Inner Psychos

Seven Hill men do it all in 20 minutes

by John O'Neill

In the bowels of the Midtown Mall, in a rehearsal space that feels like a sweltering tropical forest and smells like a mix of wet carpet and a giant sweat sock, the boys of Seven Hill Psychos are way too upbeat for the surrounding conditions. Maybe it's the refrigerator of Budweiser that keeps them from cracking, maybe they're just giddy from the stifling fumes ingested in the past two hours. Or maybe it's that they know better things are just around the corner come Friday night when their long-awaited CD, Innerpsycho (ECAE), finally hits the street.

"It really took us a while to get this thing out," says bassist Brian Silver, "there were time constraints in the studio, and we were gigging like mad."

"It was a learning experience," adds Brian Holbrook, 7HP's frontman. "We probably didn't plan as well as we should have, so the problems seemed really magnified. But in the end, we got a good product that represents the band."

The band started up about two years ago as East Coast Psychos, then rapidly morphed from a trio who featured a more electronic dance edge into the current five-piece group who seem more intent on making jokes and kicking ass. Sporting the same mix of rap, hardcore, and metal influences as local contemporaries like Chillum and N.E. Hostility, they produce a sound that is indigenous to the Worcester area (Wormcore?). They also conjure up aspects of a few national biggies. 24-7 Spyz, Limp Bizkit, and Rage Against the Machine would fit the bill, though the Psychos bring enough of themselves to the table to avoid real finger pointing.

With nine songs weighing in at just over 20 minutes, Innerpsycho, recorded in Milford at Audio Excellence, lays out short, sharp jabs of socio-political rhetoric and backs it up with a sledgehammer of sound. The thick low end of bassist Silver and drummer Bill Coomey and power riffing of guitarist Mike Moroney allow a solid base for Holbrook's gattling gun-like rapping and the jungle-gym scratching of D.J. Shaboo (Mike Napier).

"Shaboo is as important a part of this as anyone, he's like our lead guitarist," says Holbrook and band members are quick to agree. "I'm sure when people hear this CD they'll go, `Wow, that's what he does,'" adds Coomey with a small laugh. "Sometimes he gets lost in the live mix."

From the shower-scene sample of Hitchcock's Psycho to lead the album off, Innerpsycho kicks into high gear with the motivational "Vindication" that sets the tone of the entire album. While the idea of being a small cog in a big machine ("Stuck," "Shelflife") or the condition of humanity ("Day After Day" "Vindication"), is continually examined throughout the album, so is the idea that it's up to the individual to make the change and that the positives will cancel the negatives.

"There's enough of [negativity] going around," says Holbrook. "See through the bullshit, don't let the world just pass you buy. That's what we want to say."

With the release of Innerpsycho, the band will be looking to immediately expand their horizons, including an impending move out of their current shithole practice space.

"We've really done all we can in Worcester, we've got to start pushing it and getting shows out of the area," says Holbrook as the band begin to pack up their gear. "We've been to Providence, and we'll be in Long Island and New York by summer. We're also looking for management ("Underline professional management!" shouts Moroney from across the room) to help push the CD. We wanna represent the city, it's a kickin' music scene."

Sticker shock

The second big CD-release party this week comes in the form of North Brookfield-based Sticker who celebrate their first, Babie Babie! (ECAE).

Featuring 12 songs that deal chiefly with the topic of relationships, generally of the unrequited-love variety or of wanting to put the hurt on someone who pissed them off, Babie Babie! rolls gleefully along like some long-lost artifact from the early-'80s California new wave movement. Spiked with flourishes of ska/reggae and jingle-jangle guitar, the album works because of the endearing innocence of the lyrics. "Social Butterfly" could be the follow-up to the Shaggs legendary "My Pal Foot Foot," and when vocalist Marci Johndrow sings "You stupid fucking priss, your face I will not miss," you can't help but bite your lip as if the host's three-year-old just uttered her first dirty word in front of the well-attended dinner party. Which doesn't imply that these kids shouldn't be taken seriously, they do have a few genuinely smart observations ("Otherside" and "Pink Guitar") along the way and are a ton of fun to listen to. The hidden bonus track, tucked away at 69 (get it!), is one of the true great kiss-off songs of all time, like Jossie Cotton on a serious rag.

Sticker are so darn sweet, you'll either want to puke from the sugar overload or up their allowance.