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Reviews (Under Construction)
Some Press about Del Noah on the web
OC Weekly by Buddy Siegel
OC Weekly Preview by Buddy Siegel
Big Noise - Timothy Gassen - Review of Dionysus single
Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - review of Blower Explosion
Double Crown catalog http://www.dblcrown.com/id0769.html Links to Del Noah (and other great bands)
Motorcycho
#11 (Reverend Norman)
"...It plays like a soundtrack to many a cheezy 60s/70s beach/biker
flick. Krazy lyrics/stories, nutty sax, and an occasional memory from
my TV youth. Kooky enuff to make it a great listen!"
Renegade
Newsletter Fall/Winter '98/'99
"Slavicsky's Smorgasbord" by Al Slavicsky
Del
Noah and the Mt. Ararat Finks - In Blower Explosion
Skunk Records
Let's travel back to a time when dragsters ruled the highways of America
and where boys would mold their cars into vintage pieces of American
dreams. Del Noah and the Mt. Ararat Finks preserves that time via reviving
classic hot rod gems such as the theme from "The Big Payroll Caper"
and Bert Convey's "Chicken." What makes you really fire your motor is
the special guest appearance of Grizzly Adams himself -- Dan Haggerty
-- on "Sasquatch on a Snowmobile" and "Re-Satch-A-Go-Go," plus the band's
cover of classic Hanna Barbera live show Danger Island theme from The
Banana Splits T.V. show. On your marks, get ready, and go; this instant
classic is the way to go.
Hey,
Jewel: Please Call! A Jewel shines, Donovan actually rocks and Dynamo
Hums
by Buddy Seigal
[excerpt]
.....Also on Friday, DEL NOAH & HIS MT. ARARAT FINKS burn rubber at the Foothill. Equal parts hot-rod music, punk rock, surf vibe and greasy sax squeezin’s, the Long Beach-based band wallows in enough different retro pop-culture obsessions to be fodder for a dozen disparate fanzines, and they do it all with a sense of humor that throws it over the top rope like an airborne wrassler on the receiving end of a flying clothesline. Prepare for a good time.
Surfin',
Draggin' and Wailin
by Timothy Gassen
August 1995
[excerpt]
As far as I can deduce, Del Noah & The Mt. Ararat Finks is yet another semi-offshoot of The Finks [sic--it is not], but I see that the bassist of The Swamp Zombies is in the fold as well.
This constant mixing of the same small pool of like-minded L.A. musicians sometimes creates convoluted band family trees--note that this group probably also has ties to The Witchdoctors, Bomboras and Swinging Fezmen. At the very least they share the genre of instrumental surf-hot rod music.
In any case, the wonderful Rat Fink-ish drag race artwork on Del Noah's Big Sounds Of... seven-inch vinyl EP should clue one into the turbo-charged sounds inside. The liner notes say it all: "Drop your phonograph needle on this record and experience the sounds and smells of nitromethane 'pop' exploding in the belly of an Enderle-supercharged 392 Chrysler Hemi mill...the aroma of composite rubber burning off a set of M&H Racemaster slicks!"
MAGNET
"GARAGE" #35
By Timothy Gassen
[excerpt]
The current surf/trash/dragster craze continues to spit out a surprising wealth of worthy sounds, and Blood Red's "Hot Rods to Hell, Volume II" serves a platter of the globe's best. I haven't heard "Volume I" of the series, but the sequel boasts a bundle of my faves, including The Boss Martians, Surf Trio, Space Cossacks, and Phantom 5ive. The collection jumps off the line with a bang: the distinctive, fuzzy, thumping sounds that can only come from Davie Allan & The Arrows. Vrrrooooooom!
Like other Blood Red comps, this one is chock full of quality -- topped off by primo cover art from Canada's finest ufo/rock'n'roll/monster illustrator, Darren Merinuk.
Del Noah & the Mt. Ararat Finks' track from "Hot Rods to Hell" whets the appetite for their own "Blower Explosion" debut long-player on Skunk Records. Seventeen Del Noah surf & drag blasts might not be enough for me; I snatched up their 1995 Dionysus EP and have been waiting ever since on my doorstep for more. Pick Hit: "Sasquatch on a Snowmobile." It makes me wonder if these cats ever saw the "classic" Bigfoot horror flick "Shriek of the Mutilated." OK. I'm done wondering.
