Any House Of Freaks fans in the house?

PopTodd · **Posted:** Thu Nov 17, 2005 11:25 am

Listening to Cakewalk right now and I have loved this album for some 14 years now. One of my all-time underrated records.

Folk-based indie rock with lots of garbage/homemeade percussion. Some cool lyrics and lovely melodies, too.
Good stuff.

Anyone else like these guys?

jewels santana · **Joined:** Thu Nov 04, 2004 2:36 pm **Posts:** 10198

my brother liked them.
you crazy midwestern folk.

Finch Platte · **Posted:** Thu Nov 17, 2005 11:37 am

I had Monkey On A Chain Gang for the longest time, and while I liked it for a while, I kept wishing they had used a bass player.

Finally sold it or something. Moving on.

PopTodd · **Posted:** Thu Nov 17, 2005 11:42 am

The AllMusic review of Cakewalk

Quote:

Still mining Southern gothic for inspiration and making modern roots music, House of Freaks were a bit early for the No Depression movement; "Rocking Chair" would sound just dandy beside anything by Wilco or Son Volt. Yet, on this record, the group tried to push the envelope of what their brand of folk and roots music was about and ended up sounding a little generic, perhaps due to producer Dennis Herring's Timbuk 3 touch. Nonetheless, the charming, Jules Shear-like "Honor Among Lovers" and the Waitsian drinking song "Remember Me Well" stand out. (3 stars)

I give it a bit more credit than that, but it's a relatively accurate description of the sound (minus the Timbuk 3 comparison.)

Billzebub · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 10:26 pm **Posts:** 6459

I saw them open for someone, forget whom, back in '89 or so--not overly impressed by their live stuff nor by their rekkids.

billy g · **Joined:** Mon Oct 25, 2004 1:41 pm **Posts:** 9020

Gobblezebub Wrote:

I saw them open for someone, forget whom, back in '89 or so--not overly impressed by their live stuff nor by their rekkids.

It might have been the Ramones. I saw 'em open for the Ramones around that time at Maxwells. Hell maybe we were at the same show.

I owned a couple of their lps but generally agree that they were nothing special. I eventually traded them all in.

Edit: I did notice recently that Rhino had reissued some of their work. I thought it was a peculiar pick for them.

fuse · **Posted:** Thu Nov 17, 2005 2:19 pm

I loved Tantilla and Cakewalk through high school and that weird super lofi indie one they did after that. One of those bands that one day lose their appeal for no real reason. Back in the day, Tantilla was my "fall" record.

Any House Of Freaks fans in the house?

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