Local alt-rock trio Hot Ham & Cheese offer a self-described “strange mixture” of many different musical styles; their kitchen sink philosophy on creative songwriting recalls everything from punk and the apocalyptic dirge of Black Sabbath, Melvins and Soundgarden, to avant rockers Primus/Sausage, swirling post-psychedelia and even a pinch of 311 for good measure. Edgy, but never sloppy, the group seems to dig that rebellious, lo-fi sound. HH&C began in February 2005 when longtime acquaintances Robby Mitchell (drums) and Charlie (guitars/vocals) decided to get together and jam, playing a few live shows as a duo. Louie Styx (bass) was added to the group and by that summer, the trio had enough material for their self-titled debut EP – released on Cleveland indie label Jib Machine Records. While none of the three have the chops of a Les Claypool, songs like “Cocaine Billy” and “Pleasantly Insane” are cut from the Primus/Sausage cloth; the remaining four tracks on Hot Ham & Cheese are something of an angular, alt-rock WYSIWYG, e.g., perfect programming for “extreme radio” stations across the country. The group is gearing up to go back into the studio, hot off creating an album last winter for the RPM Challenge. The contest pushed the act to record an album in 28 days. They came up with a 10-track, 35 minute effort called beta – something of an official “bootleg” for the band – recorded entirely on a 4-track at their practice space. The thought is that some of the resulting work will end up on the follow-up to Hot Ham & Cheese, due to start recording next month (July 2007) as a full-length. If what we’ve heard to date is any indication, the band’s next effort should be even better than the first.