Goober & The Peas not just another cowpunk rock band
The Daily Beacon
MARCH 1, 1995
John Sewell
Detroit's Goober & the Peas will be bringing their "Jet-Age Genius" to the Mercury Theatre for this week's New Rock 90 Night. Though the band's title and image suggest that they're just another cowpunk band, these guys really have a lot more to offer. These guys are just plain weird, and their off-kilter humor disguises a darker perspective that pervades their new album, The Jet-Age Genius of Goober & the Peas.
The obvious track for radio airplay, "Killing Is Bad," is a send-up of political correctness that should be required listening for bleeding hearts everywhere. The song is funny, but doesn't live up to the rest of the album's vision.
Highlights of the album include "Neighbors," a song about suburban discord, and "Alienation," a song that could be the album's title track. On "Alienation," lead vocalist Goober Miller proclaims "I don't give diddly squat about my peer group," and the band's refusal to adhere to any easily categorized musical style is proof positive that he means what he says.
The band employs a wide musical range, from bluesy western swing to bombastic heavy guitars, on the new album. This large musical palette is a real strength and adds depth to the band's dramatic style.
Goober & the Peas avoid the cowpunk cliches of bands like Southern Culture on the Skids and Nine Pound Hammer, and offer listeners a moody sound that can at times be compared to Nick Cave or the Gun Club. The band is much more akin to Flannery O'Connor than to Hee Haw or Li'l Abner, and this maturity is what makes them so compelling.
The band's live show promises to be an eclectic treat to adventurous music fans. There's no telling what kind of antics these guys will come up with, so go to the show tonight and in the future you'll be able to say "I saw them when..."