Cadillac Hitman play with an attitude

By Mark Dagostino GLOBE CORRESPONDENT

NEWBURYPORT, Mass. - They take over the stage. The dark shades. The attitudes. The cap-gun wielding bass player in the leopard-skin mini-dress.

The echoing wail and pulse of electric guitars bring "Pulp Fiction" flashbacks and naughty male dreams of Annette Funicello. The driving rhythms seem to undress, leaving you longing, strangely, for an Eldorado convertible and a long desert highway.

The place gets seedy. It just might eat you. So you light up a cigarette, show off your tattoo, and throw back a slug of tequila.

No doubt about it. The Cadillac Hitmen are like nothing you've seen or heard in New Hampshire - or maybe this side of the Mississippi.

Sure, that could be said for the simple fact that none of The Cadillac Hitmen ever step up to the microphone to sing. That the Hitmen have no singer at all. That they're an instrumental band in a singer-filled world.

'Life has teeth. That's what this album is about: What can happen when you allow yourself to flirt with darkness, and it overwhelms you. It's a social commentary, and I think it's appropriate.'
JEFF MORRIS Lead guitarist

But where else in these parts do you see a band steeped in the dark side of surf-rock traditions? A band whose albums are laid out like soundtracks to some imaginary film? A band with the guts to plug in the amplifiers in the middle of a hoot night at Portsmouth's folk-heavy The Press Room?

"We don't take polls before we do what we want," says bass player Tina Marconi.

Point taken. The foursome titled their first GD, "The Assassin," and it features a photo of Marconi on the front, straddling two Cadillac's and pointing a gun at the listener. Their new CD is called "Tri-State Killing Spree," and from the music itself to the photos inside, it reflects an imaginary story: The story of a man who becomes a killer. As told in the liner notes, after shooting number one, "the desert stretched out in front of him for miles and miles like a dare."

It's not violence for violence's sake. It's part of the world The Cadillac Hitmen create. A world steeped in Quentin Tarantino. A brand new soundtrack for "Natural Born Killers." Which may seem disconcerting in these times of high school violence.

"We didn't set out to bother anybody - especially in the current climate," said guitarist Robert Garceau.

The new album's title track was written two years ago. All of the tunes, with titles from "Lock 'n Load" and "Cold Sweat" to "Do The lguana," were written before anyone had heard of Columbine High School. And there's nothing here but suggestion and imagination anyway: There are no lyrics, and therefore, no message other than what you, the listener, bring to the song.

Even if there was, the members won't apologize for their creative vision.

"Everybody today seems to be walking on eggshells, so afraid of offending," Marconi says.

"Life has teeth," says lead guitarist Jeff Morris. "That's what this album is about: What can happen when you allow yourself to flirt with darkness, and it overwhelms you. It's a social commentary, and I think it's appropriates" Appropriate or not, it sounds fantastic.

Marconi, Garceau, and Morris, along with drummer Steve Tolland, are musicians first and foremost.

And they're not teenagers, either, who just started playing a few months before releasing their first CD. Morris and Garceau were members of a popular New Hampshire punk band, The Bruisers. Tolland and Marconi served as the foundation to a punk band, The Hellions.

"From the very first practice, we knew it was going to go somewhere," says Morris. Their third practice was the one that moved boldly into The Press Room's hoot night. And in July, the band will celebrate its third anniversary - years of playing dives, roadhouses, barns, and parties up and down the coast, from Newbury-port to Portland. They've even brought their brand of "Desert Surf' music to a wedding reception. Of course, the cops came in and broke up the party, but that's a different story.

The music here is influenced as much by B-movie soundtracks as it is by Ry Cooder, The Ventures, and The Shadows. It draws a determinedly post punk crowd, as witnessed by the screaming, smoking, tattooed fans who crowded into Newburyport's The Grog and downed bottles of Miller Beer on a recent Thursday night.

Even the band's ballads move with a desert pulse that feels like an escape from New England. And with Morris's arching guitar solos, the band's fantastic dynamic range, and the members' obvious knack for treating each instrument as an independent voice, a lead singer isn't missed for a moment.

"I can't overplay anymore," says drummer Tolland, smiling after years spent quieting things down so the singer in his previous bands could be heard"

"We do this because we love it. We really enjoy playing," says Garceau.

And the attitude and style that make The Cadillac Hitmen stand out from the crowd comes from one simple fact, Morris says: "We're not your average soccer morns and dads."

They do hold down so-called "regular" jobs, though. Marconi is a hairstylist at Portsmouth's Studio 15. Garceau writes benefits for self- employed individuals. Tolland is house painter. And Morris is a sales'' men for German printing ink.

Not that that takes away from The Cadillac Hitmen mystique.

"Tri-State Killing Spree, produced at BobCat Studios in Seabrook, sounds better than any locally produced album has a right to. The, CD's art work and layout, designed by a firm in San Antonio, Texas, seems more like an extended movies, poster than liner notes. The tongue- in-cheek disclaimer reads, "No horses or pedestrians were harmed'-during the making of this film." And instead of saying "thanks" to people-who helped out with the project, it lists the people they're "saving the' worm for."

"We're hoping that our application to the National Endowment for the Arts would go through," says Marconi, dry as can be.

Instrumental electric guitar music is an intimidating genre. The established vanguard is a pantheon of legends; Link Ray, The Shadows, Duane Eddy, Dick Dale, The Ventures. Attempting to stick your toes in those big shoes is at best a noble gesture and at worst a hackneyed send-up.

