Maillist
FOCUS ON: Rumspringa
- Official Website >>
- Label: Skyscraper Music Maker >>
- Genre: Various
Rumspringa (n) : an Amish rite of passage; the practice of releasing teenagers to explore the outside world, its sins and pleasures.
A half-century ago, baby boomer teenagers wiggled from their parents' grips to gyrate naughtily to the sonic rebellion that was captivating America‚ a thrilling, liberating sound that would eventually be tagged Rock n' Roll. It is with this spirit that Joey Stevens and Itaru de la Vega created the Americana outfit Rumspringa, which with its jumpy backbeat and colorful riffs seeks to reignite the hot, human passion of its audience. They draw on the energy of the earliest era of rock, when a hysteric wave of paranoia spread throughout the minds of parents, terrified that their children were listening to the devil's jungle music. Kids were responding because the music had never been more alive, and Rumspringa's contemporary tweak on dependable, rugged 12-bar blues-rock similarly awakens the inner fire of its listeners.
Drawing on influences as distant and diverse as John Lee Hooker, Canned Heat, Cream and underground psychedelic pioneer Michael Yonkers, Los Angeles-based Rumspringa recalls the infectious feeling of blues-inflected musical rebellion that at once seems timeless and urgent, sinister and euphoric. Performing songs ranging from the pleasantly whimsical "Shake Em Loose, Tonight" to the derailing, sardonic "In the Jungle", to the funky bounce of "Gold Mine", Rumspringa has shaken audiences cold with live shows throughout Los Angeles, New York City, Pittsburgh, Philly and other cities, hitting the club and university circuits.
The interest that Rumspringa has generated on tour is only now being satisfied with the release of the Rumspringa EP, released on Cantora Records in June 2008. Much like their highly touted live shows, the EP showcases the band's fun, easy going, but sometimes very chaotic range. Their daring blend of genuine early rock n' roll with the familiar catchiness of modern influences also contains hints of old school and gangsta rap. Like the Amish practice of releasing teenagers to the outside world to experience the "devil's playground", the band's new sound is sure to bring shock and awe to your comfort zone. "That's why we declared ourselves to be on our own version of Rumspringa", says front-man guitarist and vocalist Joey Stevens, "To step away from all the self-serving surface of the mainstream music culture, and to get back to the heart of discovering the soul of rock through the roots of its creation".