ANTHONY CASTILLO

SLOW MOTORCADE PHOTO BY CAROL SHERIDA

Many of you still have a hole in your glam-rock/power-pop collections that you probably ought to fill with the brilliant SLOW MOTORCADE masterpiece, "Sex, Drags, And Rock'n'Roll"-one of the most under-rated, and highly ambitious, American pop records of the past decade. SLOW MOTORCADE were La-La Land's answer to England's Manic Street Preachers, the Only Band That Mattered, since Joe Strummer And The Mescaleros. Flamboyantly glam like Silverhead, or the Babys, with Bay City Rollers-style, mantinee-idol grins; sleek, glistening hooks like Redd Kross, TSAR, or Imperial Drag; and an unflinchingly honest, social awareness never found in the corporate-rawk lamestream. Led by talented power-pop songwriter, and underground-beacon/D.I.Y. social activist, ANTHONY CASTILLO, a guy who still looks an awful lot like a brunette Brian Connolly, Slow-Mo were a stylish set of socially-conscious, freedom seeking, rock'n'rollers, who specialized in clean and pristine, swaggering, power-pop perfectionism, with important messages for the common people. The only faint criticism I ever heard from anyone, regarding this anthemic, seventies glam-influenced, super group, was that it's green sparkly glitter simply shined too brightly for some gloomy-guttersnipes who might just prefer a more raggedy, lived-in, garage sound. Sometimes, you gravitate towards angsty rage-rock, while other times, you might deeply appreciate music that provides you with an glimmering oasis-a respite from the pain you're in, songs that can instill hope, and infuse you with positive, life-affirming energy, and light.
Me, I'm a moody bastard, so I tend to listen to lots of curmudgeonly, funeral-march music, that reflects my inner sense of gloom and despair--but in those rare, fleeting moments, when I'm more open to recalling the triumphant Rick Springfield/Bay City Rollers power-pop heroics of my long-yearned-for, lost, youthful idealism...when I'm mightily-parched to hear some uplifting-jolts of, "C'mon, Let's Get Up And Go!", inspirational, big-hooks, and shimmering melody, few bands of the modern-rock era, seem to possess the know-how, to instantly, yank me out of my personal anguish, and defeated-outlook, like the proud hold-outs of Slow Motorcade. Even if you're an angry anarchist, or downtrodden, hardcore, gutter punk, who's usually inclined towards less produced, and/or layered, and richly nuanced sounds, like, say, the old British hardcore bands, or their more contemporary counter-parts, like, the Casualties, Dropkick Murphys, U.S. Bombs, Rancid, or whoever, I urge you to give SLOW MOTORCADE a listen. You might be surprised by how much you dig their tunes, even if they don't have mohawks, like the neighborhood spike brigades, anybody who's grown-up loving bands like Generation X, and Sham 69, should immediately recognize a kindred spirit, of rebellion, here. LOWER CLASS BRATS fans, take note! All I'm really saying, is don't hold their sonic-magnificence, and powerful musicianship against them. If your sympathies are with the oppressed, wrongly criminalized, and ever-expanding, struggling proletariat, you're probably already on the same team! SLOW MOTORCADE, and their MOTORCADE ALLIANCE amateur-media, street-teams, know your sores, and want to see you flourish. That is why they continue to fight, to remove corporate-barriers, that inhibit your freedom and prosperity. Join the resistance. Hope is out there. http://www.peaceproject.com/books/dvd76.htm
www.democracynow.org

