Valley Lodge

In an era when scores of guitar-driven rock bands are formed across the globe with each passing hour, Valley Lodge is definitely one of them. But don't let that stop you from cozying up to their nothing-short-of-delightful self-titled debut- you'd be doing yourself a huge disservice and- more importantly- the band would be seriously bummed out about it.Your own best interests and the band's feelings aside however, Valley Lodge's twelve-song debut combines raw guitars and gyration-worthy grooves with sharp lyrics and the kind of pop hooks that get lodged in your head in that kind of way where you'll just be brushing your teeth or something and you'll notice a song playing over and over again in your head until finally your brush grinds to halt. As a minty white drool makes its way down your chin, it hits you- "Dammit- it's that Valley Lodge again!" The look on your face will suggest annoyance, but inside you'll be feeling good, really, really good about it. Now get back to brushing, sailor!On a more practical level, the Valley Lodge album makes for an excellent listening companion while driving, squeezing in a light workout, skeet shooting, entertaining dinner parties of twelve or more, and- yes- even boning. In fact, let's just come right out and say it- the Valley Lodge album will get you laid.It is at this point that you're probably asking yourself "Who are the guys behind all this Valley Lodge business, the very men responsible for the sudden rise in traffic in and out of my bedroom?" While the details remain fuzzy- even to the band members themselves- this much I can tell you:It all started when John Kimbrough, formerly of the late, great Minneapolis rock trio Walt Mink, and Dave Hill, who has been known to several as a member of such obscure yet for the most part unstoppable rock bands as Uptown Sinclair, Cobra Verde, and Sons of Elvis, got together on a blustery fall afternoon in Dave's tiny, bathroomless apartment in the Chelsea Hotel to compare home demo recordings, or "demos" as they are known in the trade. At first, John was reluctant to make the trek from his Brooklyn home just for the meeting, but after Dave pointed out that it was exactly this sort of detail that would make their future band's bio a more interesting read, John happily hopped the next train into the city. Needless to say, this casual get-together- while ending in near-fisticuffs- was considered a success by both parties and shortly afterward John and Dave decided to combine rock forces and commit the magic to hard drive.Since neither of them played drums, John and Dave called their friend Zach Danziger, world-class drummer and star of exactly one Ruffles potato chips commercial, and asked him to- well, you've probably figured this one out by now- play drums on their album. And as you'll no doubt agree, Zach did a really great job playing those drums. Sadly however, Zach's tenure with the band ended abruptly following his strange disappearance, a mysterious phone message saying "Turn on your TV! Turn on your TV right now! I'm on the Price Is Right!" the only hint to his still unknown whereabouts.Confused but undeterred, John and Dave spent the next few months sneaking into a Brooklyn warehouse at night to continue tracking their album with a precision rarely seen outside of the ninja community. When they were all done, they flew out to scenic Madison, Wisconsin at the behest of D-Text Records impresario Will Tanous to mix the whole thing with longtime friend and collaborator Mr. Colson. Make up a crazy story about recording studio highjinks and insert it right here because that's exactly the kind of fun they all had together while steering this rock-n-roll ship into the shore.Now, with their rock-capable debut shrinkwrapped and eager to find a home in your music collection, Team Valley Lodge has taken its rock assault to the stage. Joining John and Dave in rocking you, rocking you so much is drummer Rob Pfeiffer, formerly of Sense Field and also Dave's former Uptown Sinclair bandmate, and Phil Costello, known to both legal and barely legal alike as a member of such New York City rock luminaries as Satanicide, Heather, and Hair Supply. When they come to your town, by all means stop by and say hello, maybe even get all up in their business if the mood strikes you. You can check your local listings, but something tells me you'll just know these boys have come to town somehow, be it a cool breeze blowing in from the east or perhaps just a slight change in temperature in your nether regions. Yeah, somehow you'll just know the Lodge has come to town.-Harland Barbasol, heir to the Barbasol toiletries fortune