This four-piece has all the energy that has been virtually been forgotten since the days of The Revillos/ Rezillos punk.
The Sleaves - The Sleaves
The Sleaves unleash a blend of smart arrangements and harmony rich melodies.
Maurizio Lauroja - Heaven or Hell
Maurizio has the Mink DeVille swagger and the Chris Spedding versatility; he is our choice for Italy's finest guitarist.
Since forming in early 2002, The Barbs have gone from strength to strength. This four-piece has all the energy that has been virtually forgotten since the days of The Revillos/ Rezillos. Unashamedly a punk band, they add twists and nuances that are most unexpected and fully appreciated. Don’t even dare to stick this band into the sounds like (fill-in-the-blank) category—because every time you think you have it figured out, they throw a gorilla-sized monkey-wrench into everything that you believe to be true about them.
The Barbs fans include psychopaths, pill-poppers and all of us at OZ Beat. We anxiously await their tour of the States.
In the meantime, we proudly offer you some great selections by a band that you will be hearing much from in the near future—and we are proud that we are one of the first sites to get it to you.
Formed in March of 2002, The Sleaves unleash a breed of rock 'n roll that blends the smart arrangements and harmony rich melodies of the '60s with a garage pop sound more relevant to today. OZ Beat warns you that they are not to be confused with the current crop of the "The" bands. The Sleaves' live sets range from Saturday morning cartoon Rock (ala Krofft), with bouncy guitar riffs and happy organ, to melancholy sounds rich with layers of vocal harmonies to straight up Rock-N-Roll.
West Coast Performer Magazine wrote: Given the farcical state of modern rock, hearing The Sleaves feels like a real discovery. The band...is one of the few that has truly taken Nuggets-era psychedelic pop as its roots, and expanded into modern influences as opposed to doing it the other way around. The result is the best of both worlds, as the band doesn't need to put forth any effort for its garage-chic pedigree and simultaneously has the liberty to introduce guitar interplay tailor-made for every song that ranges from soulful guitar sass to wholesome mustache rock.
Maurizio Lauroja is one of the musicians who make the work we do at OZ Beat worth it. He is clearly grounded in electro blues. But, there is so much more. He has the swagger of Willy DeVille, the versatility of Chris Spedding, the precision of Snakefinger and the cool soul of Booker T and the MGs. His album “Heaven or Hell” also proves that he has a very talented group of friends. Guido Block’s bass and voice impress throughout; what a great voice! Roberto Gualdi is the drummer that a lot of bands are looking to add to their line-up. They both have an impressive set of credentials, deservedly so. And, like us at OZ Beat, they also see the brilliance in Maurizio’s guitar work.
The rockers really do rock, and the blues numbers, well, they rock too. It was so long ago that Chris Spedding stepped out from his role as a session man and gave us classics like “Hey Miss Betty,” “Pogo Dancing,” “Motorbikin’” and a slew of others. Maurizio succeeds in much the same way. It is easy for OZ Beat to speculate that Maurizio is Italy’s best guitarist; but we don’t know that for sure. What we do know is that Maurizio is one of the best guitarists that we have heard in many years—and “Heaven or Hell” is a musical treasure that belongs in the collection of anybody who loves superb guitar work in the context of extremely well-crafted songs.