Like Leonard Cohen sang, "everybody knows..." that those arrogant asshole middle-manager/fratboy types, who cock around with that false sense of omnipotence, because they got some jive-degree, that made them bona fide, in the eyes of the in-laws, and the corrupt-establishment, or inherited some position, or high-paying job...usually through ass-kissing, rigorous conformity, or stepping on heads, are ruining the last vestiges of freedom, peace, and social justice, steadily, as we surf the internet, and think about our E-Bay desires. All the crooks got control of, well, pretty much everything, now, didn't they? Toasting their prosperity, with their trophy wives in the Hamptons. Snap, Snap. Another picture for Vanity Fair. These are the cheats, frauds, lobbyists, lawyers, marketing-wonks, social engineers, mercenaries, and white-collar shysters, who have stolen our democracy. It's grotesque that so many of these same types have infiltrated the music community, in recent years, dominating the big media and the air-waves, with their bought and paid for publicity-machines, and institutionalized qualifications of the corporate culture. I always find it disappointing that all my former punks always seem to empathize mostly with those who put short-term profit, or immediate ego-gratification, and selfish-gain, before any impulse towards any kindof higher-good, or all-inclusive, greater purpose. A lot of the old punks became their parents. The conspicuous-consumption crowd. Maybe they still collect old motorcycles and jukeboxes, wear creepers, or keep stacks of lavish coffee-table photo books of the punk era, on their giant varnished black coffee-tables, but really, most of 'em act just like little Rush Limbaughs, most of the time. Greed has ruined everyone. Punk Rock used to be all about, "All For One And One For All", but nowadays, it's just a bunch of rich property owners, with tattoos, dating glamazon Derby Girls, and driving souped up "Got Mine, Jack!" Attitudes. I finally understand what Tim Yohannan of "Maximum Rocknroll" was resisting, with his anti-corporate hard-line, all those years ago. I saw this Rollins "Shock And Awe" DVD recently, and it was almost, bait and switch. He comes on like one of us, still moaning about the old days of spare-changing for gas-money to get to gigs, and having to sleep on a cum-stained old futon, but by the end of the diatribe, he was singing the praises of the military in Iraq. Bombing the poor. Hip-Hip Hooray. They flew him over, on a U.S.O. junket, and he came home, all gung-ho, rah-rah. Cheap date, that Henry.
www.enduswars.org

Anthony With Ronson Chicks

It's sadly, all too common, for the nouveau riche to sorta get five bucks in their pocket, and switch sides. Ya know what I mean? Take Dennis Miller, PUHLEEEEZE! How many articles have you read in slick "lifestyle" magazines authored by someone who used to be cool, but ever since they've "wised-up", they have that $500/month car payment to think about, they all suddenly own two houses and a boat, and now, they can smugly abandon any aspirations of integrity, and leverage their new power against all their former peers-allies, or rivals. Editors just love an essayist who knows the lingo of the common-folk, but who votes with their class interests. Ain't capitalism bitchin'? They keep pretending that unemployment's only at nine percent, but more like twenty four percent of Americans are living in poverty. Unless you make MORE than $125,000, a year, and you really think you fear and loathe people of different ethnicities than you, you are CRAZY if you watch FOX, or support the Republicans, because they just use and abuse the uneducated people, by tricking them into voting AGAINST their own best interests. All that early bible school indoctrination about "Soldiers Of The Cross" is EASILY manipulated later to make young boys into dutiful killers. The G.O.P. only cares about the mega rich, oil, and war profiteering.
What's heartbreaking is the same can also now be said of the completely sold-out, Lieberman war-hawk Democrats. Nader was right, again. Obama gave false hope to millions around the world, with all those lyrical, and inspirational, campaign speeches, only to accelerate elitist and profane Bush policies, giving more billions to the billionaires, EXPANDING domestic spying, EXPANDING torture prisons, EXPANDING imperialist, unjust wars, EXPANDING the entrenched interests of the insurance companies' power over the people, EXPANDING the Big Media monopolies rule of our corporate air-waves, keeping many key Bush appointees in powerful Pentagon positions, letting more Monsanto lobbyists in to the Food And Drug Administration, and failing to investigate, or prosecute, anyone from the prior administration, for undermining the Constitutution, or for torture, and routinely abusing human rights, or for lying to the American people to justify war, or for allowing the billionaire corporations to send all the jobs overseas to human rights abusing, even less Democratic countries...The Democrats are SUPPOSEDLY, in power, but nothing's changed, under Obama. It's like Evil Dick's still sitting with his feet up on the mahogany desk, cigar in mouth, like the Penguin on the old "Batman" series--they just keep handing more money over to the billionaires, and occupying foreign nations for oil-company privatization schemes. Let's face it-the Nixon/Iran-Contra crowd are still in the White House. www.bradblog.com Every progressive sadly, quotes the Who: "Meet the new boss/same as the old boss".

