Detroit’s SSM rocked my world last year with their self-titled debut LP on Alive Records, even making their way to the #5 spot in my Albums of the Year. The trio of John Szymanski (Hentchmen, ex-Paybacks), Dave Shettler (ex-The Sights), and Marty Morris (Cyril Lords) have done their fair share of battle in the Motor City garage rock combat zones, but the combination of these vets has led to some imaginative reinvention of the genre. Though the boys remain somewhat true to the usual methodology of bangin’ and sangin’, they incorporate a heap of synth keyboards and other electronic elements here and there to give some of the tunes a “bionic” sound. Along with the tempo and mood, the song topics and lyrics are all over the place, with alien love, candy love, viking love, and apologies for one’s lack attention to his comatose girlfriend all taking a turn. Somehow, this whirlwind tour still flows together rather well as the delightfully shaggy tunes meld into one jittery whole. To get a taste of what I’m talking about, check out some of their tunes on their Myspace page.
Come to Little Brothers Tuesday night to hear this otherworldly garage rock brought to life. Opening are Athens’ Makebelieves and Columbus’ Patsys. I haven’t seen the Makebelieves in many moons, so the pleasurable sound of their garage thunder is highly anticipated. The Patsys will get the rock ‘n rollicking good times started promptly at 9.