iggy's uncontrolable laughing... "The Botswanas!!??!! What's a Botswana?" he snickered, obviously uninformed that IT WAS AN AFRICAN COUNTRY as Eileen retaliated. She then turned to me and asked what I thought. "Couldn't be any worse than the Double Naught Spys", I calmly noted. I remember Danny added that the name would be a lot easier to fit on a bass drum head, which was pretty funny since Eileen and Iggy were still recovering from having painted the Spys monicker on our bass drum. Eileen quit as our manager thereafter......

People who know me will tell ya that I love to rant 'n rave about cool rock n' roll records and groups. Problem is, I can't get excited about too many 'current' groups, cuz most of 'em try to combine their musical "influences" into their own said "unique" sound. This trumpets boredom upon my jaded ears. If a group tries to deviate into the 'we're striving for a new (creative, experimental) sound' stratosphere, it becomes ROCK music, not ROCK 'N ROLL. Face it - you just can't change or add to the sound of Rock 'n Roll. It's sorta like spagetti sauce. If you start chuckin' in exotic or unusual ingredients not found in the basic recipe, it ain't spagetti sauce no more. Rock 'n Roll operates on the same example-it CAN'T have syncopated rhythms, orchestral instruments, artsy/music for the sake of artistry crap. It's teenage music first and foremost, whether it be Rockabilly, Garage, Surf, Mod, or Punk. No matter what the style, it's gotta be simple, wild and swingin', with that added "X" Factor that'll keep a song stuck inside your head. There are a few groups that can today, with most of 'em delivering the goods in such a way that makes it easy to classify 'em as Rockabilly, Garage or Punk sounding. And there ain't NOTHIN' wrong with that - only lame-ass critics and over-educated scribes fault groups that stick to a formula or specific sound. But one group I'm completely gone on doesn't sound like any other: the BOTSWANAS.

With a 45, two CD's and a third CD on the way (compiling old & new material) on Master Tracks records from Madrid, Spain, the Botswanas keep the teenage feel of Rock' n Roll via their well-crafted original songs that just don't sound like anyone else. Besides, lead singer and stage swaggering temptress Eileen Ziontz and guitar maestro Price Harrison write melodic, catchy songs that are above and beyond the stuff mainstream (read: ill-informed, generic) music consumers listen to and eulogize. No matter what type of sound yer after, the SONG has to be good above all else. And damn if I can't find any songs in the Botswanas catalog that are anything less. You want proof, Oh One Who Lives To Doubt? Pick up the Botswanas recent CD, issued on Price's own Feralette record label last summer, Mockers And Rods. I've lent my CD to a dozen people who favor 'classic rock' or 'alternative' sounds (They're sick of me tellin 'em that if they liked REAL rock 'n roll, they wouldn't need an alternative) and all of 'em liked the CD enough to buy their own copy. Proof that the Botswanas simply do not sound like anyone else out there, yet offer a riff-laden, melodic 'n catchy punch wrapped around top-notch songwrting that appeals to the ears of most everyone. Examples? There's the stop/start brilliance of "Soul Kiss", the teenage dreams within "Junior High Knockout" and "Jimmy And His Amps*" (my personal fave), the slow, shimmering "Ocean Eyes**" , the 'try 'n guess the chord changes' of "Skin" and the tuff-meets-poppy bounce of "Pretty Things Are Unfair". Score it 17 tracks in all, 0 mediocre or filler cuts. You owe it to yourself to hear just what I'm yappin about.

Of course, great songs do not make the whole story of the Botswanas. What began as just an outlet for the songs penned by Eileen and Price has transmogrified into the band that you can see and hear today. Price, bassist Danny Ly, and newly aquired drummer Linda Brosseau all reside in the competitive confines of New York City, while Eileen lounges just outside of New Haven, CT. They play mostly in the City and New Haven, where they've been adopted as a local band - I call 'em 'Outta State Locals'. I was there at the beginning, and saw their debut gig in 1992 at the Poco Loco in New Haven. Eileen hid behind her dark shades and portable Vox organ, fighting nervousness, but won the capacity crowd over with their touted original, "Little Witch". It's a Wailers meets the Kinks in a back alley riffin' pounder that got 'em tagged as a "garage" group in the local press. This song was eventually recorded and released on a 45 in 1994, and became the Botswanas debut record and signature song to that point. Danny had not joined the Botswanas yet; he was still playing bass for the Double Naught Spys, a group which I formed as a strict mid 60's garage-punk outfit back in 1986. The first time I met him was during our first band get together, since he had been drafted by our singer, Iggy, to play bass. Danny had never played before, but that didn't stop him from learning the runs and patterns I showed him on that first day. He was always eager to learn, and stuck it out with me for six and a half years (that story is a movie waiting to be filmed). When the Spys broke up in '93, Eileen and Price had their sights set on Danny to fill the ever-changing bassist slot. Danny didn't join right away, but fit in perfectly. This guy is a rock 'n roll band's dream bassist: no ego, creative without overplaying, and a 'Let's Do It' attitude which he still exudes despite his Spys misadventures. Now sporting a Danelectro bass instead of his retired Bill Wyman Vox, Danny is one of the best 'bottom' men I've heard. Price even notes the official beginning of the Botswanas on the day Danny joined.

Early 'Pre-Danny' Botswanas gigs were entertaining mostly for the Yagermeister induced rantings of lead singer Eileen Ziontz...
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*Hear "Jimmy and His Amps"(.wav 208k)

*Hear "Ocean Eyes"(.wav 216k)

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