The Esperantos

The Esperantos have been plenty busy gigging heavily around Mid-Michigan and befriending Boston’s premier garage band, The Charms featuring Ellie Vee. The Charm’s manager Steev Ricardo was so enamored by the talents of The Esperantos he signed them to his label Red Car Records and produced their eponymous titled CD. This time around the block (this is their sophomore effort), the Esperantos and the Svengali-like Ricardo have produced an incredible garage sound, 3 minute teenage anthems with frantic beats, squealin’ guitar (hit that E-string, brother) and a pimply preoccupation with your best girl –and maybe just a little on the side Each chorus is an instant sing-a-long punctuated with grunts, groans, yipes and hollers, falsetto screams, and any number of oh-yeah’s. And the verses contain a thematic appreciation for all forms of hangin’ out, hookin’ up, dumping and getting dumped, getting’ some and not getting any at all…ahh the angst. This CD puts the F back into fun and that’s what Esperantos music is all about F-U-N. Let’s take a listen to this non-stop rock fest…

Escort a great high energy rocker with hooks that instantly recognizable and a great slashing guitar riff…
I kiss your lips and gently touch your thighs
we brace ourselves, closing our eyes
But after this we’ll say our goodbyes
You see my girl no-no no-no

cool

I’m you seems like it’s straight outta the Sky Saxon “Pushing Too Hard” songbook, barely decipherable but compelling nonetheless

Prognosis is a break-up song – call the Love Doctor right away… a broken heart ain’t nuthin’ that a little lovin’ won’t cure…teenage angst at its big-beat best with a cool, falsetto vocal at the end that let’s you know it’ll be alright. Oh, I feel so smoochie, baby.
Jesus Saves is punked up rocker with a message about rock ‘n roll salvation - Gospel according to the Lizard King. The vocal is filtered to give it an almost metallic Rick Ocasek feel. It’s a hoot and ends too soon.
Cool it Down is a stompin’ delight that has ya singin’ along. The insistent chorus is all you have to remember. Before you move too fast and hit the ground, you gotta…Cool it Down.
Got What I Need is all about primal urges that lead to pleasure and pain and all kinds of unexpected complications. But in the heat of the moment you can throw good sense out the window. All she needs to do is shake that ass and pucker her lips and you better bet that your little Wendell will be a smilin’. This is good rockin’ tonight, mama that is guaranteed to get it movin’.
Pollute Your Mind starts with a softly thumping bass line and high pitched feedback that crescendos into a heavy metal ambience…reminiscent of Iggy. The protagonist is losing his mind and soul for a thing called rock and roll. Go ahead blow your mind, you just might discover something wild and untamed. But… does it ease all the pain?
Better Treat Me Right is another high energy, pull out all the stops rocker that begs the question what’s a young man to do? It’s thematically consistent and a close cousin to Got What I Need.
The steamy I’ll Be Your Man (You do it to me) has a Nirvana feel, shifting from a soft contemplative vibe to an all out screaming thrash fest. It is a ribald ode to the high art of psychosexual drama.
Media Screen is a funky rockin’ tribute to Mcluhan’s warning - the medium is the message. So turn on, tune in and drop out!
Fuel For Greed has a guitar intro that recalls Wayne Kramer. This number rocks hard and takes a gutsy stance against class inequities and the greed that drives American hegemony. Revolt completes the ending triad of tunes that speaks to social injustice, poverty and racism. It’s a minor chord classic and an anthem for the streets.

The Esperantos have released a disc for the times in which we live. This is rock and roll in its finest hour – fun and sexy but imbued with an awareness of the streets. The Esperantos have succeeded in taking us back to our golden years and giving us hope for the future. Rock ain’t dead…this is the proof.

Peace,
Bo White
9/18/06