SLOW MOTORCADE PHOTO BY CAROL SHERIDA

Redundantly, most of these pose-by-numbers, modern punk bands, of the Myspace-era, seem oblivious to the world around them...ridiculously concerned with chasing the deceptive-promises of easy-living, and Rock star energy-drink endorsements, and cashing checks, for jumping through hoops, to be included on the second-stage of those cut-throat, Warped tours, and obsessive careerism, than with ever making a difference in the world, or saying something that really matters. I suppose it is a fine line between Raspberries/Babys like, sugary-sweet song craft, and the syrupy overproduction overdose of radio-friendly product like Journey, or Motley Crue's "Dr. Feelgood", but that's really just a subjective matter of personal taste, innit? The SLOW MOTORCADE epic, "Sex, Drags, And Rock'n'Roll" has an exceptionally crisp, major-league, production value, an "Ultra Majestic Stereo Sound", that raised the bar for independently-produced power-pop. Sometimes, you might think you only like raw, dirty, fast, untutored, street-punk, recorded on the bass-player's boombox with the busted speaker, and all the Black Flag and Suicidal Tendencies stickers, from the ninth grade, but other times, I suspect, we ALL yearn to hear some upbeat rock'n'roll that takes you all the way, like in the good old days. You should really only bother blasting MOTORCADE when you're in the mood to GO ALL THE WAY...You know how when you're a kid, you always fell for the big-budgeted, big-dumb-blonde, Playboy-porn, with all the immaculately-groomed landing-strips, and surgically-enhanced boobs and lips, but as you aged, and got more jaded, and worldly-wise, you actually started to...at least, occasionally, almost prefer the more flawed, spontaneous, and less choreographed amateurism of vintage home-porn? Most of us like both, yeah? Low-Budget, No-Budget, Big Wall Of Sound Wilson production numbers...? That's the same kind of razor's edge so skillfully tread, by these talented, home-spun, Hollywood dandies. I mean, enthusiastic amateurism, and low-budget street-punk's always righteous, 'so long as it's played from the heart, but every now and then, you still wanna hear something... more developed/sophisticated-whether it's the Beachboys, or the Pogues, or the Buzzcocks, am I right?
SLOW MOTORCADE had all the swanky, back-alley coolness of say, the legendary Bad Losers from France, but with the world-class musical abilities of "Diamond Dogs"-era Bowie, or the Who. They had a succession of various lead singers, before recording this glam pop masterpiece with swaggering frontman, John Napier.
Their former vocalist, John Napier, reminded some of Michael Des Barres, or as my younger girlfriend once said, "Josh Todd-without the anger...without the pain". He was a fine vocalist, almost a little on the slick side, for some tastes, but maybe it's just me-I seem to prefer the sore throat screaming of Electric Frankenstein's Steve Miller, or Rose Tattoo's Angry Anderson to most guys with slick commercial radio "chops". Sonically, they had these really gigantic arrangements-they really went for the big, stomping, arena rock experience, and what set them apart from Enuff Z'Nuff, and Electric Angels, and some of their other glammy contemporaries, was their perspective. Lyrically, many of their tunes focused more on serious issues-like Rage Against The Machine, or Michael Franti, or the Clash-they definitely had a more punk-rock point of view, than the usual Sunset Strip hair-metal minions. Their song, "Have And Have Not", immediately, makes you think of musty old bar-room saints such as, the Faces, Quireboys, or Jo Dog And Paul Black's Sonic Boom, but the lyrics are an evolved editorial on class-divides, and the multiple barriers that prevent the masses from ever escaping the exhausting and unhealthy hardships of gnawing poverty. Since the tragic loss of Joe Strummer, only a small handful of Clash-clone, copycat bands from Brazil, and Ian Hunter, still manage to successfully merge top-shelf, pop catchiness, with this level of progressive, compassionate, and committed awareness, and courageous honesty, when it comes to conveying the hard knock realities that the vast majority of us human beings inhabit, while the corporations rape and pillage, with impunity.

