Can a rock critic actually rock? Hell yeah. Ask the Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde, Yo La Tengo's Ira Kaplan and Lester Bangs (ok, so youll have to use a Ouija board to contact Bangs) -- they all wrote about music and made records.
Damn Lovelys' singer/guitarist Meredith Ochs does, too. Though she contributes to Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, Guitar World and National Public Radio's All Things Considered, Ochs initially set out to be a musician, not a writer -- she's played guitar since childhood.
"I fell backwards into rock journalism," Ochs says. "I'd written some short stories just for fun and showed one to a friend of mine who worked at a music magazine. He loved it and hired me to write for him." An avid record collector with more than 20,000 albums, CDs and 45s, Ochs was a natural for the job.
Trouble Creek is the Damn Lovelys' debut. Its sweet amalgam of rock, pop and twang has already earned the Hoboken, New Jersey quartet -- which features Pat Walsh (bass, keyboards, vocals), Jason Beard (drums, percussion) and Lawrence Ochs (guitar, lap steel, mandolin) -- critical praise from publications such as Harp, Guitar World and New York's Village Voice, as well as a performance on the venerable radio program Mountain Stage.
Trouble Creek was recorded at the legendary Loft Studio in Bronxville, New York, an early stomping ground of pop stars like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. "It seemed incongruous for an indie band like us to be working in this pop haven, but it was a great hang," Ochs says.
The Damn Lovelys have appeared on three compilation CDs (tributes to Uncle Tupelo, Mike Nesmith and John Fogerty, the latter of which earned them a rave in No Depression magazine) and play frequently in New York City.
Check out Meredith's programs on Sirius Satellite Radio: Freewheelin' with Meredith Ochs and Chris T. on Road Dog 147 (11am-2pm ET) and weeknights on Outlaw Country 63 (8pm-midnight ET).
hey you lovelys, thanks for finding, listening and adding the hobokollektiv as your friend. You sound great and i hope we'll meet someday somewhere down the road to share tunes & tales.
Good luck & travel safe ... the Fritsch & the hobokollektiv ...
Glam-O-Rama Productions presents the Pre-Vegas Show featuring Rusty and the Dragstrip Trio from Australia. Big Sandy will be making a special unplugged appearance with Jeff West as you know as Big Sandy's bass player. They'll be doing a duo for the first time. Wild Records recording artist Santos will be rocking the house. We also have DJ Reb. So come on down to the Pre-Vegas show!
Thanks for being our friend. I hope you and your friends can get by to listen to the great indie music we are playing, and maybe even upload a new song or two.
For any of your musical friends (or even music loving friends), we offer free artist pages, live DJ shows, digital download song sales, and streaming indie music 24/7.
Are ya'll comin this Friday to NYC to see us? Hope so, we need to get together on gigs! Niall and I are starting to cook some things up! Ha
bubble bubble toil & trouble!
Hey Damn Lovelys! You all were FANTASTIC, AMAZING and PHENOMENAL last night at Rodeo Bar in NYC! It was such a rockin' show! I am so glad I went! You all are so talented, and you play so well together. Your sound is simply great. Thank you for making music and sharing it with your fans. I hope I can come see you again soon and I continue to dream of a second Damn Lovelys record. DAMN F***IN' LOVELYS! (What's that?) Nothin'. (Thought so.) ;)
The Damn Lovelys are more heavenly than everything that is less heavenly than they are! They are like cool heavenly...not heavenly in a pompous way that makes them want to rule the inner chasms of people while wearing a robe though!
The Damn Lovely's rock like a Granite bobblehead in a rocking chair...and the Damn Lovelys will rock even more to me..when I can hear their damn music without rebuffering...which will not damn well happen until I get off of the DAMN DIALUP!
I'm glad to be in your circle of non enemy like concubines!
The Damn Lovelys are a damn good band! Their first CD, "Trouble Creek, " is a triumph of songwriting by singer/songwriter/guitarist Meredith Ochs and of ensemble musicianship by the band as a whole. "Toil and Trouble, " "Miss Misery" and "Full Whiskey Bottle" are 3 of my favorite songs EVER. Do yourself a favor: pick up a copy of "Trouble Creek" from Amazon.com and go see them play live whenever they do...you will thank me!
