Spiv: Everybody’s a Rock Star Tonight

I’ll tell you: this EP is worth buying just to hear what person would actually be in a project with Ken Stringfellow and have Stringfellow sing background vocals. That’s like Britney Spears singing background vocals for Jessica Simpson. Don’t scratch your head…just a little curveball. Seriously, Mr. Stringfellow is involved. Very worthy EP, worth investigation and money.

Stringfellow is/was the leader of the groundbreaking [The] Posies from Seattle, Washington. He has one of the best pure voices in music. If you don’t believe me or disagree, you are just…wrong. ‘Nuff said.

“Everybody’s a Rock Star Tonight” has a great rave-up ending, and a nice structure, with its staccato guitar in the verses. “Beatley” has, yes, beautiful background vocals. “Seedy Release” sounds like solo McCartney with its fingerpicking guitar. “VIPs of the Street” is a rap song about a girl searching for pot, and a bunch of other subjects. I know nothing about hip-hop so I should shut up here, but the track grooves, has a story and wouldn’t seem out of place to me in any happening dance club. So, I guess it’s an endorsement, although this kind of thing is not usually my cup of tea.

Again, two words: Ken Stringfellow. Anything Ken does is worth checking out. There is obviously talent here among his bandmates, and I am impressed that this band is genre-bending. We need more of that, and that alone makes Spiv and this EP worthwhile.