Roy Loney: original Flamin' Groovies songwriter/frontman continues his 30 year solo career with the third album under the Longshots banner. Shake It Or Leave It finds Roy paying tribute to his musical influences. Roy Loney's history of Rock and Roll, or simply his best solo release since the 1978 release, Out After Dark? These twelve new originals will leave you breathless and begging for more.
The Longshots, a top shelf band if there ever was, includes members of The Young Fresh Fellows, REM and the Plaintiffs. A select group of special guests include Mark Pickerel, Bobby Sutliff (Windbreakers) and Deniz Tek (Radio Birdman) who co-produced the album.
The music is all rock, with some unexpected twists. When Roy and the Longshots sit down to make music, it isn’t long before someone invokes the name Rockpile. It should be no surprise that Roy’s work with the Groovies was a major inspiration for the London Pub Rock scene of the early 70’s. Two guitars, bass, and drums, with a healthy dose of maracas, tambourines, and boogie woogie piano will start a party every time you slap this platter on the hi-fi.
Roy’s literate sensibilities and sly humor make for a mad mix of Detective stories, Chuck Jones, Shakespeare, Gene Vincent, Massage Therapy and Freakbeat excursions. The Longshots nimbly navigate a dozen music styles, often times mixing them in ways never heard before. The lewd pulsating rhythms and massed guitars remind us why the government tried so hard to ban rock and roll in the fifties.
Career Records released the long delayed Drunkard In The Think Tank in 2004, but the ultimate goal was to record a new album. Roy’s vision for Longshots #3 was something “more organic”. He might have even used the word Americana once. By the time the Longshots got hold of the songs, all bets were off. When Tad Hutchison sits down behind the drums, all you can do is make sure the tape is rolling.
Roy Loney is an originator and is still creating vital music. In recent times, Roy has been seen on stage with contemporaries like the MC5, Radio Birdman and the Barracudas. His fans include Jack White, Little Steven, Kim Salmon and The Hoodoo Gurus.
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