On The Rocks

The Worcester Phoenix
June 9 - 16, 2000

[On The Rocks]

Starr power

The Flames - They want to look cool, play loud, and blow off bombs

by John O'Neill
It's a chilly winter night; it's the Lucky Dog; and it's 1999. These are important things to remember as the beer settles in because the band on stage, the Flames, suggest a much different story. They come across like it's another breezy evening on the LA strip, like it's 1979 -- that oh-so-crucial year when perennial underground sensations, power-pop and punk rock, finally smashed heads together and swam toward the mainstream, spawning a new breed of ear candy. The Flames are ripping up the stage and laying out the crowd like some lost artifact. Leather pants, tough guitar hooks, scrappy energy, and songs about chicks, girls, and babes complete with na-na-na-na backing vocals.
As if that's not enough, the singer (too beautiful for words with his smart-guy smirk and T-shirt with "Star" rhinestones across the chest) takes a guitar-hero leap and lands just as the flashpot explodes. Folks are shocked; the Flames head for the green room to towel off, and it's back to tribute business as usual at the Dog. It actually takes a few moments to digest, but, as we head out into the evening, it's more and more apparent we've just witnessed everything that used to be right about rock and roll jammed into a 40-minute set of simple pleasure. The Flames are tight, melodic, razor-sharp, less-than-cerebral topic-wise, and, most important, they act like gold-plated, crowd-demanding Rock Stars!
"When I was 14, I saw KISS and said, `Yeah, that's it.' I wanna look cool. I wanna play loud. I wanna blow off bombs," says singer/guitarist Matt Starr (natch) from his home in Hartford. "Anything that's cool about music should appeal to a 14-year-old. Like Brian Wilson and genius this and melody that -- it would still appeal to a 10-year-old. That's why it's good!"
Formed four years ago by Starr, drummer Michael Bone, and bassist Chad Valentine, the Flames wanted to re-inject the tired old body of pop-rock music with a long-forgotten mix of punk swagger, glam-trash hooks, and good, old-fashioned cock. Digging on all the important factors -- the New York Dolls (attitude), Cheap Trick (harmonies), the Romantics (pants), Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and Thin Lizzy (guitar hooks), early Mötley Crüe (decedent-image-meets-savvy-pop-sense), the Ramones ('cuz they're the Ramones) -- the Flames set out to take the world by storm and become rich and famous in the process. As Starr readily admits, "Even before I started this band I didn't want to be an indie band. I wanted to be a super-star. I want to own Disney World, not some cool out-of-the-way place where hip people go! It wouldn't be bad to hop into a band and go [across country], but it would be nice to have a major-label deal, too."
And stardom may not be farfetched for the boys. They have put out a terrific first album of sonic energy, Fast. Easy. Cheap. (Joetown). Loaded with high-octane pop-punk riffs, tongue-in-cheek brashness, and Brit-inspired vocal turns, Fast. Easy. Cheap. conjures up a time when music was straightforward and no nonsense and the most important thing you knew was baseball cards were out and chicks were not quite in. And the band capture that special slice of the American pie past when bombastic, macho, balls-out musicians (not to be to confused with the preening arrogance that would come soon after) were treated like royalty. It's a thorough, carefree hoot complete with hand claps.
The album was also proof enough to be taken under the wing of KISS former manager Rick Aliberte. Since signing on with his RAM Management, the Flames have been on a consistent upswing. They recorded a demo with producer Jimmy Bralower (Mick Jagger, Brian Wilson) on Atlantic Records' dime, had their tune "I Cheated on You" included on a CMJ monthly sampler gratis (as opposed to the grand-or-so it usually sets bands/labels back), been selected by Joey Ramone and Arturo Vega to help celebrate the kick-off of the Ramones official Web page, and showcased to at least a half-dozen major labels in the past three months. It's enough to make your head spin (or at least swell a little) for sure, but Starr figures the Flames have it all in check.
"We weren't naive enough to think some guy would run up with a pen and paper and sign us," he says. "I had one rep tell me, `I love it, but if I bring this to my boss he'll fucking kill me.' We're getting a lot of great comments, but there's a nervousness [about our music]. Labels are particular, and [some] think we have too many hints to the past with the shtick-y stuff we do. We're cutting out some of the gimmicks 'cuz it takes away from the music.
"Music like this can be done. I've seen Kravitz and the Black Crowes do okay," he says of the record businesses' reluctance to take a trip down memory lane. "On the commonsense side of music, it is an obvious pendulum. It's gonna come back this way; it's just a matter of when. I have no fucking choice [than doing this]. I can't sit down and write Korn music. The other two guys are fucked too, 'cuz they have no choice. We all know we aren't going anywhere!"