New Wave pioneers The Cars get the tribute treatment on “SUBSTITUTION MASS CONFUSION - A TRIBUTE TO THE CARS”. The CD will be released by indie label Not Lame Recordings. Among those taking the wheel for the tribute are BUTCH WALKER (ex-Marvelous 3, producer for Avril Lavigne and The Donnas), JASON FALKNER (ex-Jellyfish), JON AUER (The Posies, Big Star), ACTION ACTION, SPIRALING, BLEU, DAMONE, The ARGUMENT, Enuff Z'nuff's JOHNNY MONACO, and THE BRAVERY, who were recently named one of Rolling Stone Magazines “10 Bands To Watch“. A portion of the proceeds from the CD will be donated to The American Cancer Society in memory of Cars’ bassist Benjamin Orr, who passed away from the disease in 2000.
The Cars were the most successful American band of the New Wave era. From their self-titled debut album in 1978 until their final album, 1987’s “Door To Door”, the band racked up a long string of hits, including “Just What I Needed”, “My Best Friend’s Girl”, “Let’s Go”, “Touch And Go“, “Shake It Up”, “You Might Think”, “Drive”, and “Tonight She Comes”.
Combining elements of early rock ‘n’ roll, the British Invasion, art rock, and the burgeoning punk scene, The Cars were a breath of fresh air on a musical landscape that had grown stale and bloated. Songwriter/singer/guitarist Ric Ocasek coupled supreme pop sensibilities with a quirky, totally original point of view. Combining that with singer/bassist Benjamin Orr’s cool vocal delivery, Greg Hawkes other-worldly synthesizer flourishes, Elliot Easton’s fluid, melodic guitar lines, and David Robinson’s cutting edge drum sounds, and you had a band that was truly unique.
In their time, The Cars were able to appeal to a wide range of the music listening public. Punk, hard rock, and pop fans alike were taken with The Cars‘ sound. Not everyone had a metal album in their collection, but chances were they had at least one Cars album. This fact is driven home by the artists involved in “Substitution Mass Confusion”. The set features 21 tracks from a wide array of rock, power pop, punk, and electronic artists.
Even though their last album came out 17 years ago, The Cars' influence is still being felt in 2005. “Substitution Mass Confusion ” is proof enough of that.
Below is the full artist lineup for “Substitution Mass Confusion - A Tribute To The Cars” :
JASON FALKNER - Touch And Go
BUTCH WALKER (Epic Records) - My Best Friend’s Magic Girlfriend
THE BRAVERY (Island/Polydor Records)- It’s All I Can Do
BLEU (Aware/Columbia Records) - You Might Think
JON AUER (Pattern 25 Records)- Misfit Kid
DAMONE (RCA Records) - Just What I Needed
OWSLEY (Lakeview Entertainment) - Got A Lot On My Head
THE ARGUMENT - Hello Again
GIGOLO AUNTS featuring KID LIGHTNING - I’m Not The One
SPIRALING - Bye Bye Love
ACTION ACTION (Victory Records) - Tonight She Comes
THE MILLIONS - You’re All I’ve Got Tonight
CHRIS VON SNEIDERN - Drive
PURRBOX - Shake It Up
JOHNNY MONACO - Dangerous Type
DOUG POWELL - Candy-O
THE ANDERSONS! - Since You’re Gone
DUM DOG RUN - Let’s Go
SPARKLE*JETS UK - Slip Away
THE CAUTIONS - Nightspots
THE DAYBIRDS - Good Times Roll
For soundclips and artist bios:
http://www.notlame.com/thecars.htm
