The Fenwicks
Truth & Memory: Live And Unleashed At Arlene Grocery Nyc
© 2003 Shake And The Plough Publishing (724101825927)
CD IN STOCK. ORDER NOW. Will ship immediately.
SPECIAL: 20% discount if you buy more than one copy of it today!
Afro-Celtic Yiddish ska guaranteed to make you sweat.
tracks
- 1 My Luck
- 2 Semper Fidelis
- 3 You, Me and Heresy
- 4 Everyone but You
- 5 Schubieshtick One
- 6 What the Hammer
- 7 Schubieshtick Two
- 8 Truth & Memory
- 9 Schubieshtick Three
- 10 And a Peace
- 11 Schubieshtick Four
- 12 My Mushy Tushy Baby
- 13 Can You Tell Me
- 14 Schubieshtick Five
- 15 Another Deadly Mother
- 16 In Syndication
- 17 Blah Blah Blah
try this
albums you will love
genres you will love
By Location
Recommended if you like ...
notes
From the "Jeff Buckley International Newsletter's" Review of this Live Show.
The Fenwicks: Live and Unleashed at Arlene Grocery, New York City- 6/12/02 by Diane Rea
How many men does it take to form an "Afro-Celtic Yiddish Ska" band? The answer surprisingly is far fewer than the number of people that were packed into Arlene Grocery on Wednesday night (yes, a weeknight!) I arrived just in time to grab a beer and the best six-inch square piece of floor that I could find before the return of New York's long lost, but recently reunited Fenwicks. And in case you missed the lead, yes, they are an Afro-Celtic Yiddish Ska band. (Only in New York/Jacksonville/Jersey City/Israel...)
One of the most popular live acts in the city, The Fenwicks broke up in 1996, but luckily they don't seem to have lost any of the fun or fervor that made them so appealing in the interim. The nine-piece group hardly needed introduction or announcement as they took the stage to the opening chords of "Back in Black" (hey, it takes balls to tackle an AC/DC cover), with frontman Steven Schub swathed head-to-foot in a burqa, doing his best Bon Scott. Quickly tiring of AC/DC, the charismatic - and sparkly (and I don't mean this in the figurative sense) - Schub ripped away the robes to reveal a full Superman suit and a head of hair that could only lead one to assume he'd had a mishap or two with a box of Crayolas.
From there, The Fenwicks launched into a set that treated the audience to everything from "Yiddish ska in the key of love" ("You, Me, and Heresy"), to a song that allegedly bankrupted a record label ("Another Deadly Mother"), to an ode to a Hell's Kitchen transvestite prostitute named Bob-ara ("My Mushy Tushy Baby"). They were even kind enough to dedicate a song to everyone but the people in the room, but, sadly, the people out on Stanton Street had no idea what they were missing or they would have quickly hauled ass into the club. And if that weren't enough to sate the crowd's appetite for these long-lost favorites, they even managed to squeeze in a really new tune called, I think, "Truth and Memory"- a song so brand spanking new it didn't even make it on to their most recent album "eudaimonia".
The Fenwicks seemed comfortable and happy to be back in New York, and the audience was having so much fun that they seemed stunned when the band announced its last song. Fortunately, they did manage to squeeze in an encore, in which they performed a medley of Nick-At-Nite theme songs, and also proved that they are perhaps the only band in existence that can "blah, blah, blah" their way through "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" and still sound good.
Now that The Fenwicks are reunited, we'll hopefully be seeing (and hearing) more of them in the near future. It's been a few years, but these guys don't seem to have had any trouble getting back on the bicycle. If anything, this most recent run seems to have given them a means of unleashing the mass quantities of manic energy that seem to have built up over their brief hiatus - and fans will no doubt be thankful for this. Luckily, we have their assurances that though they may "vaporize from time to time", as long as there is a planet Earth, there will be The Fenwicks. But for the meantime, The Fenwicks are most definitely un-vaporized and ready to rock.
reviews
Please log in to review this album.
saher
author: saherthxxx
Unique is an Understatement
author: MuGI have never heard anything like this. There's energy in this music that is like no other - maybe it's because its a live recording or something, but damn the talent is undeniable. Ska in the key of love?, come on. That's awesome.
It's ALIVE
author: Ras Maxi IYou, Me & Schubie I say! Great Album.
Awesome CD
author: JoshWow, this cd is awesome. One of my new favorite ska bands. Even the introductions to some of the songs are pretty entertaining and worthy of listening to.
Third-Wave Ska at its best...
author: Skratch MagazineThis album "Truth & Memory", from America's only "Afro-Celtic Yiddish Ska" band is like Oingo Boingo on steriods, and the story of this band's formation is now legend. It doesn't hurt that Schub is a vocal twin of Wall of Voodoo's Stan Ridgeway. The frantic live tunes on this album are a great sampling of third-wave ska at its best. This recording was available for free downloads on the band's website until demand dictated that it had to be released as an album... Most of the banter is funny, if not hilarious and the breakneck pace of the songs forces you to move your feet. Few bands can incorporate a kazoo into their music as effectively as The Fenwicks, while fewer still can shift seamlessly from circus music to booty-shaking ska. "Truth & Memory" is great stuff ...