The Cadillac Hitmen are that rare entity which understands the sacred nature of that which has come before, and which humbly aspires to participation in their chosen idiom's perpetuation. This is a great band with an evolved sense of self, a peculiar combination of humility and confidence, and a devotion to concept, composition and tone. Lead guitarist Jeff Morris is The Cadillac Hitmen's most eloquent spokesperson: "A big part of playing music is communicating the drama of an experience that you might have had, or maybe might not have had. Through the music, whether it happened to you or not, you understand the idea. You might live vicariously through the vision of the musician, or maybe you've experienced something similar. That's a lot of what blues music is about, that's what we try to create."

The Cadillac Hitmen's new CD, "Tri-State Killing Spree," is easily the best local release in the past year. You have to go back to Percy Hill's "Color in Bloom" or Say Zuzu's "Bull" to find a rival. It is a cogent concept, beautifully articulated-a south western soundtrack of murder most foul and a death wish whose inevitability is outstripped only by its almost joyful acceptance.

Text describing a working man coming to the end of his rope is included with the liner notes, providing a time line of events that underscores the music. Stopping for gas, aspirin and tequila after a long day of work, the protagonist fields an obnoxious comment from the gas station attendant. Before the pump jockey knows it, he's got chest full of slugs. With a full tank, plenty of Blue Agave and a headache to beat all hell, the driver heads west, knowing that the yokel who pumped his gas wouldn 't be the last stiff he'd leave in his wake.

The music is highly reminiscent of Ennio Morricone's soundtracks for Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns starring Clint Eastwood. "For a Few Dollars More." "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly," and many other of Leone's dust-in-your-teeth, bang bang shoot-em-up flicks are given a gracious tip of the hat on this recording. Guitarist Morris acknowledges the influence: "To borrow a phrase, a lot of what 'Tri-State Killing Spree' aspires to be is themes from imaginary westerns. It's Ernest Borgnine with ketchup packets in his shirt." When I asked the band about their own munitions, bassist Tina Marconi, drummer Steve Toland and Morris all instinctively turned to look at guitarist Robert Garceau. "I have a few guns," Garceau said with an understated deadliness. Given the recent events in the Balkans, it is interesting to try and imagine a similar herding of people out of their homes taking place in America. Marauding thugs stumbling across The Cadillac Hitmen's rehearsal space would quickly find themselves staring down the business end of a .357 Magnum. "I read a statistic that there are 250 million people in this country and 200 million guns" Garceau recounted. "I'd like to see that number double." Morris added to Garceau's threat. "All of our equipment is in the basement. Anyone is welcome to try to rip us off." All weaponry thankfully remained in the holsters throughout the interview, but I made a mental note to knock loudly the next time I come over to visit The Hitmen.

Given the band's gritty, visceral approach to both image and music, it is interesting to note that they have had an Internet strategy in place for more than a year. Their website (www.spwa.com/thecadillachitmen) is currently flirting with passing the 5000 hit mark, and has served as a meeting place for like-minded bands and fans, and even introduced them to the artist who designed their stunning CD jacket. Brian Parrish, a Texas-based artist and photographer has created a perfect visual compliment to the band's musical concept. A sunset image of Texas tombstones, an eerily enhanced depletion of a highway sign and grainy photos of the band's members all combine to convey the dark and murderous aura of this CD. There isn't a single sung or spoken word on "Tri-State Killing Spree," but the moods depicted are as clear and absolute as bullet through your forehead. The first two songs on the release, "Black Snake Road" and "Bullet Dance" barrel out of the speakers with thick, beefy guitar tones that guitarists and fans of great amp sound will adore. Reverb that hangs in the air like a ceiling fan and the howling tubes of Marconi's, Garceau's and Morns' amplifiers lend this recording an honesty and liveliness that will be irresistible to afi-cionados of instrumental guitar music. The recording is patient throughout, not afraid to slow down and ponder, or to leave the murky world of minor chords in favor of more ostensibly cheerful compositions. In the context of the recording as a whole, these more upbeat and positive compositions take on an even creepier hue than the classic minor twang that largely defines the surfabilly genre.

The Cadillac Hitmen's lineup has remained constant since July of 1997. Bassist Tina Marconi attributes this relative longevity to all of the band's members being "equally maladjusted," and to the fact that they don't have a singer. "Most of them are assholes. And for me, it's more interesting to play instrumental music. When you have lyrics, it's like you're telling the audience what to think. A lot of people who go to an art museum can't handle abstract concepts. They want to look at a painting and be able to say 'that's a bowl of fruit.' That's not our audience. People coming to a Cadillac Hitmen show have to bring their imaginations with them."

Drummer Steve Toland's surprisingly progressive playing on this CD is worthy of note. Typically, the role of the drummer in guitar-based instrumental music is to provide a hard-chuggin' boom-bap that the guitar players can flail over. Toland does this with considerable aplomb, but in addition, he asserts himself as creative, thinking musician throughout.Ambitious fills and fearlessly sparse playing over the ballad numbers establish Toland as one of the seacoast's truly fine percussionists.

A series of performance dates have been scheduled to herald the release of "Tri-State Killing Spree." On the morning of May 7, they will play live on WHEB's "Morning Buzz" show during morning drive time. May 8 finds The Cadillac Hitmen at what has become the band's favorite club, "Maria's Lounge" in Rowley, Massachusetts. "It's the coolest dive around," says Morris. An in-store release performance is scheduled at Rock Bottom Records in downtown Portsmouth at 4:00 PM on May 9, and a club release is scheduled at The Coat of Arms on May 13 in the evening.

Rock Bottom Records proprietor Kevin Guyer and Fishtraks Recording Studio owner Tom Daly have joined together to form "Broken White," a production company which is footing the bill for the release of "Tri-State Killing Spree." Given the more than generous return on The Cadillac Hitmen's first release "The Assassin," combined with the band's stability, existing market strategy and work ethic, the investment is a sound one.