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the
Hentchmen
Mike Latulippe
– Drums
Tim Purrier
– Guitar
John Szymanski
– Farfisa
As you step onto the front porch of the “Hentch House”
in Hamtramck, Michigan, notice the quaint wooden sign announcing
“The Szymanskis”: this is the family home of John,
the Hentchmen’s organ grinder. Ladies and gentlemen,
enter the Hentchmen. Inside, the walls are plastered with
pop culture paraphernalia such as authentic 60’s movie
posters, pirate flags, and even an autographed picture of
Richard Kiel. You quickly confirm that there is nothing pretentious
about this house or the musicians who spend their time here;
the Hentchmen are the real thing, originals, and they will
rock your ass off.
This fall, the Hentchmen will release their album, Form Follows
Function on Times Beach Records. The album was recorded at
Rustbelt Studios in Royal Oak, Michigan, and produced by Al
Sutton, who engineered tracks from 2003’s Three Times
Infinity, the Hencthmen’s critically acclaimed release.
Form Follows Function is the Hentchmen’s first album
on Times Beach; with the exception of one mini-LP on Italy
Records, their previous albums came out on the highly-regarded
Norton Records.
The Hentchmen began playing together a dozen years ago, when
they met in high school. The original lineup was Tim Purrier,
John Szymanski, and Chris Handyside. When Handyside moved
to Chicago, the band called on longtime friend Mike Latulippe.
At this point in their story, one can easily label the Hentchmen
an anomaly: beyond the one drummer exchange, there is NO “rotating
cast of members” in the Hentchmen’s bio! Despite
(or because of?) years of traveling the globe in a station
wagon (yes, they even drove a wagon in Europe), they remain
close friends.
The rapport among the three Hentches is evident in their live
show. Tim jumps around, strumming aggressively, looking like
a bleach-bottle Buddy Holly. He shares vocal duties with John,
who plays the Farfisa with aplomb. Mike “in the center”
beats the skins with the enthusiasm of a two-year-old who
has just discovered the peal a spoon makes on a saucepan.
Standing still at a Hentchmen show is impossible.
Not tapping your foot while listening to the new album is
equally as hopeless. The energy from the Hentchmen’s
live shows is accurately and wholly captured on Form Follows
Function. Their first single, “Love,” is a fun
tale of puppy love growing up (“It was love to the Nth
degree/ It was love most definitely”); in the accompanying
video the Hentchmen take their act underwater, complete with
vintage tuxes and bouqets of flowers. On “Mike in the
Middle,” John introduces the band members, and with
the lo-fi jangly sound, you can almost imagine ? and the Mysterians
doing a Beatles-esque “Sorry girls, he’s taken!”
kind of TV scene. The hip-shaking, head-bobbing sounds of
“Perpetuate” are undeniable, from the opening
bars to the driving drum rolls to the especially delicious
high-pitched keyboard riff.
Everything on this album is catchy as hell: the lyrics, the
addictive guitar patterns, the tasty beats, the dance-y strains
of the Farfisa. The Hentchmen have reached a new high mark
with Form Follows Function, and they will soon bring their
act to a town near you. Whether seeing them on stage or just
listening in your car, you can’t help but shake your
body to the Hentchmen’s music…..so put on your
Hush Puppies, grab your Parliaments… and prepare to
be rocked. |
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