THE GROOVIE GHOULIES; "Travels With My Amp" (Lookout! Records). ***
Personality is a premium in today's big-label, cookie-cutter version of punk rock.
That's what makes bands like the Groovie Ghoulies such a treat. This Sacramento four-piece doesn't do anything special, except for making some of the most delightfully skewed pop-punk music out there (try to imagine what might happen if the Misfits and Ramones decided to make music together and got a better sense of humor).
"Travels With My Amp," the band's sixth full-length release, is no exception. And though it features no really new innovations — save the addition of drummer Amy Cesari to the lineup — it's a worthy addition to the Groovie Ghoulies canon.
Smartly, the Ghoulies don't deviate much from their well-established goofy-and-poppy musical formula. Simplicity is the key word here, thanks to spartan but crackling arrangements.
Highlights include "Freebird," which the group wrote as a parody of the Lynyrd Skynyrd song of the same name (a song that's usually requested at other bands' concerts by obnoxious audience members), and the album's uncredited 14th track, a surprising rework of the standard "Happy Birthday," which somehow manages to sound fresh.
In fact, the band has never sounded better, especially vocalist Jeff "Kepi" Alexander, who is remarkably self-assured on such gems as "(The Girl Is) An Unsolved Mystery," "Criswell Predicts" and a well-chosen cover of Jonathan Richman's "Dancing Late at Night."
Guitarist Rochelle "Roach" Sparman's playing has never been better, either, and the rhythm section (Cesari and bass guitarist Christopher "B-Face" Barnard) seems to have jelled nicely.
(Expect the Groovie Ghoulies to perform songs from "Travels With My Amp" when they co-headline tonight in the Club DV8 basement, 115 S. West Temple.)
You can reach Jeff Vice by e-mail at jeff@desnews.com