Album Details

• Artist: G.g.elvis & The Tcp Band
• Album: A Punk Elvis Tribute
• Label: Mental
• Year of Release: 2008
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: patchen on 2008-06-22

Remember the bad Paul Simon movie "One Trick Pony"? While it had nothing to do with a band with one idea hammered home until the joke is tired,  I was thinking of the title while listening to "A Punk Elvis Tribute." It is not that these Elvis covers set to hardcore are bad, it is just that

a)Dread Zeppelin did it better, being among the first to mash-up, and

b) Elvis as a target for tribute/ridicule has been kinda played. So, while funny and occasionally inspired, that means it seems a bit lazy too.

G.G. Elvis' credentials are solid, as it features former members of NOFX, Aggression, Bad Samaritans, and Ill Repute. They all have taken on personas ranging from Elvis of Nazareth, and Elvis '56, to the aforementioned G.G. (Eric Lara). There are some winners here, and the record is full of aggressive and snotty punk. Best are the songs that offer some sort of mash-up, be it "Viva Las Vegas" delivered to the tune of Black Flag's "Six Pack." In the same vein there is also "Suspicious Minds ("Holiday in the Sun") and "A Little Less Conversation" with its nod to Rocket From The Crypt's "Sonic Reducer."

This debut disc also comes with a DVD that features interviews and live video clips. Yes, the white jumpsuit is in full effect. "A Punk Tribute to Elvis" is just that: irreverent, slightly compassionate, and saw-tooth loud. We don't need this, but it is fun for a spin or two. Old gods never die; they just float down to earth to picked apart by us when the myth no longer makes sense.

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