YEAH!!!!!! Here's a little something new for ya!!! Not a finished product by any means, but approaching musical nirvana and nearing completion. Here's a clip for your enjoyment. Dream Song (02.27.05)
Iron Mike (Final Mix) 10.31.04 (HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!) I took the demo version of Iron Mike down to conserve space, sorry if you missed it, but I think the final mix is comprehensive.
Questions, Comments, Love, Money, Hate Mail (Be sure to include your address with your hate mail, bitch) Right Here
FIRST REVIEW OF BLACK BETTY & THE NO-GOOD-FOR-NUTHIN'S!!!!!!
Black Betty & The No-Good-For-Nuthin’s
3 Song EP - Like (20/20 Vision)
A Call…From You
Iron Mike (unfinished demo)
2004 Hyperbolistic Music (published and copyright 2004)
Black Betty is neither black nor female and The No-Good-For-Nuthin’s
is
more a state of mind rather than a real band, however that’s where the
disguise ends and the truth begins. All it takes is a listen in order
to
appreciate the latest effort from Steven Crocker.
A three-song EP, available only via internet in mp3 format, starts off
with
Like (20/20 Vision). Not bad for a first song, what surprised me was
the
guitar solo, soft and slow with a nice progression. Most don’t
understand
that a guitar solo has to have a beginning, middle and end. Luckily for
us
Black Betty understands this. His singing on the second verse shows him
to
be more relaxed than on the first and his “Empty Pockets, in the Halls
of
Fame” reference was clever and hopefully prophetic. Steven is
co-founder of
the group Empty Pockets Project w/ fellow singer/songwriter David
Browning.
(The Project’s set at the fabulous Longino Kitchen Theatre last summer
played to rave reviews).
Also included was the still yet to be finished Iron Mike, wherein
Steven
does a good job mixing acoustic with the electric guitar. Since it
wasn’t
finished I figured it needed to be polished up. I’m anticipating him to
relax more and give way to the feeling of the song as it seems like he
might
be more worried about how he sounds rather than realizing his delivery.
What came next can only be described as great music. Crocker as a true
freshman has the audacity to compose a stellar song that comes out of
nowhere. A Call…From You is about a phone call (possibly from an ex)
that
wakes him while he sleeps. The melody is haunting and the sound dreamy
as
our hero unexpectedly has to deal with his feelings. “Thanks for
calling, I
was sleeping. Don’t bother as long as I’m breathing” makes it perfectly
clear where he stands. The conclusion is masterful and reminds me of
Beck at
his most poignant.
Overall a good performance with signs of great things to come. I can’t
wait
for the next episode.
Jay Longino - Senior Editor
Amarillo Independent Music Newsletter
Thanks to Jay for the kind and generous review, which is the first ever "official" Black Betty review. Leave it to Jay to actually fathom and grasp any semblance of understanding as to what Black Betty and The No-Good-For-Nuthin's are striving so diligently to convey to the masses. We are not about Pop Radio, Top 40, Commercialization, Popularity, Uniformity, Convention, and Sanity. We are about what sounds good to the ear. This is called "euphony". We are about "Euphonics".
