Reviewed by
“Rock With The Ashe”
Johnny
Pisano's debut record, Johnny Pisano's Punk Rock Pizzeria is an
awesome and fun first release, that’s been twenty years in the
making. The native Brooklynite has been playing bass and singing for
top bands for 30 plus years. Pisano played and or recorded with
Marky Ramone and The Intruders, Willie Nile, Bruce Springsteen, Jesse
Malin, Billie Joe Armstrong, Ryan Adams and Joan Jett just to name a
few and is currently in Willie Nile’s band on tour. Johnny
Pisano’s new record is exactly what it say’s it is, a punk rock
album! New punk rock music has been missing from the airwaves for
what seems like decades, yet punk rock still lives in small clubs
across the country and this makes Pisano’s record that much more
exciting.
Johnny
Pisano's Punk Rock Pizzeria is a collection of nine songs mostly
written and produced by Pisano and co-produced by Alex Alexander.
The album reminds me of The Ramones and Green Day at their best. The
first track The Know It Alls
starts off the album with rip-roaring guitars, bass and drums. Matt
Hogan on lead guitar, launches into great riffs, with Pisano on bass
and lead vocals and Alex Alexander on drums. The opening number sets
up the rest of the record for high octane punk rock. Hansome Dick
Manitoba formerly of The
Dictators comes in at the very
end of the song in a very Hansome Dick Manitoba way and sings “You’re
all a bunch of friggin’ know it alls.”
The record
also has some lighter moments, like at the start of Pilicious
Bitches. There’s the classic
Italian song, (with different lyrics) Che
La Luna aka Lazy Mary sung by
Pisano in a voice that makes it seem like a recording from the
1950’s. Arlan Feiles adds accordion for the totally old-world
sound. Then the band rips his into the song about pizza! A tongue
and cheek take on pizza, vegans, pineapples on pizzas and the best
pizza in Coney Island. Midlife
Crisis also has a fun little
intro with two goombahs talking in a bar (Pisano and Tommy London)
about seeing a band and being protective of one’s wife. This song
has a Green Day band
feel to it, fast guitars and rapid-fire lyrics, a great song to rock
out to in the pit. All Fucked Up
From Growing Up is also a Green
Day inspired tune in which the
narrator yearns for his younger days.
“Let’s
take a trip on back in time
Where
my Dad’s the strongest man alive
A Foot
of snow was a dream come true
Add a
little more, you got a day off from school
And we
played Scully
We
played Truth or Dare
And
Spin the Bottle…I was truly scared”
Next up is
Maloveilove,
which when listened to makes perfect sense in it’s pronunciation.
Maloveilove, is
the first single of the record. A two and a half minute catchy tune
in which the lady has total control and becomes Pisano’s
Maloveilove. Another
of the lighter moments is the start of Superhero.
Pisano recreates the Mighty
Mouse theme song…“here
I come to save the day…”
which then breaks into full-tilt rock ‘n’ roll and doesn’t stop
until the very last note. Don’t
Think is a Ramones inspired tune
in both the length of the song (2:13) and it’s intensity,
especially the guitar work of Hogan. The
Streets Of São Paulo tells the
story of São Paulo and getting away from it all.
“You
can take a break from your routine
The
same old friends, the same old scene
Make a
change, and hop a flight with me
Come
along, c’mon lets go to the other side of the world”
Last up is
One Guitar Mon’
a Willie Nile and Frankie Lee penned modern day anthem that’s
tossed on it’s head when Pisano covers it as a reggae version and
sung by Pisano and Nile. When the song ends, there’s some silence,
then after about ten seconds the band comes back for a final reprise
of Mighty Mouse.
Johnny
Pisano's Punk Rock Pizzeria is an excellent freshman record that
should be picked up by all punk rockers. It’s more rock than punk
and easy to sing and dance to. One has to hope that we don’t have
to wait twenty years for the next Johnny Pisano record.
You can find
the record at local record stores in the NY/NJ area, at Johnny Pisano
and Willie Nile shows as well as from iTunes/Apple Music, Spotify, CD
Baby, facebook.com/JohnnyPisanoPunkRockPizzeria and
JohnnyPisano.com.