DEL NOAH AND THE MT. ARARAT FINKS In Blower Explosion *** Some infectious moments, lot's of party favors, and a ton of energy in a nonintrusive post innocence presentation. Songs like "Chicken" reinvented into the emerging flutecore movement, and Bobby Darin's "The Lively Set" fill out the CD with totally un-serious vocals perfect for half past four bottle of beer. The lounge vocal covers are hilarious, and the whole concept is tongue-in-cheek silly.
Picks:
Danger Island, Re-Satch-A-Go-Go, Mafia Staff Woody, The Man With The
Golden Shifter, The Enchanted Dragstrip
Label: Skunk Records SK-CD-008 CD
BLOWER EXPLOSION*** Frat based number with horns dominating in a blended way. It is mostly a progression, but you well imagine the frat bros. slam dancing 'til all the girls have gone home. Frat Rock Instrumental Performance: Natural Production: Average Stereo Gotta Have It Factor: Great To Have
THE GHOST OF DRAGSTRIP HOLLOW*** With more than a nod to big band swing, this instro bares no inkling of the former surf roots of this band. It's a mighty fun track, and could sit nicely in the CD player during a screening of "Swing Kids." Fun, just completely incompatible with surf. Big Band Surf Instrumental Performance: Natural Production: Average Stereo Gotta Have It Factor: Great To Have
DANGER ISLAND*** Reminiscent of Uh-oh! Twango, this is a powerful and energetic song with tons of flair. No terribly melodic, but infectious and fun. Quite surfy, in a zoot suit stage dive kinda way. Zoot Suit Surf Instrumental Performance: Natural Production: Average Stereo Gotta Have It Factor: Great To Have
THEME FROM THE BIG PAYROLL CAPER*** Chasing down the salary buss outside a fifties strip joint. It's got that sleazy bump and grind kinda rhythm track and sax lead. Las Vegas, here I come. Strip Joint Instrumental Performance: Natural Production: Average Stereo Gotta Have It Factor: Great To Have
BAJAVISHNU 500*** Sounding like a fast version of a Jewish wedding, this is mostly a progression and energy bar for the party crowd. Where's the shout's of "Hey!?' Frat Rock Instrumental Performance: Natural Production: Average Stereo Gotta Have It Factor: Great To Have
RE-SATCH-A-GO-GO*** Like a magnificent reinvention of the sixties go-go sound as reconstituted by the Ventures, but with actual energy. Progression oriented, party fun, and well arranged. I usually dislike this sort of thing, but this is a fun track. Even the sung middle part is spiffy in that fifties "a-ugga-mugga" jungle portrayal way. Go Go Instrumental Performance: Natural Production: Average Stereo Gotta Have It Factor: Great To Have
MAFIA STAFF WOODY*** Slow, Italian, subtle, and smooth. The spoken lines are not overbearing, allowing it to be mostly an instro with a story line. Mafia Instrumental Performance: Natural Production: Average Stereo Gotta Have It Factor: Great To Have
THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN SHIFTER**** Ah, the legendary Hurst golden shifter. This is a Man With The Golden Arm cover, with major surf guitar, sassy sax, and a sense of a strip joint runway. Loungie, but more garage than that, sleazy, but not cheap. Cool track. Spy Flick Instrumental Performance: Natural Production: Average Stereo Gotta Have It Factor: Miserable Without It
HOLE SHOT*** Sounding like it should be an intro to a party vocal, this just stays in the instro vein, where the various influences blend into a melange of Vegas grind and surf pajama party. Vegas Grind Instrumental Performance: Natural Production: Average Stereo Gotta Have It Factor: Great To Have
THE ENCHANTED DRAGSTRIP**** Thin tin can percussion, vibes shimmering, Martin Denny rolling in his grave... this is a great post exotica semi serious tribute to the bird call generation. The melody is right up Arthur Lyman's alley, with bits of dragstrip announcements and motor sounds fading in and out, as in the ghost of dragstrip past. Ain't no surf, but it's too cool. Faux Exotica Instrumental Performance: Natural Production: Average Stereo Gotta Have It Factor: Miserable Without It