Shamey Jays, Even Keel, and Berkley Hart

Artist: The Shamey Jays
Song: “My Machine Kicks Your Machine’s Ass” (from the CD Your Pretty Packages)
Heard By: Sarah Nelson, Downtown
It was fun. It’s something that I’d want to listen to while I’m doing something like washing my car. I would describe it as rock ‘n’ roll. I heard lots of guitars. It kind of reminded me of the Bronx. Their lyrics were about how their machine is going to kick the other machine’s ass. It was about cars and how their car is better than somebody else’s car. I could see this music being popular with boys. I imagine [the Shamey Jays] would play a place like Soma. That’d be a good soundtrack for an action movie. It was upbeat and fast. I’d give it a 7.5 out of 10.

Artist: The Even Keel
Song: “The Natural (Feat. Zee-O)” (from the CD Coming Up!)
Heard By: Bobby Loiseau, San Diego
I’m not really much of a hip-hop fan, but I did like the tune. It didn’t really remind me of any artist I know, so it was original for me. I liked the lyrics because I was a Marines reservist and it reminded me of some buddies I have in the military who were part of a unit that does supplies. There’s a lot of Humvees and seven-ton drivers, and I can hear them listening to this very easily. Plus, I noticed a lot of military stuff in the lyrics. The message of the song seemed to be “Just keep on going even if the world is messed up for now. Don’t give up on your guys. Keep on truckin’.”

Artist: Berkley Hart
Song: “Stir it up” (from the CD Las Vegas)
Heard By: Brit Malpiede, Banker’s Hill
I thought it was great. It was a Bob Marley cover. It sort of takes it out of reggae while keeping the essence and intent of the song. It’s more mellow and modern, and his voice has a ghostly, ethereal quality that reminds me of a cat’s purr. It speaks to your soul in the same way — it has that same richness. It’s reminiscent of a bluegrass sort of sound but not twangy — more gentle and uplifting. It sort of has a subtle sweetness like when a child giggles that lifts you from the inside. I come from Fort Collins, Colorado, and as I’m listening to this song, I imagine sitting around a fire pit while the snow is falling.