TAROCK MUSIC

Rick Shaffer’s sophomore solo record, Hidden Charms, is a gritty, fuzzy, and dusty blues-rock album that is perfect for long car rides and smoky bars.  It starts abruptly, almost as if we missed the first few seconds of the first song, entitled No Big Thing.  However, in a form-matching-content sense, that’s not a big deal, not a big thing.  And that is because the album nonchalantly moves into the second track, Buy And Sell, which is by far my favorite song on the album, perhaps because it is the most memorable.  Initially, I get the sensation that the track is a downer song, based off the tone of the melody over the first 45 seconds of the song; then all of the sudden, it starts to lift up, and so does the feeling it gives off to the listener.  In songs in general, I appreciate the sour and the sweet, the dark and the light, and this track melds those oppositions into a catchy, groovy tune.

It is no wonder to me that Shaffer has experience writing songs for films.  I didn’t need to know that he had penned a few songs for a couple of  Michael Mann films, and songs for other movies back when he and Bruce Cohen were together in a group called The Reds, because this album feels like the soundtrack to a film yet to be written.  Each track seems to fit a different scene.  Track three, Shadow Line, could be either the opening shot’s song, when the plot is being set up right from the get-go, or it could be the credit music, foreshadowing the sequel.  (Incidentally, this is also the song where the title of the record is born, with some of the few lyrics I can without-a-doubt make out.)

Cruel World, track six, could suit the flirty love scene, where the main character and his love interest meet for the first time — perhaps on a dance floor?  And, though this may sound obvious, the final track of the album, The Stranger, could be the theme song for the villain of the film.  I’m envisioning Jim Jarmusch directing this would-be film, whereby the essence of Shaffer’s songs match Jarmusch’s storytelling style, both give off a real time or real life feel as we listen to or watch the various adventures of a rebel or loner protagonist.

Shaffer’s voice is unique, possessing a cool-guy drawl.  Fortunately or unfortunately, the lyrics are a little muffled, as previously indicated, but most of the time that only adds to the intrigue.  Track eight, Gonna Shout, incorporates some background male vocals that fit remarkably well for being quite simple.  I could envision this being a single for the album, like with Buy And Sell.  Shaffer’s guitar playing predicates itself on various levels of distortion, all dependent on the feeling of the particular track; but there is a constant presence of slow fuzz throughout the album giving it a laid-back allure.

■ Jesse C. Dienner, Redefine Magazine, 2011

Channeling Elvis, Link Wray, Flat Duo Jets.  One man studio band with a little help, “old school” proving that the recipe still can work.  Big guitar and vocals, sounds like its gonna be tradi-rock but then psyche and garbage can weirdness appears.  Great stuff. Play with new Crystal Stilts, Doo Rag, all things John Spencer (e.g. Boss Hog, etc), Tav Falco and the Panther Burns, Detroit Cobras, White Stripes.

1. No Big Thing — swampy, bouncy hip shaking (best track?).

2. Buy And Sell — slower jangle with tambourine.

3. Shadow Line — chorus effect on guitar gives this a strange 80’s new wave meets garage feel.

4. Nobody Home — swamp blues rhythm and mean tone, nice.

5. Crime Of Love — tambourine, very Stones’y.

6. Cruel World — bluesy and soulful, slide guitar takes the spotlight.

7. Breakin’ Down — darker, fuzzier, cool guitar embellishments (BEST TRACK?).

8. Gonna Shout — upbeat and the fuzziness ramps up a notch, yeah!

9. Tight Like That — swampy smarmy blues, what Aerosmith dreams of in the old folks home.

10. The Stranger — slow epic bad assed blues swing, takes no prisoners.

• Your Imaginary Friend, KZSU, Stanford, CA, May 1, 2011

RICK SHAFFER HAS THE BLUES DOWN TO A T !

