2014: A Year of Clarity: Little Hurricane’s Gold Fever Album Review
Part Five: Encore 10.02.2023
If I mention this band again without doing an entire article about them, I would be doing the world a severe disservice.
Back when I worked at a musical instrument retailer, we were ordered every month to collect all outdated music magazines for that month and “shrink” them out of the system. I would then have to tear the cover off of each magazine and throw them all away. Because of this practice, I can hardly get through a magazine article without disassociating myself completely. I guess it’s a form of trauma, remembering all those magazines we, as a company, had to throw out instead of recycle or hand out to employees, you know, anything else that doesn’t cause mass amounts of waste.
It was on one of those missions of mass waste when I tore the cover off of Tom Tom magazine. If you’re unfamiliar with the publication, it’s the only magazine dedicated to female drummers. As I was about to toss the magazine in the trash can, my eyes caught onto a drummer who looked entranced by the music she was playing when the picture was taken. That woman was Celeste Spina (CC) from the band Little Hurricane. I read the quick blurb about the band, I’m unsure if their self-proclaimed “dirty blues” music style was mentioned in this little blurb, but it piqued my interest enough to make a note and look up the band that night.
“Haunted Heart” was the first song from Little Hurricane I heard. There was a music video available on YouTube. The video starts with driving down the desert highway when the cool guy shows up in the frame behind the wheel of a black Ford Thunderbird. The cool guy would later be known to me as the singer of Little Hurricane, Anthony Catalano, aka Tone. I’m not going to go through the entire music video in this article, but it was enough to intrigue me, especially since I could also hear a female backup vocal, which always compliments Tone’s singing.
Check out the video for “Haunted Heart” here.
The next video I watched “Give ’Em Hell.” This live performance started with CC behind the drums, playing a mandolin, and singing after Tone exclaims, “Give ’Em Hell!” Their dual call and response was fascinating. I wanted to hear more. So I got the full album, Homewrecker, and listened to it repeatedly at work. When I described it as a two-piece, coworkers would say, “Like the White Stripes kind of thing?” Not really, it’s just two musicians playing together because a bass player would only cause issues (personal experience, and as a former bass player, I know what it’s like to be there because the guitar player didn’t have a pedal that could replace me).
As mentioned in my review of the Lincoln Durham album, I made Little Hurricane my first “destination show.” I lived in Nashua, New Hampshire, and they were touring the country and stopping in Nashville. As someone starting to swoon over the city and so-and-so, this would be the perfect opportunity for me to see the band play in the town I was quickly falling for.
But just before all of that, Little Hurricane released their second album in March of 2014, called Gold Fever, which we will be reviewing shortly. Before I do, however, I want to put this out there: Little Hurricane is in my Top Three Favorite Bands, with Jimmy Eat World and Gang of Youths sharing the same air. I have seen them perform in three states: Massachusetts, Maine, and, of course, Tennessee (3x). They are an astounding band to see live. Whether it’s Tone’s crazy abilities with effects, guitar playing, and unique vocals or the light that flashes before CC’s eyes with every strike of the drum, having all the fun in the world, their live shows will have you hypnotized all the way through.
I also have a forearm tattoo with the band’s name on it. So…
These reviews are difficult to do, especially with an album that kept me in good spirits during the dips in my grieving process. I listened to Gold Fever usually every day when walking home from work; something about it had healing properties that calmed me. And the beats the band was dropping is good “walk to” music. There was even a time, even to this day, when I would feel like I was in such a bad mood and couldn’t quite realize why, and then it would dawn on me that I hadn’t gotten my Gold Fever fix in awhile. I would listen to the album and feel rejuvenated. So, here’s my biased opinion from a super fan of the band.
“Summer Air” is the perfect start to this album. It introduces you to the two narrators featured in the album’s story. That’s right, folks, CC sings background vocals on this one. You can’t help but walk like you have a chip on your shoulder as you move through this track. It’s pretty impressive how much sound two people can create.
The next track on this record was a beacon during those hard times. “Upside of Down” let me feel what I was going through while providing me the information I will learn from these down times and have a better perspective going forward. The lyrics in this one are poetic, to say the least, sung over an old locomotive chugging away rhythm. One of my favorite lines from this one is, “You ever wondered what it’s like to see the world from another’s eyes? You should try sometime. It might just save you.”
