The Rachel Leyco Band are serious. The Assrockers don’t even attempt a serious moment.

Lest you think RLB are too serious to carry your party, realize that this is the band that coined the phrase, “The band that bathes together stays together.”

The power ballad “Stay” from their initial release, The Path, shows what the band is capable of. Crooning “You’re slowly fading away/Please stay,” lead singer-guitarist Rachel carries the lyrics in much the same way Frank Sinatra did his— “As if they were the last words she’d ever sing.”

Even in a talent-saturated area like the DC Metro area, RLB’s live show is stunning. Despite the adult-contemporary music sound of their five-song EP, the band’s live show is a hug of resonant rock and roll, reggae and a little ska.

Key to that resonance is RLB bassist Dale Curran, a Florida native and, no doubt, a Les Claypool disciple. Former guitarist Dale plays the bass as if he is still playing guitar, giving RLB musical texture with his slaps and plucks. Dale guides and sometimes leads the songs, and even red-blooded American males might find themselves looking away from Rachel to watch Dale work.

Oozing with equal charisma, Rachel and Dale share vocals. Getting into the groove, Dale almost climbs over and into his bass as Rachel dances, her smile a small sign that she knows you’re watching and you’ve been included. Hidden behind a drum set, Massachusetts native John O’Donnell can’t be seen, but his sound makes him a presence equal to the front people. Working with Dale’s bass lines and coordinating with Rachel’s riffs, the group plays a powerful set that’s in tune, hard-pressed and on time.

A little less subtle, a little more outlandish are DC’s Assrockers, with songs including “We Will Rock Your Ass (Till You Bleed)”, an EP titled Who’s Got My Panties?, and a lead singer who played their first show without pants. The Assrockers are only serious in their lack of taking themselves seriously. Their biographies are a work of art, their attitudes an artistic statement.

Their sound is decidedly punk, the band backing melodic lyrics such as “You’ve been sentenced to love, by lethal injection,” performing like the offspring of the Ramones, ZZ Top and Van Halen. Lead singer Bison Roghbottom leads this merry cast.

Having allegedly survived being sold into sex slavery in Eastern Europe, bassist Misty Stainz.uses her survival ability to tolerate guitarist Killer-T Roxx and his innate ability to “conjure evil.” The aptly named guitarist Riff Rokkwell came out of hiding this past May. Drummer Durt Sizemore’s claim to fame is being named after his parents’ lawn. This entire group wouldn’t be possible without the talents of Buck Longjohn, who wrote the lyrics for the band’s music.

The A’rockers are as punk as punk used to be, when alternative used to be different. The Rachel Leyco Band likewise aren’t trying to be a quality band — they just are. Each band has a clear concept of what their appeal is, who their audience is and who they’re not trying to be: anything but themselves.

>> Relevant Info:

AssWeb: www.assrockers.com

Rachel Leyco Band
web: www.rlband.com
booking: David Leehy, David@RLBand.com
phone: 804.748.0217
downloads: www.mp3.com