From The City Pages, regarding the newest CD, "Verge of a Breakdown." December 15, 2004 printed edition, "A-List" section:
"What year is this? Hearing the Summer People's new Verge of a Breakdown (Garage D'or) on CD is terribly disorienting. This is a record Lester Bangs would have spilled his cough syrup over in 1976, stumbling to get it to the turntable. Dissonant cuts like "Light" and "Standing Sleeping Up" feature cyclonic guitar riffs and a fresh-from-the-trailer park Iggy Pop spitting at the mic, or rather Poppelganger Clayton Klein. The singer can barely step over the bottom-heavy riffs on "Dark." When Klein finds his footing at the end, he bounces like a CBGB's after-party featuring complimentary uppers." -Kate Silver
From The Pulse, regarding the newest CD, "Verge of a Breakdown":
"Like their stable-mates The Blood Shot (both are affiliated with longtime local scene supporter Terry Katzman's Garage D'Or label), The Summer People deliver scratchy, squirrelly guitar rock with the amps turned up to eleven and their switchblades half open. Led by vocalist Clayton Klein, this Arden Hills quartet fairly sizzles their way through 10 cuts of the most energetic, frenetic, groove-a-licious gut-busters you'll hear this side of 1969. Right from the first notes of album opener "Light" to the booty-bumpin', mind-melting psychedelic punk of "It's Fun," right on through to the bowel-disrupting drunk anthem "Whiskey Bottle" and the wink-and-a-nod Stooges blast of final cut "Dark," Verge Of A Breakdown captures a band not only at their least self-conscious, the-riff-is-GOD best, but could very well serve as (please, please, please) a template for up-and-coming young axe-slingers not sure which direction to funnel their six-string angst. Psst! Hey, kids! Be like these guys! More ROCK, less SCHLOCK!! Superb."
From www.stonerrockchick.com, regarding the newest CD, "Verge of a Breakdown":
"The Summer People are in good company with The Blood Shots on Garage D'or Recordings. This is a great follow-up to their Self-Titled release in 2003. The guys are possibly starting a new definition of garage rock in Minneapolis, and that is cool. First off, this is garage rock mixed with psyche, and these guys pull it off well. Singer Clayton Klein sounds like he just wants to repeatedly knock people over the head with his vocal spewing and doesn't come off sounding all pretentious doing so. You can almost see him wiggling all over the stage Stooges/Iggy Pop style, getting all crazy and slapping the mic around while the rest of the band tosses off quick riffs like there was no tomorrow. Totally appropriate title for this album too because these guys sound like if they don't get some Xanax soon they will have a major meltdown. The whole album seems to be an ode to alcohol and all that heavy drinking entails.
Very high-energy, The Summer People easily toss off any cliches you might expect from garage bands these days. Clayton's vocals are serious old school garage/punk with quick intonations and one-offs. The groove is down, and it is down hard. Each tune comes at you with a very high energy, lo-fi sound.
The way garage rock should sound. Don't expect top hits here, these guys are not playing for the mainstream crowd. These guys appear and seem to be too busy having a hell of a time whipping crowds up into hell-raising frantic energy. The Summer People play with passion and energy and throw off the spoiled rich kick playing with loads of money garage rock that is seem today in bands like The Strokes, The Vines, etc. These guys sound like the real thing - dirty, gritty, sometimes swampy (check out 'Blinded By The Sun') but always fun.The Summer People just aren't so simply defined. They add in elements of psychedelia, straight up boogie rock and groove not seen in these later day garage bands (at least the ones played on the radio). The Summer People appear to be the real thing, and judging by their picture, they also don't find the need to try to fit in with the garage style of really wanky hair and mod clothes. I think I really like these guys. Some really good swamp based tunes, lots of energy, and loads of fun on this disc. They even get a lot more down tempo on 'Long way Home', which is a lot more stoner then garage. This is a cool album and will certainly appeal to people who have had it with pretentious kids playing faux garage rock in big studios. A good second album from The Summer People and a wicked band to get down to if you're into serious drinking and general mayhem. Check out the site for some audio samples."
From www.hellridemusic.com, again about the new CD:"More Garage Psyche riff worship from this Minneapolis-scene foursome - think Hendrix, The Hellacopters and the Box Tops. Cool shit!!"
Also from www.hellridemusic.com, about our first self-titled CD:"The Summer People come to me as a hot tip from Andy Kereakos of The Blood Shot. As The Blood Shot's Wake Up and Die Right is one of my favorite releases of 2003, I figured I best listen to a man who knows more than I ever will on things of rawk.The Minneapolis scene is seemingly bubbling over like sodium hydroxide in a meth lab, and spilling out are The Summer People, a highly rocking foursome that have taken traditional garage rock and melded it with classic heavy psych. The result is infectious, unpretentious and beats the piss out of the White Stripes anyday of the week. Alex Chilton meets Hendrix is all I could think about through this thing... "Soul", "Rebel Without Applause" and "This Time" had me groovin' like a happy retard, "Beer Run" is an alchoholic ode that elicits air guitar, and "Drifter" is the bong rock anthem of 2003 - if you don't drift off to another plane on this one, I dunno.Bottom line ... it rawks like a lo-fi beast in heat. Great driving music when you want to arrive at your destination rocked out and feeling good."
From Highbias.com, about our first CD:Loud, grungy, guitar-soaked psychedelic rock from Minneapolis. Frontman Clayton Klein's rather, uh, casual relationship to melody is a bit off-putting, but this record is really about axeman Aaron Robertson's feedback worship, which lends both rockers ("This Time," "Rock Star") and epics ("Beer Run," "Urge") the right touch of red meat. Enthusiasts of 60s/90s acid rock should find The Summer People a yummy snack.
From Dodging Bullets E-zine ..3, about our second CD:The folks in Minneapolis are truly lucky as both of today’s absolute best heavy rock bands both currently hail from there, often gig together and now thanks to Garage D’or Recording Co. both have concurrently had their sophomore full lengthers released. Of course I am speaking of THE BLOOD SHOT as THE SUMMER PEOPLES brothers in arms. On this new THE SUMMER PEOPLE release the band blasts off from the beginnings their debut showed were coming. The snotty vocals are far more confident and the guitarist Aaron may well be the best fucking modern hard rock guitarist in the world. You got to love a guy who has all the contemporary heavies figured out so that he can concentrate on Alvin Lee, Humble Pie, Hendrix, Nugent, Iommi and many others in the end concocting his own original flare. The songs are better, the sound is better, the band is better and live they absolutely slay! Buy this!! (AK)
