The Mike Jacoby Electric Trio - The Long Haul (2023)

Guitarist Mike Jacoby previously recorded three albums on which he played all of the instruments himself, but since 2019 he's performed with Dan Read on bass and Mike Levin on drums. Together, they are The Mike Jacoby Electric Trio.

Depending on the needs of the song, this stellar outfit from Long Beach, California demonstrates a multitude of influences that include power pop, garage rock, British Invasion, and some roots rock with just a tiny bit of country thrown into the mix as well. 

Jacoby makes it known that The Long Haul features "real bass and drums" without any of the metallic, glossy sheen that permeates rock music these days. Jacoby's lyrics are important too. He writes serious songs with a humorous edge.

The eleven track set includes a few songs about love in all of its forms. The album opens with "Right Off The Bat" a tune that hilariously discusses how dangerous online dating can be. "Maybe, Just Maybe" is another look at relationships with a definite country flavor, but it still rocks. "She's Funny That Way" is about a woman who avoids commitment at all costs.

"A Better Man" is a "blow the doors off " rocker about self-improvement. The title track is another riff-filled explosion that's "about life’s journey and the things you pick up (or should be picking up) along the way,” Jacoby explains. “It ends with a nice long fade…as life sometimes does." "Bend" is a humorous tribute to an Oregon town that seems to suit the songwriter better than anyplace he's ever visited before, and he's right! I've been there. Bend really is a nice town.

"If I Don't Fry" is sung by a death row inmate who knows the guards are coming soon, but the arrangement and the vocal are far more upbeat than the subject matter should allow. It even brings a little smile to your face.

"Everybody I Know" could have served as the theme song for the TV show Friends if The Rembrandts hadn't already co-opted the honor.  

It's been a long time since I've come across an album of real rock music that is as rewarding as The Long Haul. If your listening habits include the more traditional types of this formerly exciting art form - and you're searching for something fresh and exciting at the same time - check out The Mike Jacoby Electric Trio.

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