Do you know Sneezy Waters, Jr.? He’s the guitar player for this band, The Hopscotch Boys, and he’s pontificating on the sound of the group from a unique perspective. His number two love is music, but his first is weather, and he describes the band in meteorological terms: “Five tornados, each a mile wide, screaming down over Kansas. The weather there, it’s not like here. There, you see a storm coming across the flatness from a mile away and there’s nothing you can do but settle in and endure it.â€
Nobody is being tied down and forced to listen to their debut CD Sad & Lonely Eyes, not even at Guantanamo Bay. Those who have listened voluntarily, however, have agreed that it’s the next logical step from the band’s organically visual (some would say manic, others find the word disturbing more to their liking) stage performances. These shows have earned the band a curious reputation as a minor freak show, but to blindly taste the fruits of Sad & Lonely Eyes shows that it’s not all a façade. They sneer Satanic on “Jesus Lips†and show a hell of a lot of restraint on the cobwebby “Whore’s Pearl.†“Bed Ridden Old Dog†straddles the fine line between garage farfisa and Iron Maiden-like heroism. The insistent rhythms of “Sailor’s Daughter†yield to a hopeful seaside vista before plunging back headlong into the mire. This is not a children’s record but it’ll still give you the wiggles.
SOME OUTSIDE THOUGHTS ON THE HOPSCOTCH BOYS
"Well, the Hopscotch Boys confused me. They had a voraciously vocal and animated singer who fell somewhere between death metal and P.I.L-era John Lydon, but a kinda G-Love-like rhythm section and then a vaguely barmitzah-band-esque keyboard player, what with his suit and his stoic detachment.Were they good? I'm not sure. Were they loud and did they get my attention? Definitely. But as I said, they confused me. I blame Percocet. HSB, I owe you one. I'll have to try again when the pain meds aren't dulling my senses." - Three Imaginary Girls
"You're such fucking freaks, and you're so goddamn frightening. I wish all music was as freakish and frightening. What would have happened if frank sinatra dressed as a bearded donkey with a liatard obviously meant for an 8 year old? He would have been arrested and sodomized."-Jon, The Whore Moans
"Ween meets the Jesus Lizard in the middle of a church desecration, both thinking they're showing up for paid gigs and ready to drink- and if these guys were there, it would undoubtedly be one helluva hootenanny. Unholy rollin'! All in all, an eminently interesting listen and a genuine blast of fresh, fiery madness from a gang of musical cohorts who are as good as they are because they probably don't realize how good they actually are. Does that make sense to you? Hmm ... doesn't matter, it probably will to them and this review will fuck up all the cool shit they're doing." - Pulse of the Twin Cities
“Compared to the Hopscotch Boys all other music sounds stupid.†– Jordan West, Iceage Cobra
"Imagine throwing Jack White (?) in a room with Modest Mouse-then giving them all a dose of heavy duty white-blodder acid. It's sheer madness! This is only a simple premise of what to expect when you catch these guys-so you're warned!" - Chuck Foster, The Seattle Sinner
“If you don’t like the Hopscotch Boys, you’re an idiot.†– Thee Emergency
"The Hopscotch Boys: hate the name, enjoyed the band. They don't sound anything like what their name implies: this band combines elements of screaming, thrashing punk, creepy circus music and....something else. The singer seems to be made of rubber and wildly gesticulated, flexed his face muscles, and gradually peeled off layers of clothing...they're certainly entertaining." - Girl Monster
“You terrify me, in a good way.†– Dagmar, The Wig Fits All Heads
“I just saw this band called The Hopscotch Boys and my mind was completely blown.†– Marshal, Humpbackattack Records