Johnny Lee Hooker once said: “The Blues had a child and that child was Rock N’ Roll.”  And it is no secret that the success that British Invasion era bands enjoyed stateside was due in large part to their obsession with the Blues.  The Yardbirds did it.  The Rolling Stones did it.  Zeppelin even did it.  The melding of period British pop with Blues not only created an appeal to American fans, but it gave birth to a sound that seemed almost obvious and appropriate.

But the trend of lacing Rock and Blues continues even today . . . John Spencer is doing it.  The Black Keys are doing it and The White Stripes is nothing more than deconstructed Blues.  But the front-running torchbearer of the 60s garage Rock and Blues amalgam has to be former Reds guitarist Rick Shaffer. When I spoke to Rick, the interview was one part Q&A, another part music history lesson on the benefits of “vintage,” why he obsesses over the Blues and the merits of making albums the old-fashioned way.

“I think for me there is just a purity to those records and their production style,” Rick said of his Blues influences. “I think a lot of newer acts that I see everything is so thought out it and there isn’t any reckless abandon to it.  I just think the old production style of the Sun Records and Excello stuff that I like, the music just holds up and there’s a lot to it in both the performance and the production.”

The foundation of Rick’s commitment to vintage began in his teens at shows the likes of Muddy Waters and Magic Sam.  “Getting in to these places to see these guys, and the fact that they were accessible,” he said. “You know, you could go up and talk with them and ask them stuff, they were just larger than life to me.  They always had great outfits and great suits and they were just really dynamic performers.  The way they did their shows and the set pace everything just kept moving and it had this sense of urgency to it.”

And it is that “sense of urgency” that Rick has successfully brought from ago to current.  When asked if he worried whether his sound would translate to the contemporary, he eschewed the notion saying: “I stopped caring about that stuff.  Even with The Reds® stuff, we never really worried about what people thought about it.  We didn’t ‘follow the program’ and try to produce hits.  All this stuff is all subjective.  I mean you take somebody like The Black Keys, what are they doing?  Today people seem to think it’s phenomenal and I think their very good at what they do and I like the way they present their music.  But that’s neither here nor there to me.”

So whether it translates or not, Rick’s focus is bringing the song in his head to his records in a manner of fair representation which has led him to take the reins of every facet of the record making process.  And the process that he feels presents his songs best is in the same vein that the vintage records he admires were made.  “Having done it both ways, I just prefer this,” he said.  “And I prefer producing the stuff myself because I know the sound I have in my head that I want that I don’t have to translate to a producer or an engineer.”

The latest fruits of Rick’s labors lie with Hidden Charms, the follow-up to last year’s release Necessary Illusion. Being much in the vein of its predecessor, Charms boasts another 10-track full length of Rick’s guitar magic—prototypical 60s garage fuzz, Blues riff work and the raw and organic ethos that has become synonymous with his sound.  “From a production standpoint what I wanted to do was a harder sounding record and try to better some of the things I did on Necessary Illusion,” Rick said.  “Things like the songwriting, the production and the style part of it . . . I really wanted to bring more of the garage element, like the fuzz, to it but also keep the groove part of it.”

The focus on the garage aspect comes through with prominence on tracks like album opener “No Big Thing.” The distorted fuzz serves as a constant backbone over bent-note Blues fills while Rick channels early Jagger in the vocal delivery.  Tambourine and shakers serve as the minimal percussion section and in his signature style; the entire track is stripped down to the barest of elements allowing all the facets to shine with equal merit. “Nobody Home” continues the fuzz, which sits just below the vocals in a constant distorted growl.  The track also illustrates another of Rick’s signature elements—dual guitar interplay.  The drone and finger picking mingle back and forth with the fuzz almost serving as a second time-keeping bass line with intermittent blasts of Blues lead. “Cruel World” boasts slick slide work and bent-note riff work that almost sounds at times like pedal steel.  The midpoint slide solo is simply dirty. “Gonna Shout” is arguably the height of the fuzz from the opening notes straight through.  There is nary one “clean” note to be found on the track and by its end the guitar sounds to be begging for mercy.  Rounding out Charms is the down tempo trudge of “The Stranger.” Again, Rick sings in the range of a young Jagger as the track plods along over the Blues-laden guitar work. The midpoint guitar solo wails and continues through in occasional fills through the last verse on to the outro.

