The Stepbrothers
Baby It’s Over (Licorice Tree)
What ever happened to psychedelic soul? Not that garage rock and psych haven’t entertained Austin audiences for decades, but with a little dash of soul, the Stepbrothers knock down the door and destroy the stage. On Licorice Tree debut Baby It’s Over, the local all-star quintet isn’t afraid to put a little organ into its rock & roll. The result is a Sixties house party, complete with drama, anxiety, and emotional overload. Blending Jerry Lee Lewis (courtesy of Pat Pestorius) into a Rolling Stones cocktail, Mike Mariconda and his gang of delinquents drop funk, surf, and garage into their soul shaker. Psychedelic sing-along “Straight Up” beckons go-go girls to the stage for a romp in an era long gone. “Going Back to Miami” is more Voltage than Raunch Hands, but asks for a side of ass-shaking with its shred. With “Catch This Teardrop,” the ‘Brothers meet the Zombies on the California shoreline, before heading to New Orleans with “I’ll Have Another.” Slow dance “This Strange Effect” hallucinates, while “You Get Nothing!” skips down the path of relationship destruction. As the riff of closer “Brand New Dance” repeats, wanting replaces excitement. It’s not that the Stepbrothers lack energy or will, but this Baby could use some jiggle near the end. As for the live shows, when ex-members of the Titz, Damn Times, and the Stingers take the stage, duck and cover.
This article appears in February 4 • 2005.