Today we are given the gift of true grit Rock N Roll from Sussex, UK group Gripper Lee 3 and we are here for it!
The song's name is “Rock N Roll Absolution” and that’s what we have to listen to. This song starts out with exactly what you’d expect, rocking jams and riffs that are blues inspired on the guitar. Tone-wise, there isn’t a whole lot of gain, but that also helps the band stand out and be different than more traditional Rock music. The guitars make you slowly hang your head in the bluesy- slower-paced Rock N Roll anthem. Vocally, there is a lot of grit and you can tell that the singer is coming from a place of experience in the genre and in life, selling it all with a fantastic delivery. Around the 2:40 mark, we are hit with the bomb of a guitar solo that goes down like a nice glass of scotch while simultaneously melting your face.
The melodies are infectious and stay with you for the rest of your day, as you find yourself tapping along and singing the song under your breath, even hours after! The song ends with a drowned out repeating riff and phrase “I want to die in you” and makes it impossible to not sing along while listening, wherever you may be.
Do yourself a favor and listen to “Rock N Roll Absolution” here.
Thanks for talking with us today at Buzz Music! Your song “Rock N Roll Absolution” is super blues-driven. Where did the sonic inspiration come from for this track?
You’re very welcome. Thanks for asking. Crofty, our guitarist came up with this one. He’s very much from a blues and country background and loves playing fingerstyle. The dirty opening riff sounds like classic blues, and is very much a statement of intent, looking to grab the listener’s attention and drag them into the song. There’s a sleazy quality to it too, which goes with the frankly weird refrain of “I want to die in you.” It’s a love song really though, and the main chord progression and chorus have more than a hint of glam rock. When I heard it (Richie, bass), I was put in mind of maybe Lou Reed around the time of his “Transformer” album. We’ve gone big on backing vocals for the chorus, and the layering is reminiscent of that glam rock re-imagining of doo-wop and rock’n’roll harmonies: the sort of thing David Bowie does on “Drive-In Saturday”, for example.
It seems like you guys are having a lot of fun. What is the main objective with this track, record, and band?
Oh yes, we really are having a lot of fun with this. We’ve all been around a long time, have played in loads of different bands, and we’re at the point now where we suddenly realize that we probably haven’t got that many years left, so we might as well just go for it and have a blast. All of our music has an underlying theme of the inevitability of death, but we try to make it a joyous pessimism, to really celebrate the time we have. The album title, “Glorious Insignificance”, comes from a line in this song. We’re all too aware of how small we are in terms of the universe, the unimaginable vastness of time and space, and of how brief our existence is, but we accept that and revel in it.
How long have you all known each other for and when did the band begin?
We met by chance in 2016, three and a half years ago, after being introduced by the owner of our local record store. We clicked as players straight away, but the band was almost finished before it started when Gripper, our drummer, was badly injured in a serious motorcycle accident. It took a long time to recover from, and he had to learn a whole new drumming technique, having metal plates in his smashed wrists. Once we were back playing again though, that brush with doom really gave us the impetus to get on and write and record our songs, and we haven’t stopped since.
Who was your producer for this album and why was that choice made?
We’ve made three albums to date, and they’ve all been recorded at Broadoak Studios in Bexhill, our home town in East Sussex, UK, with producer Harvey Summers. The initial choice was really based on location, and that the studio had an excellent live room and some lovely vintage mics and equipment. We very much prefer to all play live together when we record. Harvey is an easy person to work with and has an amazing ear and attention to detail, along with boundless patience and good humor. There was no question of not going back to Broakoak Studios for this album.
Lastly, are there any plans to tour or play live?
We love playing live, and we’re told we have an engaging if slightly worrying stage presence. We tend to hold the attention of a room. There’s lots of banter and plenty of alarming dance moves and guitar jousting. We play regularly in our own area around the south coast of England, with occasional forays into Brighton and London. We’d love to go further afield and try our music out on new audiences. We’re old school (we don’t use sat-nav), and we’re local everywhere, so if we get a chance to play your town we’ll be there like a shot. Hope to see you soon!