SLOW MOTORCADE PHOTO BY CAROL SHERIDA

It's peculiar to me, how empty the popular rock'n'roll has become, in the past decade. It's all about nothing, really. Something's gone really awry. It's all become so limp and vacuous, cos most of the social-climbing yuppies who still bother playing music, merely use it, for it's trojan horse value-to gain entry in to some Matrix capital-culture, some imaginary V.I.P. room, because they're almost all strictly in the Herd-Trance. In it for the money. Obeying their televisions. They've been taught to worship power and property, so rock'n'roll is just exploited for it's marketing-value. Green Day graduates-- predominantly preoccupied with selling skull shirts, and building "brands"--just like their pig parents-America's baby-boomer, sell-out, elitists. It's not the kid's fault. They just can't remember when rock'n'roll was art, or had any soul, or guts, or meaning. An awful lot of these chubby, middle-class, failed jocks, who've chosen music as their hobby, just because they have a surplus of leisure-time, and disposable income to burn, seldom seem to think about anything besides all the cosmetics they need to purchase from Hot Topic, or the $25 can of "BIG SEXY HAIR" or "BED-HEAD" hairspray, they need to buy, before their next photo-session. They were all programmed from birth, to sanctify property, to constantly grasp for power and prestige-by merely peddling a third-hand, flimsy image, with almost zero content--or content as an after-thought, to justify a lifestyle, or to target a specific marketing group. Hell, where I come from, only the solipsistic sons of the corporate gentry can AFFORD to play music-y'know? It's the exclusive domain of Republican bullies, users, frauds, and posers. The grown-up versions of the fat rich kid on the Little Rascals. They all bought tattoo shops, bars, and recording studios. Even still, they're all drugged-up on insurance pills and cable news disinformation. Narcissistic consumer slaves...'Heard any good songs lately? Me, neither. "Calling All Destroyers" by TSAR was years ago... "American Boy" by Juliette Lewis and the Licks...when did that come out? Kyle Vincent's "I Miss Arrianne" was like, almost ten years ago! "Singing With The Alleycats" by Diamond Dogs was good. The Favors "Leave L.A. Alone"-that was a quality tune...Where are all the SONGWRITERS? All these tattooed corporate-punks say absolutely nothing to me. They think it's all about the Benjamins, yo. It's fake, it's crass, it's dumb, but the kids all buy it, cos we ain't educating them, properly, and big-radio pumps that horrid corporate rock 24/7. www.stopbigmedia.com

