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37 Soljas Vol 1  

By Randy Chandler-

Matt Dalton knows all about local original music. As a member of Left, he has been slogging it out in the trenches, struggling to survive in a cover-dominated scene, and watching his band rise to prominence through diligence and effort. As the owner of 37 Studios, he has helped other bands carve their niche and search for their own sound while making them more palatable to the masses. As the driving force behind  37 Productions, he has regularly organized several multi-band showcases, including fundraisers and James Towne Hall shows.

His latest project, entitled 37 Soljas (Soldiers, for those of you who don’t speak ‘street’), is a compilation CD comprised of several local rock acts along with various assorted audio oddities. The premise was simple - each band could contribute two songs to the project for a nominal fee (somewhere in the $100-$200 range). Upon completion, each band would get a specified amount of CD’s to sell (in order to recoup their investment) or give away (in order to spread the word). A few of the artists appearing on this disc were also recorded by Matt, and while the production isn’t exactly sparkling, the sound holds up against the other group’s  tracks, which were recorded at other facilities.

Perhaps the best thing about this disc is that it provides a valuable insight into the up & comers of our original music scene. For those of you who have yet to make it to an actual Hall show, you can now sample bands like Left, Project 420, Sin Embargo, Killshot and Opposing Molly in the privacy of your own home. To top it all off, there’s even a bonus track from Grass, featuring Matt Dalton, as well as a pair of tuns from Dalton’s forthcoming solo release, entitled simply 37. (This disc, by the way, in on 37 Records  - did he get this number from a psychic hotline or something? I mean, for the longest time I thought that ‘87’ was the number of the universe, but I didn’t put 87 all over everything).

While the CD is dominated overall by heavier-sounding groups who have obviously been influenced in some way by the hardcore scene and/or KORN, there is a pleasant diversity in tracks by Opposing Molly, Grass, The Whirligigs and Dalton’s solo material. The Whirligigs, for example, appear to be a side project for members of Project 420 and Left, concentrating on their hilarious obsession with urination (Peephobia, I Wet the Bed)  and providing the CD with more comic relief than Jake Sopcynski’s insipid acapella snippets of the equally insipid Clarence Carter tune, Strokin.

Grass (are they still around?) turns in a fine performance featuring Dalton on the Dance groove of Drop the Funk,  the special ‘bonus’ track hidden at Track 37 (there’s that number again). Funk  would not have been out of place on Grass’ eponymous debut - but then, given that disc’s diversity, not much could have been out of place.

Opposing Molly probably has the most radio-friendly compositions, sporting a Verve Pipe-like ‘alternative’ texture and concentrating on melody more than bombast.

Project 420 turns in two songs from their 4-song EP, Apartment 32 (although if Dalton were in that band it would most likely have been called Apt. 37).  The title track is standard fare, but the dynamic New Life  twists and turns from melodic to raging and back again. 420 have lost some people since this disc hit the streets, but count on them to carry on.

Internal Hate Generator and Sin Embargo, two mainstays of the James Towne Hall scene, pound you relentlessly with hardcore and metal inflected riffery that should appease those around you with a taste for the Heavy.

In sharp contrast to his work in Left, Dalton exhibits his (somewhat) softer side on his two solo tracks, Broken Kaleidoscope  and Souvenir.  But looking at the liner notes (where Matt is featured on no less than 12 tracks) begs the question: isn’t this really Matt’s solo CD? It’s his baby - all the way down to the artwork. Most of it was recorded by Matt, the disc itself is produced by Matt, in Matt’s studioŠIf you count how many times the name Matt Dalton and Number 37 comes up in the liner notes, you have to wonder; A) is this guy keeping the original scene alive all by himself; and, B) doesn’t it seem like he could use a little HELP???

Seriously, though, this disc is well worth owning and is an admirable first attempt. My hat is off to you, Mr. Dalton, for succeeding where many others (myself included) have failed. Keep up the good work, my friend, and I’ll see you in the trenches.

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