Word on the Street

Over the years we've had our fair share of critics these are a few of the ones that have at least some mastery of the English language...

Inner Prism
Hands down, this is the best CD I've been sent to review so far. This band from Cambridge, Mass consists of Jaime d'Almeida, John Haydon, and Dave Zimmerman. fIVE dOLLAR mILKSHAKE (think of Pulp Fiction and you should get the name of the band) sounds like a mix of Counting Crows, Buffalo Tom, and The Rolling Stones. This CD is fun, upbeat, but, at times, is soft and melodic. The one constant with all 12 songs is the musicianship. Everything mixes really well, nothing sounds out of place. fdm reminds me of a band you go to see in a bar and before you know it, they're on the last set and you're thinking, "is it that late already?" My favorite songs on the CD were "Mass O Tunes", "Nada Novo", "Jenifer", "Dog ITMOB", and "C is for Crass", which may just be one of the best songs of the 90's. Everyone should have a copy of this CD, it's a must. (JJC)

Zine Of The Times
First Impression:
Five Dollar Milkshake is a good rock band. With some good driving tunes and some nice ballad's, these guys have a unique sound that should get them far in the music business. They have some very talented musicians and have a good knowledge of how to put songs together. If you like rock that is not too heavy, you'll like Five Dollar Milkshake. Oh yea, ask them how they got their name for the band.
Some suggestions:
Nicely put together piece of work.
Favorites:
Mass O Tunes - Good driving song. Quick and to the point!, Nada Novo - Good rock ballad, Let Go - I like the organ sound on this one. Good vocals, 3:05 On The Hill - Nice drum groove here. Good song, C Is For Crass - Another good ballad with some nice vocals, Inspiration Fleece - Liked the vocals on this one, Mass O Tunes (RA)
This CD is recorded with very good quality and the production is very good as well. Five Dollar Milkshake has a good thing going here. They have a unique sound with some very good musicians. With well put together songs and good lyrics, Five Dollar Milkshake should go a long way in the music business. Check em' out!
Overall on a scale from 1-5, I give it a 4.

Orange Street Press
Listening to this fine CD, I found myself flashing on Adam Duritz and Counting Crows, particularly the harder edged Recovering the Satellites album. That's not a bad deal, to be thinking of a band like that whilst drinking in this band -- it reflects five dollar milkshake's roots rock sound -- but so many bands don't take the sound much further than what a jaded critic might chalk up as a pleasant but derivative take on the norm. But as I listened to the CD again and again I found that this Boston-based band has its own identity for sure -- there's wit, humor, even some homespun heartland countrified emotion. There's also a quirky, punky edge that shouldn't be overlooked. It all comes down ultimately (and as usual) to the songwriting. There's no substitute for good, diverse, solid songwriting, and this band delivers the goods. All this wrapped in appealing but not overly slick DIY production. There's some great sounding hammond organ backing up the core guitar/drums/bass trio of Jaime d'Almedia, Dave Zimmerman, and John Haydon.
Let's cut to the chase. This one's a keeper. Essential rock and roll, especially for those of old enough to be steeped in earthy 70's rock. Keep an eye glued to these up and comers.
j. esch

Anti-Elitist Audio Zine
It took a few listens, but I really started to like this album. I hear a lot of Uncle Tupelo influence in the vocals and music. Plenty of lyrical hooks. I guess what made me hesitant at first was the overuse of the Hammond organ at times. Don't get me wrong. I love that sound, but this just reminded me of the Black Crows, and I just need more time to recover from that traumatic period of music. But hey! It's just a session player on a couple of songs. John, Jaime and Dave play several great stripped down rock tunes like "Mass O Tunes", "3:05 On The Hill", and one of this issues features... "It's A Fish". I was torn between "Fake Stars", "C Is For Crass", and "Inspiration Fleece" for a second tune to stick in this issue, but I opted for the latter. A great quirky little tune. I'd like to hear what these guys do next. Email them fdm@fivedollormilkshake.com

