TAROCK MUSIC

What in the artwork Batman?  If only we had a window into the soul of the psyche I tell ya.

I’m half-convinced that even in the event of some kind of mass catastrophe taking place worldwide, there would somehow still be Rick Shaffer standing there at the mic amidst all the rubble, plugged-in and rocking like he always has been from day one, well after the rest of us are gone.  Long may you run brother.

In a move that’ll make you wonder if you’re late to the show and missed the opening act, Rick’s new record starts immediately with Too Much – and when I say immediately, that’s exactly what I mean.  You’ll wonder if you pushed play somehow before you actually did, that’s how quickly this machine fires up, and the steady rhythm and groove of Too Much takes over just as fast.  According to what I’ve read, the man was going for a mix of something along the lines of a Bowie-meets-Iggy thing – and you can definitely hear the influences of The Stooges on a track like this without question.  Rick’s always gonna be Rick – you couldn’t take the Rick OUT of Rick if you tried and pulled your hardest – so while you get a hit of something borrowed, you still get the fresh electric and raw vibe that he’s brought to pretty much everything I’ve ever heard from the guy.  If y’ain’t familiar with the man, this certainly isn’t his first rode, this is Shaffer’s eleventh record and his music speaks volumes on behalf of his veteran status – you won’t hear a cut from Rick (i.e. Creatures Of Impulse) that doesn’t radiate professionalism and the raw spirit of rock combined.  Huge credit to Stevie Carlisle on the drums in this tune as well, this guy is crushin’ it back there and clearly having the time of his life playing this track, and that’s an energy we can feel come straight through the speakers.  How could he not be?  Trust me when I tell ya, pushing play on Tightrope Ride instantly reveals a track with the kind of gripping vibes that’ll keep ya listening through the entire lineup.  LISTEN to how Rick slides straight into the hooks will ya?  Those drums come alive – Shaffer’s locked right into the moment and feelin’ it – guitars and bass are all on-point tight song, loose deconstruction at the end Too Much has the right amount of everything and gives ya a perfect gateway into Rick’s new record.

One of the real signs of an artist that has been around the scene for a while and knows what he wants out of his sound, is knowing how hard to lean on a riff and when to let it carry the song, and you’ll find that signature stamp running all the way through the second cut, Ninety Nine Times.  At the heart of it all, don’t get me wrong, there’s still enough movement in the structure to keep the most restless among us engaged, but there’s a real static, mesmerizing, and hypnotic riff at work supplied by Rick’s guitars that runs through a very large portion of this song.  Were it not as strong as it is, you might question a decision like that, but this is where the wisdom of his experience shines through, Rick knows how to rock right, the man has rarely, if ever, overplayed his hand.  So while it might move a little slower and a lot more slyly as it creeps and crawls along, I can fully vouch for the fact that Ninety Nine Times is one of those cuts that grabs your attention, and keeps it with an iron grip.  Shaffer does tone and texture among the best of’em out there, this song has plenty of it, as does the rest of this set-list – and considering that’s a lot of what he was going for with this particular recording, my hat’s off to the results.  Ninety Nine Times is stocked full of swagger and style, brilliant guitar tones chiming in from the background, and an insatiable riff that, no matter how hard it’s leaned on here, never, ever gets stale.  I’m not even remotely kidding when I say I could listen to this specific cut for hours on end.  I dig this psychedelically-tinged garage-rockin’ slow-burn jam, this is a real trip, and one I’m stoked to be taking.  The seriously wicked guitar tones in this track alone are worth the full price of admission y’all, believe it.

Another Day was a bit of a tougher transition for me, which ultimately speaks more to the strengths of the first two tracks, in my opinion.  Quality-wise, execution-wise, you’re not going to find that Another Day breaks the stellar trend of steadiness to Rick’s rock, and I’d wager a guess that the other side of the coin would show a bunch of people out there stoked that this track brightens-up the vibe of Tightrope Ride in a noticeable, organic and natural way.  It moves along with sensational depth in the drums and the stunning tone in the guitars that you love from Rick, even some harmonica in the mix for ya this time around as well, a hint of the Blues in the distant atmosphere and up-close vocal combination, if you were to tell me this was your favorite tune on Tightrope Ride, I’d give ya a high-five and support your decision without an argument, there’s no reason it couldn’t be.  We all like what we like and love what we love, to me, Another Day had one of the hardest spots in the entire lineup to fill in being sandwiched between the hypnotic awesomeness of Ninety Nine Times and the melody in Borderline to follow.  Still a good tune by all measures, Another Day is almost so dialed-back by comparison to the majority of the rest that there’s a chance this track might need to fight a bit harder for our attention.

