
The Hungry Dutchmen: S/T, 6 songs, 1988
PERSONNEL:
Tony Faske: Vocals
Alec Cumming: Bass, backing vocals, teeth
Paul Rose: Guitars
Cynthia Harden: Keyboards
Mike Bowman: Drums
Produced by The Hungry Dutchmen
Engineer: John Rosenberg
Recorded & mixed at Water Music, Hoboken
TRACK LISTING:
Fancy Songbird
Quiet Times
Goin’ Crazee
Give It To Me!
Caught Unprepared
Whenever We Reminisce
The Hungry Dutchmen was the first band I ever reviewed; I need to check to see if this is the first tape. Let’s assume that’s true. What a great start!
This is exciting, polished power-pop, influenced by The Kinks, Graham Parker, Elvis Costello, Beatles, and such. “Quiet Times” is anything but, Alec’s thrumming bass contrasting nicely against Cynthia’s twinkling keys. (Alec and Cynthia were married for a while; their daughter Julia sings and plays bass for Sunflower Bean.) “Goin’ Crazee” is swingin’ fun, with a snappy vocal from Tony, but “Give It To Me!” does it one better. This is power pop!
I can still picture the Dutchmen onstage at little McGovern’s Bar on Spring Street, the night Eric Neher brought me to see his friend Tony’s band. What a thrill that was!
Alec went on to start Bite The Wax Godhead with Cynthia; played bass for The Sharp Things for a few years, appearing on Foxes & Hounds; and more recently, tore space and time asunder my band, TORCHY. Mike Bowman, who did the great cover art on this cassette, and who as MJB became a key figure in cassette culture, no longer makes music, preferring to focus exclusively on his spectacular paintings. You’ll be hearing more from both of them in the weeks to come!
5 thoughts on “The Hungry Dutchmen: S/T, 6 songs, 1988”
Hey Jim (or should I say Andy…) this was not the first demo… the first tape in 1987 had a different guitarist (from Hoboken band Bell Book and Candle), no keyboards, and featured our MTV song “Alone on a Saturday Night”…
thanks for setting me straight, MJB!
Mike speaks the truth. We are honored that we were the first band you reviewed! And McGoverns was really our home base and hang out… I miss it so much. But those were different times.
My credit for “teeth” is due to the fact that engineer John Rosenberg – or was it James MacMillan? – kept hearing these odd rhythmic clicking sounds as he was working up Hungry Dutchmen mixes. He soon discovered that that sound was coming from my background vocal tracks, as I had a totally unconscious (and, when revealed, embarrassing) habit of clicking my teeth in rhythm with the beat as I was waiting to chime in with a background vocal. I have some rough mixes from that time from before we realize the clicking thing was happening. Oy.
LOL now i wanna sample your teeth!