Hickory Wind

June 30, 2009
The Olympic Ass-Kickin Team / National Champions
Posted by Hal Bogerd at June 30, 2009 6:14 PM

Unabashed disciples of Chuck Berry and the Rolling Stones, the Olympic Ass-Kickin Team plays hook-filled guitar rock loaded with large doses of Terry Anderson's twisted wacky sense of humor. "You Had Me At Get Lost" tells the tale of an infatuated ex who finds physical abuse and restraining orders signs of true love while "Wrong For That", with its Jaggeresque soul falsetto, finds a sad sack substitute lover looking to get his girl back into pole-dancing after she has another man's baby. "Found Missin' " is an updated Chuck Berry roadtrip tune with a "bop bop" vocal nod to Buddy Holly. Anderson's vocals on the thirteen tracks of bar-band rock recall both Keith and Tom Petty while the band harmonies on "About You" bring to mind "Big Star" . But it isn't all laughs as Terry Anderson has written the best baseball song of the year, a searing rocking indictiment of Barry Bonds, with "Willie Mays" ( "756, is that homeruns or needle-pricks", "Hammerin' Hank still wears the crown" and "now you you should be erased, gone without a trace" ) and skewers the State of the Nation in "Pow'ful 'Merka".
The Olympic Ass-Kickin Team has not dethroned Chuck Berry or the Stones and they'd probably kick your ass if you told them they had but The Olympic Ass-Kickin Team prove on "National Champions" ( Doublenaught Records) that they rank up there with NRBQ and Dave Edmunds as true disciples.

Do yourself a favor and hop over to myspace and listen to "Willie Mays" by the Olympic Ass-Kickin Team.

Highly recommended.