Borderline is one of those tracks that I really admire for the way it came out with such a natural sound, the kind of cut where, it might not be perfect in some ways, but is perfectly imperfect – you follow me?  Sure, there’s room for this track to grow maybe in a few spots or things that could have been rounded out to the nth degree to ensure its accessibility reached its maximum potential, but that’s not really what Rick does when he’s creating music, it’s much more in the moment than that, and often allows for organic twists to generate uniqueness in his music.  Like, for me, I question the backing vocals a bit here, whether or not they came out with the strength they needed to really be the supporting idea they’re intended to be in the melody, maybe the occasional spot that seems to peak just a lil’ with the natural grit of the distortion, but so freakin’ what?  I’ll tell ya this much, there wasn’t anything I ever found that would stop me from listening to this tune, and songwriting-wise, it’s one of my favorites on the record, so take what I’m sayin’ with a grain of salt now will ya?  At the heart of it all, I’m pretty much 100% all about this song, I think it shows Rick in a great light that suits him extremely well.  While it’s a more subtle tune on Tightrope Ride, there’s a brilliant, shimmering flash that resides at the center of this song, glowing warmly like something you’d hear from Michael Hutchence of INXS back in the day, somewhere around the Welcome To Wherever You Are era, which happens to be my personal favorite.  I think of it like this, had Borderline found a way to work in a piano riff somewhere, you wouldn’t be all that far removed from a distant cousin to a track like Beautiful Girl and that’s good company to be keepin’ as far as my ears are concerned.  “Every heartache comes with a moment of truth” is also one of my favorite lyrical lines from Rick to be found on this record as well, tons of positives to be found here; I don’t need this cut to be smoothed out any further than it already is, even though I’d still be interested in where it could potentially go.  Love the guitar solo this song ends on too – Borderline is memorable.

I think for the many longtime fans of Rick’s music, they’ll recognize Bust Out as the kind of spirited Garage-Rock sound they know and love from the guy from his past material.  It’s not like Shaffer sets out to always do things completely differently than he did the last time – it’s more like building blocks that have stacked up to a fortress of a musical legacy, and this here would be another brick in the wall.  The dude knows rock right from the roots on up, he’s never shy when it comes to finding the organic vibes even in the most amplified moments, and there’s quality hooks and upbeat energy people will definitely respond to on Bust Out for sure.  It’s a “stoned out revolution” and proudly so – turn it on up I say.

I maintain Stevie is a BEAST on the kit, I’ve been loving the mammoth tones and tin-can sounds comin’ outta the drums throughout this whole record.  Teddy Rixon’s been a solid counterpart in the rhythm section as well when Rick ain’t playin’ the bass himself, Shaffer’s responsible for the everything else you’ll hear on this record outside of what those two supply.  In a slick slide and grind combination to fuel the ride through Expectation, you’ll find another highlight example of the killer musicianship that is always present on a Rick Shaffer album (i.e. Jitterbug Shake), the guitars will pretty much attempt to steal the whole show here.  Vocally, you’ll get one of Shaffer’s best as well though, so he gives his guitar riffs and solos some solid competition at the very least, all-in-all, a track like Expectation really reveals how much of a well-oiled machine this guy truly is, there’s a wildly exciting vibe and fluid flow through this cut that leads it to victory.  Really well balanced between the strengths of the verses and chorus, in addition to the backing vocals and all that you’ll find in the instrumentation along the way, it’d be tough to choose any one part of Expectation and cite it as your favorite.  Guitars have the edge for sure, but the competition is as stiff as the groove is loose – Expectation is a really strong cut in the lineup of tunes on Tightrope Ride.

You know, listening to music can be such an interesting experience when you’re examining it every day like I have been over these past couple decades and last ten here at Sleeping Bag Studios.  Like, for example, a track like Need Your Love this is a quality tune, fantastic slide guitars in the mix to be found again, and in general, it’s a solid rocker that’s a lot of fun to listen to.  Not my favorite of the bunch, but by no means a bad tune, like most records we end up hearing, our ears interpret hills and valleys as they play whether or not they’re there, all based on personal preferences.  What makes it interesting to me, is that even while I might not feel as much of an attachment to Need Your Love as an individual song, the record by and large, is bulletproof, which makes it kind of neat that both these things can co-exist.  Not every track you’ll hear needs to be your favorite for an album like this to hold up strong from start to finish – that make sense?  The cohesion in Tightrope Ride is essentially straight-up staggering, making this the kind of record that you can put on, spin, and repeat for hours and hours and you’ll never get bored, you all following me?  What I’m saying is, I might not personally seek out Need Your Love as the one track I’m gonna play from the album individually, but this record overall, hell YES, I’ve got time for the whole thing, Need Your Love completely included in that assessment; it’s as essential as the rest are.

