Once upon a time, as many a story begins, there was a legendary beast that trod upon this great land. Across mountains and over rivers (wait, across rivers and over mountains; yeah, that’s it), all bowed before its grandeur and omnipresence … particularly human males between the ages of 18 and 34. What was the name of this benevolent and decadent entity, you ask?
Rock and roll.
Back in the ‘70s, when FM radio was becoming more of a force and big rock bands were strewn all across the dial, there was a particular guitar sound that dominated the airwaves: monstrous chord structures and tight riffs that had that the perfect combination of strum and crunch and buzz. There’s probably a better way to describe them, or even to explain how they were created, but you’d probably have to be a guitar player to do so—and since I am not, I must use words like “strum” and “crunch” and “buzz” to get my point across. An even better way to understand said point, however, would be to listen to the music of The Oldfield Victory, a newly-minted band that has recently released its newly-minted EP debut, A Thousand Doors.
This formidable foursome (Jon Freeman – vocals and guitar; Paul Hagedorn – lead guitar; Dave Tanner – bass and backing vocals; and Casey Wallace – drums) wastes no time getting down to business; “Wrecking Ball” is fast, loud, and has a nasty snarl, as all good rock ‘n roll should be. The EP’s title track is an instant audio time machine that takes the listener back to 1976, when The Oldfield Victory could easily have shared the Kemper Arena stage with Sammy Hagar, Triumph, Judas Priest, Spinal Tap, or any of the other legends of the day. The rest of A Thousand Doors, particularly “Built for Speed” and “She Disappears,” continues down that path, filled with the big drums, fat-bottom bass, razor-sharp guitar leads, and raucous vocal blends that made music fans from back in the day gas up their Camaros* and head to Sandstone or Arrowhead Stadium to KY102’s latest SummerJam.
Sometimes music does more than simply entertain—sometimes it just makes you feel like things are right in the world. This six-track EP hearkens to a time when rock was king, with willing subjects from coast to coast. Count me in as one of them, then and now. Long live The Oldfield Victory.
*author’s note: I did not have a Camaro back in those days. I had a Pinto. Not exactly the same thing … especially to the ladies. Awwww nooooooo.
—Michael Byars
Michael is fooling you—he probably had the coolest Pinto on the block. And $240 worth of pudding. Awwww yeah.
The Oldfield Victory has a big rock show planned this Friday, July 25, at The Scene KC Rock Bar in Independence, with Federation of Horsepower, The Heroine (San Antonio), and Bad Wheels. Check it out, and bring earplugs. Facebook event page.