Ferris And The Wheels: “Ferris And The Wheels” (2015) CD Review

Okay, I usually don’t review a CD unless I really dig the majority of the tracks. But I have to make an exception in the case of the new, self-titled disc by Ferris And The Wheels. When I first popped it on, I wasn’t all that into it. The first couple of tracks are hard rock, and the play on “dam hole” instead of “damn hole” in the first track wasn’t enough to win me over. But the third track, “Typical,” totally grabbed me. It’s a ridiculously catchy and goofy pop tune. At first I felt that I shouldn’t like it, that maybe something was wrong with me. But its charm is just undeniable (and it even has some “ooh la la” vocals). I ended up listening to it several times, and then getting online and watching the video several times. The video is even more ridiculous – and I don’t even like videos as an artistic medium – but I couldn’t stop watching it. The more I watched it, the more I loved the song, and the more I liked the band. They’re clearly having a goof. I’d had my doubts about this band after reading the press release, because it’s all about their nicknames and their marketing plans – targeting Chicago and Atlanta, and so on. And the band’s web site counts its own press release as a CD review. But whatever, no matter, because then the fifth track, “Last Parade,” is also seriously good. It has a quirky little groove that I totally enjoy, and some nice vocal play. Plus, I dig the lyrics, with lines like “These low expectations always save my day” and “Why do I always worry about things I can’t explain?” and “I’m not going to tell you what it means.” It’s such a damn good song, with a fun, positive bent (“We’ve got to take advantage of each breath we take”). I’ve been listening to this one over and over too.

As for the other songs, I kind of got into “Found It,” mainly because I let it play several times after “Last Parade,” and it began to work for me. It’s a slower number, with some good lyrics: “You don’t know what you do to me/You’re pushing me to the edge of insanity/And I’m always looking for a way out/And I – I – I think I just found it.” Ferris And The Wheels are based in Nashville, and are made up of Geoff Ferris on lead vocals and guitar, Jake Lentner on lead guitar and vocals, Dylan Ayers on drums on vocals, and Josh Ayers on bass and vocals. All the tracks on this CD are originals.

CD Track List

1. Stuck In This Dam Hole
2. I Got Something
3. Typical
4. Mania
5. Last Parade
6. Found It

Ferris And The Wheels is scheduled to be released on October 9, 2015.