I think it would almost be too easy for most of us listening to get wrapped up with Rick’s vocals and the personality he brings to a microphone when he sings, so it’s my sincere hope that none of the dude’s impressive musicianship is gettin’ ignored by the people out there.  Two Fools has some of my favorite guitar moments from Shaffer, most of’em in the background and in the solos too; it’s really something to hear a lot of what this guy creates not be featured too dominantly in the mix, almost like it’s always some kind of afterthought, which it’s of course, anything but.  Rick rocks organically yes, but he thinks things through and knows what he wants when it comes time to push record, from there, if things end up taking a bit of a life of their own, so be it and rock on.  Two Fools for you has a lot of attitude and edge to it, but it’s also a solid dose of what makes Rock music in general, fun to listen to, I felt like Rick was able to straddle both realms really well here.  It’s the solos and the guitar tones that sold me most on Two Fools, but there’s plenty of that to enjoy on this cut and it’s got seriously deep pockets in its groove.

Carlisle – I love you brother.  Credit to the mixers and masterers and all that too, I mean, you just couldn’t get a better sound outta the drums on this record if you twisted every knob and dial you got in your studio, and they’re a spectacular highlight with their steady pound on Wild Dance.  I dig the weight and the ultra-serious feel the atmosphere has to this cut, it’s a heavy tune, played with an inspired approach, giving Rick’s music exceptional hybrid balance between the light and the dark in his sound and style once again.  You gotta love that sound on Stevie’s drums here though, whether it’s the raw cold steely clap you hear on Heterosexual Man by The Odds or the filtered version of it you’d find on something like U2’s Daddy’s Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car or how they opened Achtung Baby with Zoo Station – plus a handful of other sonically special tunes throughout history of course, it’s just an insatiably badass tone from the snare I can never seem to get enough of.  Obviously Rick’s got more grit and garage in his sound than either of these comparisons I’ve cited, you’re not gonna catch this guy drifting into any kind of overblown and exaggerated Bono-esque moments, no, the man keeps his cool and he’s got his thang.  Wild Dance has a brilliantly defined vibe of its own, still cohesive with the record for sure, but really a noticeable standout for all the right reasons, no typical hooks here, just a display of kickass musicianship and serious know-how at work.  From the textures of the sound and layers, to the gripping performance put in by Rick on the mic, to the wicked guitar work and drums – Wild Dance is a major highlight, and the kind of cut that you’ll likely need several spins to fully appreciate just how bulletproof and  truly stronger than steel it really is.  Creative freedom and expressive sound at its max potential here y’all, this cut rocks.

With ALL this good stuff being said and Rick living up to the high standards he’s set throughout his career in the pursuit of rockin’ ya – I think I could make a very strong argument on behalf of Tightrope Ride ending on what could be its most sparkling gem.  Still covered in that layer of gritty garage dust as you’d expect it to be of course, but a gem all the same, and I’ll tell ya right where you’ll notice that difference being made for the first time, it’s right around the 1:22 mark.  Don’t get me wrong, there is always melody in what Rick brings to the mic, it’s just not nearly the dominant trait or priority number one all the time, the man’s here to rock and generally speaking, that’s the gear you find him in vocally.  On Wrap It Up, he makes an absolutely spellbinding departure into one of the best melodic moments I’ve ever heard from the guy, the kind of moment that makes you say “I want a whole lot more of THIS.”  What makes a track like Wrap It Up as great as it is however, is that it needs everything else surrounding those melodic twists just as much for the impact to be made, one part complements the other and such, you know what I’m gettin’ at.  I love the slow pound and hypnotic stroll through the way it begins, Rick’s right on target as you’ve ever heard him, and I’m tellin’ ya folks, that moment I’ve cited here, there’s a magic in that spot that can’t be beat.  It has solid competition, like how the music sparks to life around the 1:50 mark as well and the presence of the music gets even bolder, or how the whole track seems to fluctuate so brilliantly with its energy while remaining so faithful to its steady beat overall – if I’m being truthful with ya, there wasn’t anything about Wrap It Up that I found to be anything less than completely impressive.  Not just a highlight on Tightrope Ride, but in my opinion, a highlight in the man’s catalog of tunes to-date from the ones that I’ve heard myself.  Definitely the kind of cut you wanna go out on – Wrap It Up demands repeating, and the journey it takes to get there is worth taking every time. Rick has a remarkably strong grip on the sound he wants to create with the music he makes, Tightrope Ride is as cohesive of a record as you’ll be lucky enough to hear this year.

