One Bad Pig
Smash
Reviewed by Brian Quincy Newcomb
It takes a lot of jowls to name your band "One Bad Pig" if you expect to be taken seriously as anything but a novelty band. A Christian Banned, the band's independently released six-song EP, was taken seriously by a small committed group of hardcore, thrash and garage metal fans who could relate to the urgency of their evangelistic concerns and who delighted in the band's unpretentious raw sound. While OBP was fortunate to avoid a copyright suit over the KSHE pig, a St. Louis radio mascot, and their self-deprecating humor (they named their record company "Porky's Demise") revealed they knew a good joke when they saw one, it was clear that they meant what they said and what they played in their songs. However, with A Christian Banned long out of print and two year's with nary a squeal, it seemed certain that One Bad Pig would be a footnote in the history of Christian rock which might read: Novelty punk band, a flash in the bar-b-que pit. Of course, the release of Smash, One Bad Pig's major label debut on Pure Metal, changes all that. Fast, intense and to-the-point OBP's lead squealer Carey "Kosher" Womack and Paul Q-Pek, the chief guitar spanker, deliver on all the expected energy and gusto that two years of hype can create, while new rhythm section Streak Wheeler on bass and Phillip Owens on drums keep the bottom end fat and rock steady. The overall effect is that of a tight band seeking to extend beyond the confines of simple garage punk, but without the musicianship or desire to become a slick metal package. Smash, as a result, relies on a variety of heavy, hard rock approaches and rhythms tending toward speed. While accent is seldom on technique, Q-Pek proves to be a fine player on tracks like "People Cry Out" and "Frat Rats". Kosher brings a full range of emotions to his vocal howl this time out and the band is tight, aggressive and, well, bad. The real surprise, and some of the fun, is the album's producer Billy Smiley. That's right, the guy from Whiteheart, known primarily for creating clean, commercial, polished pop/rock and more than a few sweet ballads, was behind the boards on this one, and brought along a few of his friends for the fun: WH's Gordon Kennedy plays guitar solos on "Godarchy" and "Kingdom Come"; Dale Oliver, of Geoff Moore's band, adds a solo to "Smash the Guitar"; and Ric Florian and Chris McHugh, both of Whiteheart, add BGV's and percussion, respectively. My best guess is that this worked like a businessman's holiday, with the WH boys getting out all the grit and feedback that got erased off Don't Wait for the Movie and Emergency Broadcast and taking a lost weekend before recording their next one with Brown "Whitebread" Bannister. Anyway, the Pig's music is still intact, with Smiley giving them a punchy, full-blast stereo sound that lets the songs stand on their own merits, and stand up they do. "Godarchy", "Isaiah Six", and "Blow and Go" all are reworked to fine results. While the remainder speak to Christians and non-Christians alike about issues of great importance. "Don't Be Fooled" warns against those who tell us lies to divert our path toward God, "Smash the Guitar" destroys the American cult of idolatry and materialism, while "Frat Rats" attacks any exclusive system and "I'm Not Getting Any Older" reports on the blessings of life in Christ. The trick is "Let's Be Frank", which deals with the war between belief and cynicism in the world, and I was just getting used to the importance of being earnest. Anyway, if I had to grade Smash on a one-to-ten scale, I'd give One Bad Pig a 7 for effort and artistic intent, and for jowls they'd rate a 9.99.