Gijon Stomp!

Liner Note Author: Mike Mariconda.
Recording information: Circo Perrotti Studios, Gijon, Spain (09/2007).
Sonny Burgess is creeping up on 80 years old, and he's still going as strong as he was when recording for Sun Records in the 1950s. He's touring with a version of his band, the Pacers, and in 2007, he stopped off in a Spanish studio and cut the nine tracks on this album in a single, day-long burst of creative energy. The band is ferocious, with guitar and saxophone solos ripping out of the speakers and Burgess' voice as strong as ever -- on rockers like "Treat Her Right" he roars like a lion, while country songs like "Cold Cold Heart" find him adopting a richer, fuller singing style. Classic rockabilly slapback echo gives his vocals a vintage sound, while the stinging fuzztone guitar is classic without being retro. The only brand-new piece on the disc, the under-two-minute "Gijon Breakdown," is an instrumental showcase for the band, which lets them cut loose with sandpaper guitar riffing, and raucous, bar-walking saxophone at a tempo that's practically hardcore punk. This is the sound of a bunch of grandfathers ripping it up one side and down the other in a way that would put half the young bands out there to shame. ~ Phil Freeman