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SLIMFIT
- March 2010 http://www.slimfitband.com
Sean Harmann: bass
Tony Kirchner: drums
Pat Kirchner: electric guitar, vocals
Sam Gorgone: electric guitar, vocals
Joey McMonagle: vocals, acoustic guitar
It’s difficult to tell which is Slimfit’s
greater trick – caring so little, and yet
ending up with such airtight, honest, it’s-in-the-blood
alt-country songs, or caring so much, and ending
up with such an effortless-sounding, whiskey-soaked,
can’t-be-forced genuineness.
Ultimately, Slimfit sound exactly like what they
are: a group of long-time friends with a shared
affinity for fringe country, punk rock spirit, piss
beer, camping trips and Bell Biv DeVoe T-shirts.
But the music is something that extends far beyond
what these five Lancaster, PA, boys should ostensibly
be capable of.
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shirts and short hair be damned – these guys
rock the living sh*t out of each song, whether it’s
a sweet, dusty ballad or a scorching barroom stomp.
The music is deceptively simple, joyously feral
– it’s rock-solid songwriting at its
most basic and visceral, exploited in all the right
ways with cascading Telecasters and a soldiering
rhythm section.
The
band’s rollicking collision of meat and potatoes
songwriting and punch-drunk delivery has never been
more vibrant than on Slimfit’s debut full-length,
Make it Worse. On it, you can hear Uncle Tupelo’s
fervor, Steve Earle’s rasp, Tom Petty’s
jangley pop and, if you put your ear to the ground,
whispers of co-songwriters Joey McMonagle and Pat
Kirchner’s other influences, including Superdrag
and Descendants.
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“Make
it Worse is a complete love record,” says Kirchner,
who plays electric guitar. While he’s referring
to love of the fairer sex in the lyrics, he’s
also alluding to the labor of love these lifelong
friends took on while writing and recording Make it
Worse. “The way we write songs and the way we
interact is a testament to our friendship,”
McMonagle adds. “I can’t imagine being
in a band where we’re not all best friends.”
In light of the goofy moustaches and embroidered golden
retriever baseball caps, it might be difficult to
believe that roots rockers Slimfit actually take themselves
seriously. The band’s live shows ooze with fun
and a devil-may-care attitude, climaxing with as many
as three consecutive “bull-rushes” –
a Slimfit specialty, during which Kirchner, co-guitarist
Sam Gorgone, bassist Sean Harmann, or even drummer
Tony Kirchner dives between frontman Joey McMonagle’s
gangly legs like a greased piglet. It’s all
sloppy, drunken fun … riding on the shoulders
of meticulous, timeless roots-rock songwriting that
hammers home the band’s ultimate dedication
to their craft. They bled these songs out, and now
they’re gonna dance to them.
At the same time, Slimfit also take themselves far
less seriously than another band in their situation
might. Regardless of – or perhaps because of
– the band’s collective attitude, fans
of all demographics have been flocking to the band’s
raucous shows and shaking their asses on dance floors
big and small, from dive bars to packed-out clubs.
Even XPN, the nationally recognized leader in Triple-A
Radio, has decided to champion the band, giving them
regular airplay and naming Slimfit an Artist of the
Day. And yet, one gets the distinct impression that
these guys would just as soon down a case of PBR by
a creek and have a rock-throwing contest than put
on the airs of a rock star.
In fact, in Slimfit’s world, rock-throwing contests
are pretty much par for the course. “Killing
time before a couple of shows, we had some competitions
where each band member had to throw a rock as far
as he could across the river with his weak hand,”
Kirchner recalls. “These were sort of definitive
moments in our band – the sloppy, full-on, heart
of Slimfit. You’re trying so hard, and laughing
because you didn’t quite make the mark –
not taking pride in the fact that you’re underachieving,
but finding joy in the process of trying in the first
place.”
The point is, trying hard without actually trying
too hard. But maybe Slimfit have no real trick in
what they do. It’s just what happens when five
best friends pool their common influences, grease
it up with some PBR and make music for the purest
reasons of all: It’s fun, and they couldn’t
stop if they tried.
Slimfit's latest album, Make It Worse, officially
hit the shelves in June 2008.
- Jeff Royer |
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Slimfit
& Darcie Miner each combine country, rock and
alternative influences to produce a unique “Americana”
sound.
With debut albums spinning on WXPN, and a host of
prominent Central PA gigs under their belts, the guys
from Slimfit along with Darcie and her band will wow
the crowd on the opening night of the Tuesday Night
Music Club at the American Music Theatre in Lancaster,
PA, June 29th. |
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