SLOW MOTORCADE PHOTO BY CAROL SHERIDA

Ageless Songwriter/Radio Personality/Music Expert, Castillo's the exceptional straight-edger, who knows what a sham these ongoing, phony Nixon drug wars were, right from the start. Those property-forefiture laws ought to be applicable to those who take a nation to war under false pretenses, or steal billions from tax-payers, or eradicate the Bill Of Rights, or Geneva Conventions, y'know? INSTEAD, this make-believe, drug-war has been replaced by this make-believe, war on terror, that's been used to gradually steal all of our civil rights, a million non violent drug offenders are in private, for profit prisons-many of them, political prisoners, entrapped by various government agencies for their skin color, religion, or personal beliefs. Not to mention the fact, that the whole fraudulent, anti-drug campaign has corrupted at least two generations of government officials, all over the world, destroyed lives, broken homes, left countless dead. Who has profitted from all this hipcracy? The creeps in authority. The same grisly scenario plays out all over the country, again and again. Some neighborhood snitch supposedly informs the law, that somebody's gettin' high, at some house, the Swat types batter down the door, the wrong people get hurt, or killed, and Fox TV calls it "entertainment". What about the "Pursuit of Happiness??" What about the right to be protected from unreasonable search and seizure? Personally, I'm cheered to hear there are some Constitution defending "Oath Keepers", who've pleadged to stand-down when they declare Martial Law...there's certainly more than enough civil rights violating, oath-breakers. Where were any of those supposedly liberal media flacks, when they rammed the Patriot Act through Congress? Or imposed mandatory drug-tests for minimum wage jobs? Or zillion dollar banking heists? When P.M.R.C. Gore was helping censor musicians, and law-enforcement was relentlessly targeting hip-hop artists? Where are the whistle blowing truth tellers? Where are the white hatted police and lawyers who care about people, the Constitution, and freedom, more than short-term profit, and keeping their banker/oil-rich, pay-masters in luxuriant power? Where are the rebellious rock'n'rollers? Where are the old-fashioned Edward Murrow/60 Minutes style, investigative journalists? Where are the Good Guys?
www.drugwarfacts.org www.americandrugwar.com

SLOW MOTORCADE PHOTO BY CAROL SHERIDAN

A guerilla band of free-lance rockstars, Hollywood power-pop heavy-weights, Slow Motorcade, have the political substance of the Exploited, Billy Bragg, Plastic Ono Band, or Lords Of the New Church, but with the pop flash and high-precision, high performance, sleek, cherry red, glossy finish of Jellyfish, Cheap Trick, or Beat Angels. Field Marshall Castillo assembles a fresh line-up of rebel rockers, every few years, to deliver encouragement to the weary troops of the resistance--those faithful die-hards, out here in the fields, who continue to defy the evils of corporate plutocracy, Diebold-fixed elections, censorship, propaganda, and big-media rule. That's what makes Motorcade so important. I love the SOUND of Brit-Poppers like Oasis, but I wish summa their lyrics were better, it's a damn shame they dunno how to be more articulate, like their heroes, John Lennon, and Paul Weller, y'know? I guess "Cast No Shadow" WAS pretty deep....Slow Motorcade create protest-music for big arenas. Think: Queen's "Under Pressure" ,with a chugging, steady, Steve Jones snarl, and royal, Hanoi Rocks-ish, golden lame' elegance. If you're too young to appreciate my constant references to seventies groups like, the Babys, Silverhead, the Records, and Big Star, just think, um, like, Jet, or Enuff Z' Nuff, or TSAR, or American Heartbreak! Big, glammy, pop songs that make you want to drive fast, or sing along! "Missing In Action" might, thematically, remind some of Poison's "Fallen Angel", only, it's set in the glitter years of Rodney's English Disco. "The Best You Ever Had" is sort of the antithesis of John Waite's "Missing You". "Juggernaut (At What Cost?)" foresaw the last administration's imperialist foreign policies; the ongoing, billion-dollar, black contracts with neo-con, endless war, security-contractors, and the "too big to jail" hustle of these big merger, looting, corporate monopolies, warning us of what was to come, years back.
Motorcade's classic, "Martial Law" was another Paul Revere Town Crier call-to-arms that nobody heeded, until it was too late, and every exit was already sealed-off for the third-world American working-class. It prances and preens like the original Alice Cooper Band meets Glass Heroes. "Sixteen Forever" was Arthur Lee-style, psychedelic, Laurel Canyon summer-pop, drenched in arrested development, bubble gum, roller-girls, and that faint din of teen. Anthemic, and never heard enough on Rodney On the 'ROQ! "Best You Ever Had" is also reminiscent of vintage Rod, or John Waite. "Helpless Mystery" is one of those luxuriant, dreamy, neon ballads you never quite get out of your head, and those are just some highlights from this little-known, glam cult-classic.

