badpenny

you can get our CD online at Hapi Skratch Records
or download it on iTunes
available locally at Wax Trax and Twist & Shout
Pennies From Heaven-Westword 2006
The Westword-Moovers and Shakers 2006
badpenny, Cowboy vs. Skeleton (Self-released). Sandeigh Barrett talks in a slow Texas drawl and croons like a punked-out babe caught crushing on Hank Williams. Cowboy isn't your ma's country -- hell, it ain't even today's country -- but it is a sincere banjo-plucking, bass-thumping, dance-hall good time that'll lyrically break your heart and help you glue it back together. -- Nguyen
The Westword-Moovers and Shakers 2005
badpenny, Special Racer (Self-released). Confidence radiates from badpenny, a brawny three-piece fronted by Sandeigh Barrett. The likes of "Half Way Gone" and "Waste of Time" (which most certainly isn't) rock in a no-jive manner that pays dividends with each repeat listen. Such a strategy only works if a band's got the goods. This one does. -- Michael Roberts *.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*. *.*.*.*.*.*
Reviews of our debut CD Special Racer
Special Racer (Self-released)
ByRoland S. Howard
Buzz Magazine
Published: Tuesday January 7th, 2006
indie-rock magazine
CD: Special Racer
Style: Rock
Quote: "Energetic, driven, and ear-catching from the first note of the melodic opening track."
By Tiffany Razzano
Denver-based badpenny, with their mish-mosh of sounds, can make a fan out of anyone upon the first listen of their new LP, Special Racer. Their sound, which mixes punk, rock ‘n’ roll, rockabilly, and jazz, with a country base, is immediately energetic, driven, and ear-catching from the first note of the melodic opening track, “Half Way Gone” to the last song of the album.Lead singer and bassist Sandeigh Barrett really draws the listener in with her brazen and gritty croon that sounds part Sleater-Kinney, part Dance Hall Crashers with more of a twang than ska inflections. Her vocals, as well as her strong and steady bass lines, are the backbone of the group, but are rounded out well by the tight guitar playing of Dave Womer and the precise drumming of Sean Bryant. Delivering one catchy rock song on top of another, this CD doesn’t ever disappoint“Butterflies and Fairies,” the second track, opens with a marching band inspired drum beat, then the rest of the group joins in, with a heavier sound than the first track. It’s still pretty damn catchy though. As Barrett sings, “so get out of my car/I’m going to drive away/before I smash your face in,” you realize how tough she is. Most of her lyrics portray this rough exterior.The fourth track, “Hi-fi Drownin’,” opens with the fuzziness of someone fiddling with the dial on an old-school radio. The song is, in fact, an ode to the radio, as Barrett sings, with nostalgia, “you know you changed my life/radio tonight/make everything alright.” It immediately invokes Elvis Costello’s “Radio, Radio,” simply because of the subject matter. Both are quirky rock songs paying homage to radio, but both songs are approached differently. Barrett’s song is much more reminiscent, while Costello is biting and fierce, lambasting the path the radio industry was being forced to take.“Bad Skeleton” is a quick-tempoed, hard drinking, punk rock country tune likely to appeal to any punker or cowboy out there. “Waste of Time” is about Barrett’s efforts to get the attention of a special someone. She tries her “best dress” and “lipstick,”as well as “walking by his house almost every day,” but deems it all a waste of time.“Lazarus” starts off slowly with a deep, rumbling bass line, then picks up with the band, becoming poppier - but poppy in a good way. Nearing the end of this misguided love song, Barrett more proclaims than sings, “I didn’t know I could raise the dead.”The eight track, “Smokin’ Gun,” is a beat driven song with a very rockabilly feel. This gritty song lauds the wild, sordid nights out, as Barrett sings, “every chance to turn it up, you know we’ve got to take.” This is followed by “Underbelly,” where the listener is immediately assaulted by Barrett’s great vocals and the band’s tight musicianship. This tune has a very in-your-face, punk rock feel. It ends just as suddenly as it begins.The album ends on a different note, with the jazzy “Atlantic City.” It starts off feeling very beat, with a sprawling sound that almost seems loose and laidback. Then suddenly the band tightens on the chorus before going back to the laidback feel, leaving the listener to realize how in control this band is.
