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ALBUM REVIEW: The Ramblin' Ambassadors Ramble On

The Ramblin’ Ambassadors are playing Lucky Bar Friday May, 18 with Rich Hope and his Evil Doers and local legends Budokan.
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The Ramblin' Ambassadors are ramblin into Lucky Bar Friday, May 18.

 

By Nick Lyons

arts@mondaymag.com

Those in search of the perfect summer soundtrack will be hard pressed to do better than The Ramblin’ Ambassadors’ Ramble On.  The band’s third offering on Mint Records takes us on a high-speed, guitar-driven tour of the long standing tradition of garage surf rock ‘n’ roll.

We meet some familiar faces along the way: Ramble On often recalls the sun-drenched ecstasies of guitarists such as Link Wray and Dick Dale, but The Ramblin’ Ambassadors transcend mere mimicry, taking the genre in exciting new directions.

From the time the needle drops on “Standoff at Calf Robe Bridge”, it is easily apparent that Ramble On is the Ramblin’ Ambassadors’ most immediate album to date.

The reverb laced guitars of Brent Cooper and Doug Waite urge one another to greater heights and catchier hooks with ease thanks to the firm rhythmic foundation courtesy of Scott Nickless’ upright bass and Tyler Pickering’s drums.

Standout tracks such as “Back Seat Action” and “Dallas B. Goode” have the energy and spontaneity of the band’s legendary live set, which is set to pull into town this Friday night (May 18) at Lucky Bar.  The album, and the show are well worth the ride. M