SLOW MOTORCADE PHOTO BY CAROL SHERIDAN

The brainchild of stylish songwriter, Michigan born, Anthony Castillo, a guy Paul Black refers to as having, "the best Brian Jones haircut in Hollywood". Anthony may be much renowned for cutting a Swinging London-type profile on the red carpet, but he's also responsible for patiently tutoring loads of mis-educated rockers, punks, and skatebord thugs, encouraging them to read, and learn about history, and become more rightly informed, and fully active, and engaged as public citizens, in the crucial, daily-work of manifesting a real democracy. A catalyst for education, consciousness-raising, and social-justice, Castillo could never fully appreciate a band like Rage Against The Machine. He may agree whole-heartedly with their messages, but many of us just aren't that into the thrash-metal guitar attack, or rap-metal vocalisms. Too Metallica.
I feel that same way about Ani DiFranco, and Pearl Jam-every time I hear Eddie Vedder speaking, I'm almost always, nodding, in agreement, with him, but when he sings, he just reminds me of a wounded, baying, old, basset hound, God Bless Him. I can never get past those awful grunge vocals. It always sounded like Ethel Merman to me-the wretched, damned, grunge warble. Who decided that nasally Weiland/Layne Staley thing sounded good? Was it actually AXL, when he did the Cameo/Ohio Players voice on "Brownstone" and "Used To Love Her"? Hootie? Man, I still hate that affected Creed voice! Grunge still sucks.
Slow Motorcade's vocalists, carefully vetted by Castillo and Company, for their Cheap Trick/Raspberries vocal range, always remind one of seventies radio stars like John Waite, or Robin Zander. Or perhaps, their eighties counter-parts, like Eric Dover, and Kyle Vincent. Any review of this highly collectible, hard-to-find, gem of an album, reads like a resume' of Tinsel-Town top-guns.

SLOW MOTORCADE PHOTO BY CAROL SHERIDAN

Motorcade line-ups have varied a bit over the years, due mostly, to conflicting schedules, because everyone in Hollywood is, usually, in three, or four bands, at the same time. Plus-let's face it: most studio-owning, producer types are smirking business weasels, so unless you're independently wealthy, it is just too cost- prohibitive to record, on a regular basis, and release new music on the old formats, anymore. The indies are dead, and even if folks wanted to buy compact discs, everybody's broke in this gilded-age, y'know? I used to love buying a new copy of "Flipside Magazine" from the college record store, and reading about what Al, Shane Flipside, Marty McMartin, Bob Cantu, and Designated Dale all had to say, about all the new bands! I'd typically send away for two or three additional, tiny fanzines they reviewed in the back, and that's how I discovered most all my favorite groups, like Hello Disaster, Motorcycle Boy, The Ultras, Humpers, Darlings, Electric Frankenstein, Comatones...but even that's gone, now...SLOW MOTORCADE struggled uphill, for years, but finally, were able to record their sadly unheard platter--an unfortunate situation we hope to help rectify...There were so many colorful characters in, and around, this fabled band, it's somewhat hard to keep track of the roll-call...so my apologies, in advance, if I've left anyone out...Let's see...there was original bassist, Carl DeMarco...Curt from the very popular, motor-punk band, B-Movie Rats...The Walsh Brothers--Brian Walsh, (R.I.P.), an awesome drummer, who also played in AMANDA JONES, with Jeff Drake from the Joneses, as well as, Leif Garrett's band ; and his brother, David, who co-wrote much of "Sex, Drags...", and who played in Anthony's pre-Motorcade groups, Two Bit Fortune, and Black Cherry, and is responsible for the vivid guitar solo on the Motorcade gem, "Missing In Action". Lead drummer, Thom Sullivan's been a member of the Exis (also with David Walsh!), Big Elf, and Lords Of Altamont, he is truly, an exceptionally gifted drummer. Better than great, he's a marvelous talent.