Jeremy Gladstone, Sleeping Bag Studios, 4/22/22

Rick Shaffer • Tightrope Ride • an extraordinary purveyor of dirty, crunchy rock and roll!

Tightrope Ride is the new project from that extraordinary purveyor of dirty, crunchy rock and roll, Rick Shaffer, and this album is both, one of his dirtiest and shiniest yet. Teaming up with Teddy Rixon (bass) and Stevie Carlisle (drums), Shaffer’s iconic Proto-Garage Blues Rock aesthetic, takes another giant leap forward in the legendary rock n’ roll canon.  Loaded with fierce lyrical explorations and filthy, grimy guitars, Shaffer quite literally grinds his way through these 10 tracks with a guitar sound that is literally on fire.  The album is shrouded in a backdrop of frequently heavy, often thrashed up guitars, which regularly take in sounds reminiscent of The Stooges, The Velvet Underground and The Rolling Stones at their most explosive.

Tightrope Ride, is the eleventh album by guitarist, singer, songwriter Rick Shaffer, recorded in Detroit during the three years after his last album, Broken Souls.  The production idea was to incorporate the 1970’s Iggy/Bowie project sound, with Shaffer’s Proto-Garage Blues Rock.  Mission accomplished.

The album is not Shaffer’s attempt to break new ground as such, but to embrace and blend the core elements of a 70’s sound that is all but lost today.  Which ironically, could be deemed as innovative in the shallow of today’s so called rock n’ roll scene.

The album opens with Too Much, which is Rick Shaffer’smolten testimony to what his band is like when they’re seriously on their grind.  Inspired in part by Dave Allan’s Blues Theme and early Stooges, Shaffer and crew buckle the sonic template with gritty riffs, percussive momentum, and gravelly vocals.  Shaffer then climbs perfectly into the pocket of the rustic groove on Ninety Nine Times, which has an insanely infectious guitar hook driving its impulse.

Another Day maintains the same propulsive swing, supported by jangling guitars, echoing harmonicas, and rolling basslines.  The jangle becomes incessant on the more melodic Borderline and then turns into a dirty overdriven crunch on Bust Out,where Shaffer is totally in his ass-kicking element, tearing and twisting the sounds out of his six-string companion.

Something he takes to an angsty and explosive level on Expectation.  The energy level is amped up considerably here, as Shaffer drives the guitar sludge with intense expression. That Rick Shaffer is in no mood to offer any respite from his adrenalin-pumping guitar templates, is clearly apparent with Need Your Love and then confirmed on Two Fools.

There is an undeniable pull and power to Shaffer’s guitar sound, which demands to be acknowledged and admired, for its sheer aggressive and raw stridency quotient.  Wild Dance is pure raw energy without the need to shift the beat from its straight mid-tempo stride. The same principal drives the pulsating, banging core of the album closer, Wrap It Up.

Essentially Rick Shaffer’s complaint of a decaying society, proclaimed through a series of personal stories, Tightrope Ride leaves an indelibly strong impression.  There’s an immediacy, that hooks you from the get-go. It is fiery and intense. It is loud, and ferocious.

Only someone like Shaffer could pull off something like this, in the year 2022.  After the release of Tightrope Ride, Rick Shaffer can sit back and relax, as he has proven once again that he can still rock out when he wants to, and he can do it better than just about anyone else around right now.

Jacob Aiden, Independent Music News 24, 3/21/2022

Exclusive: Rick Shaffer’s new album “Tightrope Ride”

Jukebox Mind is today featuring the new album by artist Rick Shaffer.  It is titled Tightrope Ride and is a sonic genre-blending album.  Filled with hypnotic guitar improvs, heavy rhythm sections and distinct lyricism the album does evoke a sublime vibe and showcases the artistic vision of Rick Shaffer.

Ninety Nine Times totally reminds us of the sound of Iggy Pop with a unique blend of Rick Shaffer’s creative vocals and youthful energy.  Whereas the gnarly guitar lines in Bust Out fused with peppy percussion totally dazed us.  By the time one reaches the song Wild Dance in the album, one wonders what exactly is Rick Shaffer conveying to us?  And without a doubt, when we listen to Wrap It Up (what a title to sum up the entire album!), we can attest that Tightrope Ride is a personal story of the artist.  And juxtaposing that story with electrifying compositions, cascading melodies and an overall dramatic sound, Rick Shaffer truly coaxes us into this unique musical journey.  A sheer brilliant artistic act in itself!

