| Billy's Live Bait | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1990 | |||
| Genre | Rock, country rock | |||
| Length | 35:54 | |||
| Label | Polygram [1] | |||
| Producer | Tom Herbers, Gear Daddies [1] | |||
| Gear Daddies chronology | ||||
| ||||
Billy's Live Bait is the second album by Austin, Minnesota band the Gear Daddies, released in 1990. [2] It was their first release for a major label. [3]
"(I Wanna Drive the) Zamboni" is often played at hockey rinks. [4]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B− [6] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide |  [1] |
AllMusic called the album "sometimes poignant and often humorous." [5] The Chicago Reader called it "terrific," writing that, compared to the debut, "the record is less naive, has more shape, and rocks out more confidently." [7] Trouser Press wrote that "the quartet upgrades its sound and rocks more forcefully, with [Martin] Zellar and [Randy] Broughten bouncing guitar rhythms off one another." [8] The Chicago Tribune wrote: "Though often as dark and unsettling as Al, Billy is more outward-looking, less concerned with small circles." [9] The Los Angeles Times wrote that "the Gear Daddies' basic, garage-rock style is brightened by a touch of country-music color and twang, but the heart of the quartet's vision is in the passionate, liberating edge of Zellar's songs and in the warm, almost conversational tone of his vocals." [10]
Zephire Andre Williams was an American R&B musician who started his career in the 1950s at Fortune Records in Detroit. His most famous songs include the hits "Jail Bait", "Greasy Chicken", "Bacon Fat" (1957) and "Cadillac Jack" (1966). He was also the co-author of the R&B hit "Shake a Tail Feather".
A sonic boom is a shockwave caused by an aircraft or other object travelling faster than sound.
The Gear Daddies are a rock band originally from Austin, Minnesota. Randy Broughten, Nick Ciola (bass), Billy Dankert, and Martin Zellar played their first shows together in 1984. They released singles and albums between 1986 and 1992 and became an important part of the Twin Cities music scene. Most songs were written by Zellar, but Dankert had several of note, including crowd favorite "Time Heals".
Martin Lee Zellar is a Minnesota-based musician and songwriter. Martin Zellar is the brother of writer Brad Zellar.
Let's Go Scare Al is the first album by the American band the Gear Daddies. The album was released in 1988 on the Gark record label, and re-released in 1990 on Polygram Records.
Color of Her Eyes is a 1990 EP by the Gear Daddies. The song Color of Her Eyes is also on their full-length album Billy's Live Bait.
"Zamboni", also known as "I Wanna Drive the Zamboni", is a song written by Martin Zellar and recorded by his band Gear Daddies. The song tells the story of a man's desire to drive an ice resurfacer, popularly known by the brand name "Zamboni", and his request to drive the Zamboni for his local ice hockey team. Since its release, it has sometimes been played between periods at hockey games while the Zamboni cleans the ice.
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The Pulsars was a new wave/indie rock band from Chicago, Illinois, led by Dave Trumfio and his brother, Harry Trumfio. They signed to Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss's Almo Sounds label and recorded two albums in the mid-1990s, one of which was released and another that has yet to be released.
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Brad Zellar is an American author and journalist. Zellar's writing often is accompanied by photographs; he has collaborated several times with photographer Alec Soth. The Coen brothers film A Serious Man, nominated for the 2009 Academy Award for Best Picture, took some inspiration for the visuals based on Zellar's book the Suburban World: The Norling Photos. His book Conductors of the Moving World was named in Time's "Best of 2011: The Photobooks We Loved", and was the recipient of the 2012 Photography for Design Professional Award from D&AD.
Are You Shakespearienced? is the second studio album released by Minneapolis alternative rock band Trip Shakespeare. It was released in 1989 on Minneapolis indie label Gark Records, then reissued in 1998 on Minneapolis label Clean/Twin/Tone Records, and again in 2014 on Omnivore Recordings.
Vermilion is an album by the American band the Continental Drifters, released in 1999. It was first released in Germany, in 1998.
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Colin Escott is a British music historian and author specializing in early U.S. rock and roll and country music. His works include a biography of Hank Williams, histories of Sun Records and The Grand Ole Opry, liner notes for more than 500 albums and compilations, and major contributions to stage and television productions. Honors include multiple Grammy Awards and a Tony Award nomination.
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