Special Racer (Self-released)
BySarah Jaffe
KaffeineBuzz.com
Published: Friday October 28, 2005
This may be my favorite Denver band. Am I allowed to say that in a Denver-based music magazine? badpenny, for those who haven't had the pleasure, are Sean Bryant on drums, Dave Womer on guitar, and the fabulous Ms. Sandeigh Barrett on bass and vocals. And really, her Corin Tucker-meets-Patsy Cline vocals are what it's all about. Her voice heats you up like a hot toddy, with equal parts whiskey and honey and just a splash of lemon-acid. Sure, the gritty guitar has plenty of punk-rock fuzz or country twang depending on the mood of the song, and the laid-back drums help set the mood, but it's all about the girl up-front. She's sarcastic but sincere, country and rock all at once. The record's themes run heavily toward the breakup end of the relationship spectrum, but even when she's singing about her "throat getting tighter," her words make me think that she's never let him see her cry, just turned on her heel and slammed the car door in his face. I suppose I'd call them alt-country for lack of a better word, or maybe to paraphrase Lucero's Ben Nichols and say "western indie rock." It's cowboy-booted, beer-drinkin', jukebox rock'n'roll that you don't have to be heartbroken to enjoy, but it might give you a boost if you are. Lest I overhype the twangier side of things, I'll also note the echoes of Lou Reed's "Sweet Jane" in "Lazarus," and the sexy sleaze of "Underbelly," where Sandeigh hisses, "take it all, I want you to." Congratulations, badpenny. You've made me wish I still lived in Denver.
By Michael Roberts
The Westword
Published: Thursday, September 15, 2005
Judging by how few of them there are, good rock CDs must be damned hard to create. But Special Racer, whose arrival is being celebrated on Saturday, September 17, at Herman's Hideaway, makes the process -- or at least the results -- seem as easy as can be. The badpenny trio of Sandeigh Barrett, Dave Womer and Sean Bryant don't do anything especially complicated. Instead of tarting up their tunes with ornate arrangements and instrumental gewgaws, they focus upon four of popular music's most rudimentary tools: guitar, bass, drums and voice. Although lead singer Barrett often sounds as if she learned to croon at the intersection of Sleater and Kinney, her steady, confident tone enlivens tracks such as "Butterflies and Fairies," whose new-agey title is undercut by the saucy couplet "I'm goin' to drive away/Before I smash your face in."
There's nothing revolutionary about these eleven numbers, but they're consistently smart, sharp and satisfying. Those are rare commodities.
by David Barber
RockonColorado.com
Special Racer, the debut full length CD from Badpenny combines raw female rock vocals with spare instrumentation to come up with a catchy and cool CD. The songs have that raw, gritty, rebellious anger that has always powered rock and roll. The rhyming choruses stick in your head for days. The instrumentation consists of a three piece combo of guitar, bass, drums with Sandeigh Barrett's haunting vocals over the top.
The eleven tracks have evocative, yet disturbing lyrics. From the song "Butterflies and Fairies:" "So Please get outta my car. I'm goin' to drive away before I smash your face in." "Waste of Time" is about unrequited love and/or stalking. "Lazarus" has these lyrics: "I didn't know I could raise the dead." "Underbelly" asks: "Can I be your favorite Whore?" All of which is that much more interesting/disturbing when sung by a hot female vocalist. Some of the production qualities could be better, nobody's going to accuse this CD of being over-produced, but the songs come through loud and clear. It's a cool trip down some of life's darker alleys with a roots rock-based soundtrack. Buy this CD and enjoy the ride. For more info please visit: www.BadpennyMusic.com
in the studio. with jack.
badpenny in Rebels of Reality by Ethan Wenberg (as seen in the Westword)