Guitar Rock: The Weather Machines Take Out the Cars Before the Cars Even Hit the Road

The Weather Machines have predicted that it’s good driving weather. They’re taking the Cars out for a spin.

On their debut disc, The Sound of Pseudoscience, the Weather Machines from Rapid City, Sound Dakota, travel back to the 1980’s to a time when Ric Ocasek’s strange haircut seemed cool. With their guitars tuned low, the keyboard primed high, and a pounding-pop bass entrance, “Strains of Saints” is a ballad, but you can hear all of the Cars influence. Actually, with the punk rhythm of “Mission: Satellite!” the Weather Machines go back to 1978 when the Cars released their self-titled album which was still edgy before the new decade made them let the pop balloon rise.

Just as the second side of The Cars featured three songs that segued into one another, Pseudoscience lets “Last Stop” kick off as the last chord of “Me Too Iguana” is still humming. “Last Stop” is where this album really comes together. Jason Ward is in perfect Ocasek mode of letting the pop vocals out with just enough stutter that it’s Ramones-like. J. Waylon Miller completely smashes the fills on the drums, taking this backbeat 60’s song to a place where it makes the lyric come true: “I couldn’t get that beat off my one-track mind.”


Speaking of the Cars, they’ve also decided that it’s good driving weather—again. After 17 years, the Cars (the New Cars) will be touring and recording. Since Ocasek has opted not to be part of the reunion, the band has enlisted Todd Rundgren as frontman. Rundgren is no stranger to playing around with the pop keyboard sound and making it rock. If you click on the picture, you can see a short video clip (.wmv) featuring a teaser of the band’s brand new single. That brief clip shows that Rundgren’s voice will lend itself well to the task. You have to wonder if the upcoming tour will prove to have enough punch in the music or will it simply be a rehashing of K-Tel hits—not to be remastered? I’d have to think that Rundgren wouldn’t be part of something that would be just karoke. More details to come. . . .

And with the Cars’ upcoming tour, the Weather Machines would make an excellent choice as opening band. A tough slot for any band to fill since the crowd will be there to reminisce like a giant Have a Nice Day Café, but the Weather Machines could catch their attention. It’ll sound familiar to anyone who stopped listening to music the day the Cars broke up (a newsworthy day, but certainly I hope there’s no one who thinks that in a Don Mclean “American Pie” sort of way that it was the “day the music died). However, the Weather Machines also prove what can be done with that old sound (it’s really been 28 years since the “Good Times Roll”ed).

Thank you to the Weather Machines and Tigers Against Crime!!! for the review copy. Thank you to Art at Special Ops Media for his help.