Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers might sound a little familiar. Maybe it’s because frontman singer/songwriter Clyne had a hit in the 90’s with a song about stupid people, border guards and Jean-Luc Picard.
Or perhaps you recognize his guitar wailing from the “King of the Hill” theme song (which he penned). Or, it could be the fact that RCPM is the only independent band to have five consecutive albums debut in Billboard’s Top 10 Internet Sales chart. Whatever the reason, they’re worthy of your attention, and their latest record, Turbo Ocho, is too.
To celebrate their 10th year as independent artists, RCPM, who have always maintained a strong and intimate connection with their fans, decided to take that relationship another step forward. Giving unprecedented access to fans, Turbo Ocho is a CD/DVD combo, chronicling the band’s adventure of creating and recording eight songs in eight days. What sounds like a daunting task in itself, the band added to the mix with a “reality-style” video diary of the album making process, keeping fans updated with daily audio and video logs of their progress.
While the album, consisting of the eight “turbo” songs and three studio songs, is a success in itself, the addition of the DVD of their recording adventure is a treasure. Watching the band go through the process of conceptualizing, creating, redoing, tweaking, fine tuning and then completing a song, and then doing it seven more times, is a real treat. Fans needn’t worry, Clyne’s songwriting doesn’t get watered down by the speed at which the tunes are put together — there’s nothing missing from this album. From the full-out rock of “I Know You Know” to the acoustic gem “Summer Number 39” and on to the tequila-swilling, cerveza-guzzling, no-worry jam of “Mañana”, it’s classic RCPM from beginning to end.
Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers are playing at The State Theatre in Falls Church tonight, Mar. 27, at 7:30 p.m.
For more on RCPM and Turbo Ocho see www.azpeacemakers.com
