The Mike Jacoby Electric Trio (from the album The Long Haul

The Mike Jacoby Electric Trio (from the album The Long Haul

The Mike Jacoby Electric Trio (from the album The Long Haul available as a self-release) (by Brian Rock)
The Mike Jacoby Electric Trio plugs in for their high energy debut, The Long Haul. After three solo albums (where Mike played all instruments himself) Jacoby recruited Don Read on bass and Mike Levin on drums. The addition of the rhythm section allows The Mike Jacoby Electric Trio to be more daring in his exploration of new musical directions. The result is a more confident and vibrant sound. The three musicians combine to create a raucous, Cow Punk/Alt Rock fusion that’s equal parts Old 97s, Blag Dahlia, and Camper Van Beethoven.
The album starts, appropriately enough, with “Right Off the Bat”. A tongue in cheek exploration of online dating. The song surges full speed ahead with driving guitar, throbbing bass, and pounding drums as Jacoby and company try their luck with burly biker chicks and emotionally unstable vegans, they call out in exasperation “right off the bat, this online dating. Right off the bat, you get what you get. Right off the bat, there’s no way of knowing. Right off the bat, it sure hasn’t worked out yet’. The bridge features a scorching guitar lick accompanied by rootsy fiddle as the song takes a turn for the better. Singing ‘right off the bat, we felt a connection. We talked and we laughed for hours on end’, Mike Jacoby finally finds a date worth dating. The optimism and energy of the song underscore the message that, in order to hit a home run, you have to step up to the plate.
“Everybody I Know” is an irresistible earworm of Alt Rock. With a catchy chorus, joyful hand claps, and crunchy guitar riffs, the song perfectly embodies its own lyrics that ‘there’s always something to celebrate’. “Everything” recalls the experimental Power Pop of Game Theory. “Be Nice” is a low flow, shoe-gaze ballad that evokes shades of Collective Soul and Liz Frame & The Kickers.
And then the cowboy hats come on.
“The Calm Before The Storm,” begins with Spaghetti Western guitar strains but soon erupts into an Old 97s style Cow Punk profile of a rational man giving in to his baser instincts. “A Better Man,” combines Jacoby’s grunge influences with his Cow Punk sensibilities in stark, staccato rhythms. “She’s Funny That Way,” is a harmonica laced tribute to the often contradictory facets of a woman’s personality. “Bend,” adds Rock and Roll guitar and piano to sing the praises of Bend, Oregon. “Maybe Just Maybe,” features hopped-up Cajun rhythms played on mandolin and fiddle to capture the frenetic energy of walking the minefield of a dysfunctional relationship. On a more somber note, The Mike Jacoby Electric Trio explore the psyche of a man on death row with “If I Don’t Fry”. Acknowledging his past crimes, the protagonist contemplates the life changes he could make if given a second chance. Despite the heavy subject matter, the melody bounces merrily along on amped-up Rockabilly rhythms. The Long Haul captures the electric nihilism of The Plimsouls. Pounding drums exaggerate the ticking of a clock as Jacoby paints a bleak picture of life, singing ‘if you can’t spot the mark, you’re probably it’. Again, the soaring guitar and driving rhythms belie the lyrical tone of the song. Whether enjoying life to the fullest or contemplating life’s inevitable end, the band plays with gusto. The Mike Jacoby Electric Trio certainly earn the electric part of their moniker and seem poised to electrify the Americana scene. (by Brian Rock)
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