Mr. T Experience
Yesterday Rules
Lookout!
Every time I sit down to listen to this CD, I get to about cut 4 or 5 and then something interrupts me and I get distracted. Thus, I’m really familiar with the first half of the disc, not so familiar with the back end, but still quite impressed with this long-lived power-punk outfit. This is album number 10 for Mr. T Experience (or MTX, it’s not completely clear what moniker they go by these days), which is very impressive for a band that not many people know about. They reside in the camp of long lived bands that crank out material their fans slurp up, though they have yet to crack the big time and make the VH1 hot rotation.
Maybe they aren’t serious enough, as if a pop-punk band needs to take anything seriously. Maybe it’s their language, because one of the strongest tunes on this album is called “Fucked up on Life,” and they don’t even provide a properly censored version to keep America’s morals on the high plane we expect. This song consistently gets stuck in my mind, even as I type this, and I have to crank some Barry Manilow to cleanse my cerebral palate. There’s more where that came from, as the next tune, “Oh, Just Have Some Faith in Me,” is nearly as strong. The combination of these two songs is enough to negate the dreaded power ballad “Jill.” Sure, Kiss pulled it off with another 4 letter girlfriend, but let’s face it, that happened while these guys were still a gleam in daddy’s eye, and I’d like to think music has progressed since then.
Or maybe we are all stuck on the same temporal plane – either way, this is punk, cleaned up and dressed in a white shirt and a red tie, completely presentable to grandmother and the world at large. Yet, MTX holds onto enough of its anarchist roots and sly humor to make it enjoyable to the old and decrepit of us who remember when a Mohawk was SHOCKING. What I’m trying to say is, this is punk that can bridge generations, punk even MY mom will like. Start thinking stocking stuffers; it’s never too early to begin your holiday purchasing, and you know how hard shopping for mom can be…
Lookout Records: http://www.lookoutrecords.com/ • Mr. T Experience: http://www.themrtexpereince.com/
