Local Review: Muskies — Muskies

Muskies
Muskies
Street: 01.03.25
NESTOFUS RECORDS
Muskies = Captain Beefheart + Frank Zappa And The Mothers Of Invention + Dr. Teeth And The Electric Mayhem 

I’ve enjoyed every second unraveling all the madness from Muskies’ new self-titled album. This record is a morning glory, an afternoon delight and a midnight ride all bursting out at the same time from a beautiful, bizarre and bitchin’ Pandora’s box. The influences are everywhere, swirling around and stirring up that same box into a delicious, absurdist soup.

Absurdist rock has always had a place in the rock-n-roll canon, from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band to Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars and Benny And The Jets. From the highly charged theatrical electricity of Meatloaf‘s song “Paradise By The Dashboard Light” to more modern concept albums like The Flaming Lips’ Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots, rock music has always had a taste for the absurd. With this new record, I believe that Muskies deserve to be in the same conversation as the giants whose shoulders they are standing on.

Muskies is made up of Gabe Priest (saxophone, vocals), Noah Hood (keyboard), Drew Stubbs (guitar), Jake Stubbs (guitar, vocals), Gavin Obray (bass) and Kaden Montoya (drums). Every member of this band is turned up to 11. Everyone brings it 100%. Muskies like to call themselves “pike psych,” but whatever they call themselves, Muskies are bonkers good. If you can’t have fun listening to this record you may be an android.

“Gather round friends, listen fast / I got a tale from my troubled past / A love affair that’s now no more / Back in 1983, my senior class went to see D.C. / But then she showed me so much more.” Muskies are world class story tellers: “On the tour of that old White House / When I saw that satin blouse / And my jaw, it hit the floor / Then our eyes locked / And they threw away the key / Two souls collide but they share one destiny.” Then, Muskies deliver the big reveal: “It’s the truth and I’m glad to sing it / I love you Nancy Reagan! / Sha-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-Nancy Reagan!”

This song is perfection. It sounds like something out of Alice Cooper-era Billion Dollar Babies. It unfolds like a trashy, vaudeville-like, sci-fi rock opera. It’s not hard, nor a stretch, to morph Nancy Reagan with Nancy Ray Gun — visualizing the former First Lady on the cover of a pulp 1970s science fiction novel with a red planet landscape in the background and Nancy holding up her weapon in her blue White House cocktail dress. The track is a mind bender. Sha-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-Nancy Ray Gun!

The fun doesn’t stop with the former First Lady. “It ain’t easy, but you got to stay cool,” Muskies announce on the track “Kool Rudy,” a song that sounds like Only A Lad-era Danny Elfman/Oingo Boingo. The track “Sticky!” unleashes a reggae vibe that ends in a Melvins-like sludge. But the true surprise and unexpected treat is with the track “For The People.” It starts with a radio ad and then drifts into a spot in homage to De La Soul‘s 3ft. High And Rising. Skits and all! True chaotic bliss. Finally, the record had to end with the song “Rainbow Connection.” It had to. And Muskies play it wonderfully straight. A perfect rendition that one Kermit The Frog would be damn proud of. 

This record contains horns, skits, metal guitars, megaphones, a touch of hip-hop, reggae, the 40th First Lady of the United States and a Muppets movie cover. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The late, great David Lynch once said: “This whole world is wild at heart and weird on top.” If you live in Muskies’ world, if you live in the world of this album, it’s blissfully weird all over the place. I loved, loved this record. Stay wild, Muskies, stay weird. —Russ Holsten

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