Really almost blew my mind!
author: Nick H.When I first heard the description of this band, "Afro-Celtic Yiddish Ska", I thought no way this could be a correct explanation of this band. As I popped in the CD and listened to it over and over again, this IS the only description that could possibly match this band. It really almost blew my mind. I hadn't heard anything like this before! Great musical talent, lively and energetic music, and political lyrics woven into a sheet of powerful, bold tunes. Songs like, "My Luck", "You, Me, and Hersey" and "Truth and Memory" really get you feet moving with the horn driven lines. At times the songs remind me of the Aquabats with that sort of kooky feel to it, but listening deeper into the music, there is so much more, like ……."BLAH,BLAH,BLAH", a cover of The Beatles song, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" all sung in BLAH's! Great stuff!
Just might ignite a new, true Indie movement...
author: Le JabWhat do you get when you breed remarkably gifted musicians with brilliant, momentous and heartfelt songwriting? You get The Fenwicks! Is it rock, ska, or funk? How about all of the above, driven to panic point with tribal-like percussion, cool array of horns, imaginative harmonies and untamed 'lead' rhythm guitar. The tunes will reverb in your head for days. Ferociously independent in style and ideas, The Fenwicks holler that love hurts, society is ruthless and the world is a mess. Listen to the lyrics and become a believer. Schub sings, philosophizes and entertains with Vaudevillian physical comedy, costumes and props. See them live and your cheeks will hurt from smiling. 'Truth & Memory', recorded at a Manhattan club in summer '02, captures the power and fun ... you'll be sweaty too! A voice of their generation, The Fenwicks' statement is a modern version of the 'live riotous or die' attitude we got from Indie pioneers like Black Flag, Minor Threat and Husker Du. The Fenwick experience is a reminder that musician's can have something to say and inspire you to do the 'bone-yard boogie'. Buy their album and listen to it - over and over again!
- author: The Bear- KSCR Radio
A mind-blowing display of anarchic behavior and disciplined musicality. Like having a quadruple espresso yet still being rational enough to appreciate the effects...
- author: CMJ New Music Report
Still reeling from their potent performance at the 2002 CMJ Music Marathon, New York’s the Fenwicks — the self-described “Afro-Celtic Yiddish Ska” band known for its crisp brass section, yelping vocals, groove-laden rhythms and kick-line friendly beats — have returned after a lengthy hiatus with Truth & Memory, their first full-length release in over two years. Originally, this live album, which captures a complete performance by the eight-piece group recorded at Arlene Grocery in New York City on June 12, 2002, was available only as a download from the band’s Web site (www.thefenwicks.com). However, due to a sizable demand, the Fenwicks opted to properly release this 17-track outing on disc. Highlights from the witty and vibrant set include “My Luck,” the television theme show tribute “In Syndication” and “Blah Blah Blah” — an unorthodox rendition of the Beatles’ “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” This album is sure to light a fire under your seat, so grab a cup of hot cocoa and lace up your dancing shoes; the Fenwicks are back!
- author: Florida Times Union
"Truth & Memory" is a jubilant explosion. The Fenwicks thrive on spontaneity better than most improv comedy troupes, and play their "Afro-Celtic Yiddish Ska" with the urgency of a death row inmate trying to win his release".
- author: Folio Weekly
"The princes of Poconos Ska are back, and this time the madness comes documented on "Truth & Memory." Imagine if you will Stephen Sondheim and Leapy Lee collaborating Off-Broadway. They build a storyline around the exploits of a hard-pumping ska band booked by mistake into the ballrooms of the Catskills. The band is fronted by a WPA-subsidized Zionist writer named Happy, and finds itself compelled to do anything to entertain and relate to the audience. OK, the concept's a little hard to grasp, but there really is no other way to describe The Fenwicks. They are iconoclasts who put the happiest of mediums to work for them. From the opening track, the 17-song set pushes through and ever-changing landscape of ska-punk-folk. Ken Nasta and Ed Richardson (drums and bass respectively) compromise the tightest rhythm section on the planet, propelling the band like an over-fueled locomotive. The songs sparkle with horn-laden hooks and Jimmie Corrieri's jangly folk rock guitar. The combination is perfect. As the guiding light of The Fenwicks, Schub is a found object in a monumental work of calculation. In the best tradition of musical theatre he is at once raconteur, misunderstood literate and off-in-the-corner performance artist. His politics and life lessons are front and center in the songs. Far-removed from today's power-chord posturing, Schub is the "Rage against the Machismo", and his "Schubieshticks" seem destined to become a new art form. "Truth & Memory" blasts off and then intoxicates.
- author: First Coast Entertainer
"Fiercely original. The Fenwicks are today's postmodern Mothers of Invention and "Truth & Memory" is The Fenwicks at their best-- live and uninhibited. This is a genuine all-star line-up, pathfinding songwriters with visionary ideas. Up there with the best of the best. Extreme funk driven by a killer groove. It's big, bold and mind-blowing ".
- author: Rick Grant
I've been to the mountain and heard the album. You rearranged my DNA with this ska Mothers of Creation Yiddish rant. I love it!
- author: Carleen Bezeck
The Fenwicks new C.D. "Truth and Memory" is...delicious. It's live and it's fun! Musically diverse with provocaive lyrics and big booming sound- the floozie/bloozie "My Mushy Tushy Baby" is a booty shakin' blast and the Schubieschtick brings the party home.