Posted on: June 27, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 2

Wikipedia puts G.G. Elvis and the TCP Band as a nardcore act. While I had no idea what nardcore was (essentially, it is a brand of punk rock that originally was present in acts from the Oxnard city of California. Saying that, the G.G. Elvis and the TCP Band is an all-star band in sorts, as it consists of members of Ill Repute, Aggression, Nofx, and the Bad Samaritans. The subtitle of the disc – “A Punk Elvis Tribute” – will give individuals all that they need to know to understand what the act is trying to do. Essentially, the act bashes through such Elvis classics as “Viva Las Vegas”, “In The Ghetto”, and Blue Suede Shoes”, throwing more than a fair share of hardcore punk in listeners’ faces.

While the aforementioned “In The Ghetto” is a solid punk track, the song saps much of the allure that the original track brought to the table. As it continues the high energy sound of G.G. Elvis, listeners should let it slide but find a way to hear the original version to see what I am talking about. The band regains any lost luster with “Don’t Cry Daddy”, which I have to admit that I’ve never heard before. I think that any G.G. Elvis release should be based on those Elvis songs that do not know, so they can avoid the comparisons that listeners will inevitably make. “Suspicious Minds” is an example of one of those tracks that the act can conceivably make their own; the act blasts through the course of three minutes and finishes with a high amount of energy before they enter into one of Elvis’s classics, “Burning Love”. Where “In The Ghetto” was a tad on the weak side, “Burning Love” is much more memorable, even building upon the catchiness that was originally present in the song.

“Blue Suede Shoes” is strong similarly because the act adds so much to the original track. The bass line blends walking and Matt Freeman styles to make something new yet classically-oriented: the band is single-handedly able to save the rockabilly genre. If you like punk bands that do covers (whether it be like Me First and the Gimme Gimmes or the countless number of “Punk Goes” compilations), make it a point to pick up this set, which throws in a DVD to make things all the sweeter. Check them out if they make it out to your neck of the woods, too.

Top Tracks: Blue Suede Shoes, Little Sister

Rating: 7.2/10

G.G. Elvis and the TCP Band – A Punk Elvis Tribute (CD) / 2008 Mental / 13 Tracks / http://www.mentalrecords.net /

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