Mean Old Fireman: “Rescue 3” (2024) CD Review

Mean Old Fireman is the project of singer and guitarist Ned Bolle. The band’s first two albums – 2019’s Box 1 and 2021’s Dumpster Fire – were released under the name Mean Old Fireman And The Cruel Engineers, but for Rescue 3 the name has been shortened. The name, by the way, comes from an old Charlie McCoy lyric, “That mean old fireman, that cruel old engineer/Gonna take my baby and leave me lonesome here” from “That Lonesome Train Took My Baby Away.” This album contains some wonderful blues tunes, with elements from other musical genres added as the band sees fit. The band is made up of Ned Bolle on vocals, guitar, bass, bass ukulele and banjo; John Wadkins on keyboards and piano; Rory Walsh on drums and percussion; Joey Pafumi on drums; Christina Lacoste on backing vocals and accordion; and Marty Phillips on saxophone. There are also guests on a few tracks.

The first song, “I’m Not Crying,” is counted off, and suddenly we are hip deep in a delicious groove, with a saxophone helping to create a party atmosphere. Sure, it’s blues, but it’s the kind of blues that is shaking off the blues, you know? It’s true even as Ned Bolle sings, “All the while I sit and wonder/How I can stand so much pain.” And check out that sax lead. I also like that catchy repeated riff on keys. “I’m reaching up from the ground/Looking for a helping hand/That was nowhere to be found/I’m not crying, I’m not crying.” Halfway through, we are treated to a cool keyboard lead. Again, this is blues you want to dance to. Tom Martin plays bass on this track, helping to create that great groove. There’s a good jam toward the end. We’ve all been hurt at one point or another, but if we can keep dancing to a song like this, then we won’t be crying either. That’s followed by “12 Bars,” which gets its hooks into us in those opening moments, that sax part making me smile. “I was feeling so low, wishing I was dead/I needed to get out and have a drink to clear my head/Oh where should I go?/You know, one bar will not do/‘Cause the way you left me, baby, it’s given me those twelve bar blues.” Yes, this song is a delightful play on 12-bar blues, by having it be about twelve different bars he visits, including the Speakeasy, the Cantab Lounge and Charlie’s Kitchen (I’ve seen some good bands at the Cantab). This is a cool number, a nice relaxed blues jam, featuring a delicious sax lead. As the song is drawing to its conclusion, Ned says, “She’s out there, somewhere.”

Then we get a cover of Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves Of London.” The band takes a cool, unusual approach to this song. Partly it is in some of the instruments used on this track. Ned Bolle is on both banjo and bass ukulele. And while this is an acoustic rendition, it still has a strong bass line and some good drumming. It’s fun, and there is a groovy jam in the middle. The more I listen to this band, the more determined I am to see these guys in concert. “His hair was perfect.” That’s followed by “Highland Blues.” I get the Highland Blues when I forget there is a show at the Hollywood Bowl and I get off at the Highland exit and am stuck in concert traffic, but this tune isn’t that sort of Highland Blues. This short but excellent instrumental has a Scottish vibe. You might almost be tricked into believing there are bagpipes. There are also different parts of Massachusetts referred to as the Highlands, including sections of Boston, Lowell, Holyoke, and Truro. So, take from it what you wish.

“Lynn, Lynn” has a steady, heavy, pounding beat, and when it kicks in, oh man, this song is bloody great. I love the vocals here, which have also have a heavy attitude. And that bass! It’s like some heavy metal band got the blues, and a playful dose of blues. “Lynn, Lynn, the city of sin/You never come out the way you went in.” It’s a song about Lynn, Massachusetts that started as a poem written by … well, I have no idea who wrote it. Does anyone know? It was something we heard while growing up in Mass., and none of us spent much, if any, time in that city. Shockwell Morency joins the group on percussion and vocals. At one point, there is humorous shout of, “Did you pick up my Marshmallow Fluff?” Oh boy, that takes me back. Do they still make that shit? Anyway, this is one of my personal favorite tracks. And it’s followed by a mean blues version of “Dirty Water.” Yup, from a song about Lynn to a song about Boston, this album is making me a little homesick (and I was at Fenway just a few weeks ago). “Down by the banks of the River Charles” becomes “Down on the Charles River delta/That’s where it’s all going down.” This totally works as a blues song, and this version features some excellent stuff on harmonica. That’s Peter Chase joining the group on harmonica. The band that originally recorded this song wasn’t even from Boston. They were from Los Angeles, where I happen to be now. This track includes some good stuff on sax and keys. These guys jam on this one too, and I love the way they work in the song’s hook at the end. Next time I’m back east, I hope I can catch a show.

“The Emptiest Drum” features a great mean, raw vocal delivery, and has a heavy sound. This song mentions Engine 53 of the Boston Fire Department. “You never hear him boast, but when he hears the bell/He’ll drag a big line straight through the gates of hell.” This track also features some really good guitar work. That’s followed by “Romp,” which has a cool, playful vibe as it begins. This is an instrumental that is nearly certain to have you smiling and tapping your toes before too long. This is the track that has Christina Lacoste on accordion. It also contains some really nice stuff on piano. This track comes to a sudden ending. The album then concludes with a second rendition of “Werewolves Of London,” this one an electric rendition. No banjo or ukulele on this track, but it is a fun rendition all the same, one to get you dancing. I love the percussion.

CD Track List

1. I’m Not Crying
2. 12 Bars
3. Werewolves Of London (acoustic)
4. Highland Blues
5. Lynn, Lynn
6. Dirty Water
7. The Emptiest Drum
8. Romp
9. Werewolves Of London (electric)

Rescue 3 is scheduled to be released on June 20, 2024, and I hear it will be available on vinyl as well as CD (though the vinyl version won’t have that final track).