Once again, Rick has offered up another installment of his Blues/garage melding that shines with raw, gritty, organic power.  It is borderline overwhelming the vast amount of soundscapes he is able to produce with a simple stripped-down rig and a head full of fuzz melodies and Blues sentimentality.  But Rick is simply playing to his strengths, building on what he has down, all the while continuing to give that nod to those that came before him.  But more so than anything, it’s his work ethic that shines the most.  “I’m working all the time,” he said. “I’ve got material, I’ve got ideas, I want to do stuff.”

So again, Rick Shaffer has the Blues… and if this genre of music even remotely appeals to you, you’d do well to go out and get them yourself.

• Chris West, Off The Record, Skope Magazine, 2011

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO WAWRZYNIAK

There are some folks who claim that straight-up no-bullshit meat and potatoes old-time rock’n’roll racket is plumb dead.  Well, both I, and more importantly, Rick Shaffer certainly knows different.

Shaffer’s smooth snarl hisses out the unpretentious lyrics with admirable just-say-it-man directness.  Better still, the hard-as-granite drums, chugging bass lines, and rippin’ reverb-soaked guitars keep the snaky tempos and slithery beats a crawlin’ along with tremendous grit and gusto.  It’s a little bit 50’s rockabilly, a dab of 60’s soul, with some lowdown blues tossed in for good measure and blended together with bang-on proficient musicianship. Think the bastard lovechild of Buddy Holly, Link Wray, and Mick Jagger, and you’ll get the picture on just how insanely boss this shit is.

So, dig in, open wide, and eat it up, boppers, ‘cause good ol’ fashioned rock is here to stay, baby!

• Joe Wawrzyniak, Jersey Beat, 2011

This far too short review will not do Hidden Charms justice.  Rick Shaffer, an old school Philly guy (also in The Reds) offers up his second solo record with some nice down home rock, where that spot between blues and rockabilly meet.

My pick-to-click is the slow, murky Buy And Sell.

• Handsome Don, Daggerzine, 2011

It’s been the kind of week when things kept popping up from the past.  With that trend being set, it was little surprise to find that Rick Shaffer had a past as the guitarist with The Reds dating all the way back to the late post punk seventies.  Further research also indicated that this is, in fact, his second solo album.

What therefore of the music?  It’s a curious thing and that’s the truth.  Not that it is oddball or just plain difficult, more that it seems like Mr. Shaffer has decided to take the one man band approach for, while there are additional musicians credited, he clearly prefers to be the ringmaster in his own circus.  Though the sonic appeal of this approach does wane over the course of the album, it is nonetheless also true that his post punk American style songs seem suited to this direct, slap you in the face approach with Nobody Home, and Crime Of Love for that matter, getting near to the howling intensity of a real blues-man while Crime Of Love snarls up a refreshing amount of anger management issues.

It is refreshing to hear an album that hasn’t been polished to mediocrity like so many these days and, with that in mind, I am now overcome with the urge to draw a musical parallel and say that Rick Shaffer sounds like Seasick Steve would sound if he had been imprisoned in a big city basement with only a guitar and a case of Jack Daniels for company.  Rough and ready, that’s the way to go!

• Bluesbunny, Glascow, United Kingdom, 2011

On his second solo album, Hidden Charms, Rick Shaffer is searching for a sound that is both old and new.  Hidden Charms is a strong follow-up to Shaffer’s first solo release, 2010’s Necessary Illusion.  When he isn’t putting out his solo stuff, Shaffer is one half of Philadelphia’s The Reds along with Bruce Cohen.  With a career dating back to the late 70’s it’s safe to say that Rick Shaffer is truly a rock veteran.

