STYLE... Freestyle Hometaping

'Suitcase' is the debut cd from UK popsters The Shorty Blackwells. The Blackwells, who have been together for almost nine years, celebrate the joy of making music, their songs buzzing with an energy and vibrancy often missing in modern pop. The cd is crammed full of goodies, 23 songs fill 73 minutes of playing time for maximum value, and the quality is consistently high throughout. Liam Simington, the group's main songwriter, seems to draw from an ecclectic range of influences, taking in Beck, Shonen Knife, They Might Be Giants, Jonathan Richman and The Monkees and adding his own twist. Standout tracks include 'Teenage Crisis In McDonalds', 'Would You Ever?' and 'The Great Leveller'. In addition the cd's lead off song 'Would You Ever?' was selected to appear on Yamaha's 1999 'Best Of British Unsigned Bands' cd. Band Statement: There's no commercial perrogative so we all can write songs our way, and no-one feels they have to write something consciously commercial. We're not chasing labels, as we're just happy doing what we do. We're all great friends, that's the secret. Some bands rate technical ability over everything and end up with a bunch of ego-clashes, but we rate personality and enthusiasm highest, and this means that no-one is afraid to suggest ideas, and all the songs are the best they can be! In the 9 yrs we've been going, we've made our own cd, played for 400 people at an open-air festival, opened charity shops and appeared on BBC Radio and TV, and we're still Independent. Homemade and dead proud of it, that's The Shorty Blackwells.

REVIEWS...

"The cd has received rave reviews both in the UK and US: "Shows that hum-able, memorable tunes are still being written. The Shorty Blackwells are bringing joy back to music" wrote 'CMAG Music Review', "Happy-go-lucky garage-rock, performed in a light and loopy fashion." enthused Demo Universe, and Gajoob commented: "A likable brand of 60's style guitar pop with way cool analog synths and real (feel that bite) drums'. " --

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