Tired Wings ~ You Snooze, You Lose (EP) ... The road we call life!

Style: blues-rock, hard rock
Label: self-released
Year: 2009
Home: New York City, New York

Members: Charles "Rev Mongoose" Canedo ~ guitar/vocals/bass
Luis Cambrero ~ drums

Imagine an old bluesman whose spent too much time in juke joints playing on his electric guitar, repeatedly trying to confess his average soul through unheard lyrics, playing with frightful abandon his three-chord blues progressions, with his band behind him trying to propel things to new levels. Got it? The frontman of TW isn't quite an old bluesman but the side of his personality he's revealed on this debut EP is wandering on the same road. With a near ominous bleeding guitar in the foreground TW rips through a cry of a normal heart crying for great heights in "Average Soul", reminding me of Lou Reed's "Average Guy" where he pleaded his normalcy after years of drug addiction. Might songwriter Charles be doing the same thing after his own trials in life? While "Roll With You" is groove based gritty heaviness I always thought could careen out of control on stage if given the chance, or maybe it already has. With only four songs on an album it can be hard to have a highlight as, if planned well, each one should stand out equal. Though, every song by TW can fill one with lots of great energy, going straight to the groin, "Mountain Song" is probably a favorite of mine. In many ways it's the unlikely candidate. It has the simpliest riff, is the least personal lyrically & is probably the most under control sounding. But, it's all those things together that pull it out of the batch, plus a great wah-wah pedal solo ringing over a near drum solo that nearly sounds like two drummers. Showing the softer side of TW, the album ends almost with a coda with "Road We Call Life", an acoustic power ballad that would be better served on an EP of acoustic songs. But, then, TW have a rather raw & sloppy sound which doesn't quite translate on acoustic guitar. Luckily, the track breaks into electric guitars & drums, though it takes 5 out of 7:30 minutes to get there. But, on the other hand the chorus is: "I'm free & I'm tired, but I'm on the road again, on these tired wings". Every band should have a theme song. TW play around New York City with a pretty unpretentious stage show & are worth checking out. CONCERT REVIEW: Don Hill's, NYC, 2010. It had been over a year since I last saw TW in concert, the last time being their all too short debut. The next time I saw them was as a member of the band. This night actually featured the debut of a new bass player. Looking like Rob Zombie in his big boots, floor length pants and a devilish tophat frontman Charles is without doubt the force of the band that blasts an onslaught of sound through his guitar amp. The sad thing is that he's tied to a stationary position because of the guitar, but Charles is a frontman who is better with a guitar than pouncing around on stage with just a mic. He's a guitarist before anything. Maybe someday he'll have a second guitarist to at least decrease his burden of walking the tightrobe of both lead and rhythm a sole guitarist faces, but until then there's something nice about seeing just a trio of guys on stage. Behind the drumkit Luis is a flurry of waving arms and hair with a big smile on his face all the way. Drummers often get ignored but a good drummer is a spectacle in himself. As for the new bassist, last I heard he was still with them so it obviously was a good fit. Considering I know they pulled him from the rehearsal studio down the hall it's definetly convenient. Albeit, his predecessor was named Cup Cake, what's his nickname?