At first I wasn’t too into the vocals on this album, but that all changed pretty quickly after I realized that Shaffer’s vocals remind me of Iggy Pop.  Not so much early Iggy, as there really isn’t any of that screaming rage on Hidden Charms, but the elder Pop.  I am sure there are plenty of people that don’t love Pop’s vocals, so take that for what you will.  I was also reminded of Ric Ocasek and Tom Petty occasionally, but it’s hard to look past the Pop comparison.

Looking beyond the vocals, Shaffer’s sound varies nicely and is reminiscent of many great rock artists like the Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry, T. Rex, and again, some of Iggy Pop’s solo work.  There is some good variety here as several of the songs remind me of different bygone eras.  Shaffer’s fuzzy blues guitar drives each track commendably along the way.

Shaffer does an admirable job in trying to create something that sounds both old and new, but honestly, it really is much more the former than the latter.  Still, I am quite alright with this.  I feel the intent here was really to try and align the sound with some of today’s bigger blues rock artists like the Black Keys, but I don’t think Hidden Charms really does this, nor does it need to.  It is very good being what it is, a rocking blues record with a classic sound built on decades of great influences.

Key Tracks: No Big Thing, Nobody Home, Gonna Shout

• Kevin Kozel, Senior Muzik Reviews Writer, February 21, 2011

In Hidden Charms Rick Shaffer follows the path that he took with his first album Necessary Illusion released in 2010.  The record contains 10 tracks that all represent a 1960’s mood and vibe.

What catches attention is a hypnotic beat of percussion, really powerful fuzz-toned guitar and numerous solos, delivered by Shaffer, that’s heard in every track.  If you add his vocal, changing from bluesy and soulful to rock and roll strong, it makes a good, and worth noticing, album.

Tracks like No Big Thing, with a powerful guitar solo and tambourine jingle, Shadow Line, Crime of Love, or The Stranger with rocker thick atmosphere, strongly prove that Hidden Charms includes songs that could definitely satisfy every listener with an appetite for ’60’s music.

Buy And Sell is the piece especially worth mentioning, since it’s catchiness and guitar hook, with a strong and rhythmic vocal, gets stuck in your head.

You can feel the groove of these times and enjoy rock, blues and soul music mixed together in one album.

• Barb Adamczyk-Mitka, Rock On! Magazine, 2011

Following up his debut solo album from last year called, Necessary Illusion, Rick Shaffer reveals to you Hidden Charms.  This multidimensional artist not only played the role of singer, guitarist, bassist and percussionist, but also wrote and produced the entire record.  Additional members backed up Shaffer wonderfully to help Hidden Charms become discovered gems.

Rick has plenty of experience playing with his band The Reds, but now looks to make a mark as a solo act.  The 10 tracks on this CD would indicate that Shaffer has stolen the spotlight.  Listening to this disc felt like I was literally taking a trip back in time to when the hair was long and the mood was far out.  Rick Shaffer exhibits a style and feeling that screams 60’s rock ‘n’ roll all the way.  Shaffer is rolling together some rock and blues that will leave you feeling completely satisfied.  I couldn’t help but notice a strong Rolling Stones/Mick Jagger-type vibe coming forth that focused on those early bluesy rock days.  The Stones feel was heavy and the Jagger-isms were highly evident which was very cool to hear.  I gotta hear a Rolling Stones cover now after experiencing Rick Shaffer’s musical display so go for it!

I really love the fact that Shaffer is not afraid to play outside the box and has no room for mindless 2011 and beyond pop tart songs.  People in the world will always move forward but Rick Shaffer and his music will instantly take you back to a different era.  It almost seems like Rick was searching for just the right mojo for this project and man did he find it, “YEAHH BABY!” (Austin Powers aka Mike Myers).

Vocally and musically, Shaffer exhibits a very raw approach that was stripped down to the bone.  Early garage band appeal at its finest as Shaffer and company brought the goods!  Plenty of hip tambourine playing and distorted guitar chords made for one groovin’ listening experience.  Hidden Charms is lost no more and I can’t wait to see what Shaffer pulls out of his magical mystery bag next!

• Jimmy Rae, Skope Magazine, 2011