Eight Ball Grifter are a trio of Lansing, MI boys presenting the listener with a hepped & hopped-up psychobilly sound. Their self-titled record is full of punky rock & roll energy, with sound that occasionally gets spooky. Track titles such as "Hot Rod Kitten," "Vampire," "She Left Me for a Girl," and "Saints and Sinners" give the listener a good idea of how they sound. Mixing in with the rockabilly sound is a punk sensibility that resembles no one so much as
the Queers (see "Tiny Bit"), as well as bits of the Misfits thrown in. While other psychobilly bands conjure up links to
Glenn Danzig,
the Amazing Crowns among them,
Eight Ball Grifter offers a dirtier, rougher sound that gives a nod to the
Reverend Horton Heat ("What People Throw on the Floor"). An interesting song is the final one: "Saints and Sinners" melds "Welcome to My Nightmare" with "Route 66" to hopped-up results. While their record doesn't come close to capturing the overloading live energy that the band exhibits on stage, it gives just enough of a hint to make it a fine, jumpin' collection to the greaser daddies and rock & roll kittens out in the music-consuming public. Lively as hell. ~ Jeremy Salmon