The next song, arguably the single from this record, “Sheep In Wolves Clothes,” struck me so hard that I lost my ability to breathe the first time I heard it. I likened it to my situation then, still reeling from losing someone and not letting others in. It worked as the soundtrack to the play in the back of my mind. They released a couple of music videos for this one; the first, a “borrowed” storyline reminiscent of the first ten minutes of Pixar’s Up, will get you teary-eyed. Well, unless you don’t have a soul. It’s right here if you want to watch it for yourself.
On the most stressful days at work, as soon as “Boiling Water” started playing in my ears, that was all in the rearview, this song is so cool, and I’m a sucker for horn in any song. We can all live by some of these lines: “You think it’s so bad, but you don’t even try. Count what you don’t have boils up in your mind.” Really puts things in perspective, I’d say.
“All by myself, I just wanna be…” Nope, this isn’t a cover of an Eric Carmen track; this is “No Man’s Land.” This song has all the big parts of Little Hurricane: fancy drum work, loud guitars, chunky verses, sweet harmonies from CC, and haunting lyrics serenaded by Tone.
We’re back with a hanging on the porch, sippin’ a cerveza, and chillin’ beat with “Bones.” This is just a chill listener; really puts you in a vibe, for sure.
We… Tone… it down with this next track. “Breathe” is the return of the call and response singing from Tone and CC. The two vocals play together well, and you wonder why these folks aren’t married and have a couple of kids (spoilers: they eventually do). It’s a narration of the male vocal explaining how he’s changed from what the woman remembers, but she has a good memory and is in doubt that he’s changed much outside of his clothes since their last time seeing each other.
What starts next is the opener to a three-song epic. “Con Man” is about, I presume, the female narrator from the last track has officially kicked Homeboy to the curb. “Through a mirror, I could see all my things stacked just out of sight.” The imagery in that line alone makes this track worthy of its own short film. I can’t help but sway back and forth when listening to this.
“Sorry Son” comes out swinging, with the narrator pleading that he’s done his best to help but failed. It’s about one of those outliers in your life that mean so much to you but let you down or themselves down every time and don’t know or care what damage it’s causing. It’s an excellent track. This song is great on its own, but when you know what’s coming next, the anticipation builds, and your nerves shake you with excitement.
I have mentioned my Top Thirty Favorite Songs of all time in previous articles; this next one is up there, “Superblues” is here to rattle your soul, beat you down, knock you out, and leave you wanting more. The guitars and drums hit you like you’re listening to the start of a slow metal song, and it’ll keep you there until the chorus comes, a lesson we should all learn: “If you want something, you gotta work for it, work your hands down to the bones. If you love someone, you gotta mean it; show them every damn chance that you get.” This is what the kids refer to as “a banger.”
The title track, “Gold Fever,” chugs up next, instantly putting you in the backseat of a truck filled with desperate men and women looking to make the next gold rush. I picture bank robbers in a montage cut between the beats whenever I hear this song. CC is back on the vocals with this one, and the sass is real. She strikes you with her words. If you weren’t feeling down before, she just put you in that place with your nonsense. This track is an extraordinary exploration of their chemistry, a really fun listen.
“Grand Canyon” closes this album and showcases these two’s instrumental artistry. You feel like you’re on a train listening to a man telling a story about a woman he would do anything for. One of my favorite things about this track is that when you think it will pick up and let you have it with some slapping drums and snarling guitars, it slows down and tells more of the story. We hear more about how things have gotten worse and what the narrator is willing to give up for this woman who is in harm during this part of the song, and then they let loose on what is arguably my favorite instrumental breakdown in any song ever. Hop on the train and enjoy the ride to the end!
This is my favorite album by the band. As your doctor is this matter, I prescribe this album to you, listened to once daily, until you’re cured of whatever ails you.
As of this article, Little Hurricane has six albums, including a collection of covers and a reimagining of nursery rhymes. They have been featured in a few Taco Bell commercials, several TV shows, and the soundtrack to my life. I’m grateful for what this band has produced musically and how kind they are as people. CC gave me a shout-out at the last show we saw them play, yes, at the High Watt in Nashville (because you know that’s the only place I like to see bands), and it was the most incredible feeling ever. I remember talking up how great the band was to the dude next to me, and he asked if I knew them personally and if they’d seen my tattoo. I just played it off as I love the band; when she gave me that shout-out during their show, the guy nearly tackled me with excitement.
On a serious note, Tone was recently involved in a motorcycle accident when a deer jumped in the way and threw him off his bike, sustaining severe injuries. If you would like to contribute to helping these incredible people during a hard time, click on this link.
