Back in about 1991 or so, Drunken Boat made its way to Pensacola. Of course I went to go see them after hearing this CD. The singer was getting into the song he was singing, moving his feet and flapping his arms when this drunk guy named Jeff got all excited and ended up knocking the microphone and stand right into the singer's teeth. Ouch. Nevertheless, the show continued. The singer and the rest of us weren't too happy with Drunken Jeff but we did like Drunken Boat.
Copping their name from a Rimbaud poem, New York's Drunken Boat emerged
from the same downtown '80s scene that spawned Bongwater, King Missile
and Hypnolovewheel. Led by poet Todd Colby and featuring the twin
guitars of Steve Gross and Todd Serbousek, Drunken Boat merged Colby's
literary sensibility with driving off-kilter indie rock.
Drunken Boat, produced by ex-Hugo Largo leader Tim Sommer, teems
with smart, concise songs characterized by Colby's passionate, aggro
vocals, propulsive tom-heavy drumming by Colby's brother Michael and
fine guitar work (Steve Gross and Todd Serbousek) throughout. While
owing an obvious debt to Patti Smith, Wire, Captain Beefheart and the
Fall, the avant-garage approach and Colby's penetrating songs clearly
marked the quintet as a band to watch. And don't miss the great cover of
Hüsker Dü's "What's Going On."
Drunken Boat's brand of edgy indie rock was swamped in the wake of
the post-Nirvana tidal surge. The artsy last-gasp of Dressy Hat came and
went virtually unnoticed, but the band's influence could clearly be
heard later in the decade in such bands as Soul Coughing and Guided by
Voices.
Since the band's demise, Colby has continued to write and perform
spoken word, publishing a book of poems, Riot in the Charm Factory, and
creating poemfone, a daily dial-a-poem telephone service.
Tracklist
1.Tragic Hands
2. New Pop
3. Accidents
4. Home
5. Skull Crusher
6. Pony
7. Jubilee
8. Lisa's Dream
9. Shit Suit
10. Uniform Gold
11. Stacko
12. Spin Around
13. What's Going On