The Noise
It's like these former Pennsylvanians have been listening to lots and lots of Rolling Stones albums and the good stuff too, c. 1968-1973. Whatever the reason, their songwriting has improved immeasurably. Maybe they're just working at it. A little harder than before. I dunno. But whatever the reason, the results are surprisingly gratifying. Fact is, the infinitely poignant lament, "C is for Crass," is one of the best local tunes I've heard since God was a pup, and though the other tunes are sketchy betimes, they are all-in-all quite charming, with strange yet exotically appropriate chords you probably won't find in Mel Bay, as well as wierdly apt rhythmic twists and turns, as on "Mr. Bartender." Bueno. "C is for Crass" is my pick for Song of the Month. ****1/2

hEARd
Hopefully not an indictment of what the band's shows are like because their recordings are spectacular. No Crowd is a big improvement on the last tape I received from them called Ice Cream Headache, the songwriting showing an improvement also. This time around, they've moved into a different sort of sound, at times a little like the sounds of Counting Crows, but impressing me more than they have at times. We open with "C Is For Crass", a song which is a pretty good opener, but much better than this is what follows this one, "In My Blood" & "Golf Killed My TV" pretty cool.

Pick of the bunch is "Greener", a simple guitar riff & vocals '...Do you know who I am?...', setting the scene for a song that would make an incredibly strong single. "Mr. Bartender" is the closer, another exceptionally simplistic sound that works so well without any special effects, just good performance & great songwriting.

Five Dollar Milkshake's latest effort shows a band that must be on the verge of a recording deal. Any label worth their salt ought to be looking seriously at these guys now.

Union-News
Some call it roots rock, others call it Americana, but the initiated know it as just plain rock 'n' roll. You know - the jangly guitar, three-chord stuff of the Rolling Stones, The Band and Buffalo Springfield.

It's also the stuff played by fIVE dOLLAR mILKSHAKE, a Boston-based band that's building a bridge between modern rock and the really good music we used to hear on the radio. The group features drummer David Zimmerman, bassist John Haydon, and singer Jaime d'Almeida, who claims to be greatly influenced by early Rolling Stones. "Most definitely, I am a roots-music fan, " d'Almeida said in a recent conversation.

The band takes its name from a line in the movie "Pulp Fiction," and its first foray into Western Massachusetts is a date at Northampton's Fire and Water Cafe on Sunday night. Be sure to check out this show.

The band has just released a five-song cassetts with a guitar-based groove and somewhat skewed lyrical insight. One song - "C is for Crass" - is a real gem that will make you long for the songs the Stones used to write. The pass the hat at the Fire and Water, so pass on the $5 tofu burger and indulge in the fIVE dOLLAR mILKSHAKE.

@NZONE
Sorry, guys, but I've got to talk about your neat packaging first. I mean, the first thing that you experience in a new cd is how it looks sitting in the store (unless you're buying Celine and it's already all over the radio like glue). I don't think I've ever seen a funnier, more happening look than what my eyes scan on the Milkshake. First, they tell you the whole album will fit on 1 side of a 90 minute tape, if you want to illegally make copies. They also give you warnings like 'don't listen to this while watching The Wizard of Oz'. I know, maybe that doesn't sound real funny, but I find myself looking through the whole package, looking for little bits of comedy like I'm about to play a Monty Python game and I'm reading the manual Slowly. The pix on the back are of various kids in Halloween costumes. I like that. Also, for you idiots who read soup can instructions, it's clearly labeled which is the cd and which is the booklet, so you don't play the paper.

The music? What if I said: The power of punk with the accessibility of p-pop. Very intelligent and personal lyrics combine with catchy tunes that could wind up on either mainstream or college radio, depending on how deep the dj is. Hearing 'Jenifer' reminds me of my first sexual experience, when Jenny and I were both 7 and playing doctor for the first time. (Was it the first for her?) Titles like 'Fake Stars' and 'It's A Fish' tell you, yes, it's okay to have a sense of humor and still be cool. Does Five Dollar Milkshake smile when they play? They should. The drumming has soapy snap, crackle and pop, and the lead singer, while great, yet to my ears like a lot of voices out there, has that argumentative quality that could croon, plead, bitch, and plant a garden sometimes all in the same musical sentence. In some ways I'd call this feel good 90s rock, but since there are no lyrics in the fun booklet, I don't know if the tone for these songs is basically negative or A positive. From 'Let Go' we get 'doctor, don't you drink that tonic. a fool's gold got in it'. Pretty good.

Dave Zimmerman (drums and vocals), John Haydon (bass and vocals), and Jaime D'almeida (vocals and guitar) have a lot of power for a trilogy of multi-talents. (No one Only plays 1 instrument.) You know they're gonna rock whatever club opens up for them. And I hope they get some fine candy corn this Halloween. Remember, C is for crass!

Mrs. Zimmerman (Dave's aunt)
True Quote: You guys are much better than that techno-crap I hear on some of those college stations late at night.