SLOW MOTORCADE PHOTO BY CAROL SHERIDAN

"Better than #1", and still known in certain glam circles, as "Joe Normal", former Zero, and evergreen, Hutchinsons guitar-god, currently axe-slinging in Cold Blue Rebels (alongside various Glamour Punks, and Jetboys), the super talented, Joe Hutchinson, also serves as Motorcade's boss guit-sling, as well as a secondary, McCartney-esque, harmony-vocalist, and co-arranger extraordinaire. His blistering fret-work just shines, and shines, all over this album. Think: Wings, Ricky Rat, Bob Derwood Andrews, or Billy Rowe! He's a fantastic player! Bassist, Derrick Anderson's played for the Bangles, and many of Silverlake's various Poptopia royals-including the Andersons, with Robbie Rist. Motorcade producer, and part-time vocalist, Jack Atlantis, "The Show", is the King Of L.A. Nightlife. Then, of course, there was John Napier, who sang on the album. He was one of those very commercial, professional vocalists who does, like, jingles for Disney. He was one of those studio guys with the impressive pitch, who can always walk right up to the mic, and hit the "correct" note, American Idol-style, but for certain Motorcade fans, he just lacked an essential X-factor, possessed by his replacement, Jack Atlantis. He was more like a suave studio guy, while the rest of the band were all these larger than life, outlaw characters, you know, over-the-top, full-fledged, flamboyant, full-blast rock-stars. Having said that, he does deliver Castillo's political, poetic lyrics with punch, and aggressive conviction, and it can be challenging for some singers to bring other people's lyrics to life, but Napier has no problems with that, at all. He's as radio-ready as oh, I dunno, Shane from Electric Angels-another super-pop group, who never became as famous as they should have been. I can't quite pin-point what it was about Napier, that rubbed some the wrong way, other than people just preferred Jack Atlantis, as a frontman. Indeed, Napier's vocals really work all throughout "Sex, Drags...", lending the work an undeniable, commercial advantage. If only they'd had a promotional budget!! Or a good manager!
There was Francois Perez, the original guitarist, a mysterious, Tyla-like figure, from Gay Paree. Then, of course, there is Anthony Castillo, sort of a male version of Runaways-era Joan Jett, an unstoppable organizer, political activist, drag-strip enthusiast, and rock'n'roll style icon-the proud owner of the world's only Betty Page autographed guitar!

THOM SULLIVAN PHOTO BY CAROL SHERIDAN

These purist, rock'n'roll dynamos of SLOW MOTORCADE stay true to their own school of traditional hard-pop, satorial splendor, and sunny California lifestyles, while others get lost chasing the trends of watered-down industrial/darkwave, phony hip-pop with that relentless Auto-Tune pitch-shifting vocal gimmick, post-grunge lite, mouse-pad corporate rock, showbiz dynasty nephew-rock, jack-off rap-metal, cleverly Pro-Tooled sound-collage hybrid-genres, "UN-reality TV" programming-like Tommy Lee on "Yo! MTV CRIBS GOES TO COLLEGE, NAKED, DAWG!", etc., etc. Probably my favorite Motorcade tune is "UNION OF ONE", an old-fashioned rallying-cry, asking the surviving freedom-seekers to work together, in solidarity, to ignite democracy, by devoting an hour a day towards communicating truth--if only to your own intimates. Using your creativity, to draw attention away from Big-Media propaganda, profit-crazed war-mongering, human-rights-violating, life-systems destroying, Frankenfood pimping, rightwing, violent, police-state, surveilance-apocalypse, death culture. Napier, Hutchinson, Sullivan, Anderson, and Castillo all rock this song so hard, you feel urged to get up, take action, take chances, dance, fight for your right to rock'n'roll, man. Ain't it been long enough, already? Maybe the "Drags" line-up need to reunite, and show these Disneyfied whipper-snappers how it's done!
If you are weary from being engulfed in all that Big-Media assembly-line music, of the past twenty years, you may really appreciate some exposure to the political pop excellence of Slow Motorcade.
Classic rock'n'pop can still sound amazingly fresh, if you are subjected to enough of that product-shit.