Ethan G., Jukebox Mind, 3/17/2022

RICK SHAFFER HITS ANOTHER STRIKE WITH THE NEW BITING AND GROOVING SINGLE FROM ROCK ROOT TITLED “TOO MUCH”

The aegis is that of the prolific guitarist, singer, and songwriter Rick Shaffer, who long ago had been able to capture all our attention with the compelling full-length album, Broken Souls.

Continuing to fuel his career, Shaffer returns to the scene with his album, Tightrope Ride, and a captivating new number, Too Much, the son of that Rock streak that seems to be an essential ingredient of his fiber, of his blood.

Imbued up to the spine with those vibrations and that feverishness that made the sacred pillars of the genre great and memorable, Rick also captures in a slender way certain prototypes of the blues theme, close for example to the signature of Dave Allan, or the early Stooges.

But here the blazing fuzz becomes gasoline on the burning fire of a timeless, primordial groove, which gives libido on the crest of a raw, sweaty, and howling apex.

It is difficult to imagine something more intense, as intoxicating, as satisfying.

Gabriele Filippi, Nova Music Blog, Italy, March 2022

Rick Shaffer takes a step back in time with a new album Tightrope Ride.

Rick Shaffer is back with a hard hitting new album entitled, Tightrope Ride. The singer and songwriter takes his listeners back in time with the nostalgic ten track project.

Taking close inspiration from the likes of David Bowie with garage blues tones featured throughout.  Recorded entirely in Detroit, the album features Teddy Rixon on bass and Stevie Carlisle on drums.

The projects opener Too Much is a welcoming single to start the album setting the tone with heavy guitar riffs and the artists distinct vocals making an entrance from the start.  Addictive melodies are a reoccurring feature on the album and it’s an impressive nod to the Bowie Iggy era.

Ninety Nine Times and Another Day refresh the pace slightly slowing things down, with a set focus on the artists old school lyricism, showcasing his skills as a songwriter.  Borderline is one of the catchiest numbers on the album which also highlights Rick’s vocals.  It’s worth noting that the guitar solos here are really something special.  As we approach the album midway point the pace picks up again and the mixing becomes more distorted creating that throwback feel that Rick intended to make a clear theme for the project.

Wild Dance feels like a mixed bag of genre influences with Punk, Indie and Country feels all making their presence felt here. The song is a gritty, gunslinger single that is intensified with Rick Shaffer’s vocals.

Concluding track Wrap It Up is almost the perfect closing number.  A big ballad feel kind of track that culminates with the albums leading themes and vibes packed into one, Rick is firing on all cylinders here and closes the show with a bang.

Cole, Artists Central, 3/20/2022

Rick Shaffer New Solo Rock Album ‘Tightrope Ride’

Rick Shaffer is back again with a new solo rock album, Tightrope Ride.  Rick began his illustrious career back in the 70’s and found success with The Reds, whom he’s still working with now.  Then, as a studio musician Shaffer helped create some great projects.  Over the years, he’s released an impressive 11 solo albums, including this new release.  Each release stands alone having it’s own vibe and concept.

The new album, Tightrope Ride, is a Proto-Garage Blues Rock album, with influences from the 70’s, in particular modeled by a Bowie sound, but receives inspiration from a lot of 70’s greats.  The album features 10 new tracks from Shaffer, all fitting the theme perfectly.  Once again bringing his unique sound, but showcasing his ability to adapt. The album is lyrically rich and has something to say.  While the piercing guitar takes you on a ride from one song to the next.

Nick Galien, Muzic Notez, 3/26/2022

OUR ADDICTION OF THE DAY:

“TIGHTROPE RIDE” BY RICK SHAFFER

You already know Rick Shaffer as our reaction team keeps an eye on him since the discovery of his track Like Fire on his Broken Souls album.

This time, this is with Tightrope Ride that he blessed our ears, and will accompany our whole week.  The intense opus blurs the lines between a wide variety of influences. From the edge of pop-punk, down to the immediacy and sonic breadth of alternative rock, passing by some garage and country touch.

The instrumentations deliver energetic and addictive guitars, melodic emotions and heartfelt vocals. From Too Much to Wrap It Up, Tightrope Ride is an explosion of feelings, an epic musical journey to discover and rediscover now ► Tightrope Ride

The Further, France, 4/5/2022